Fused deposition modeling (FDM) process is the most commonly used additive manufacturing techniques due to its simplicity and the range of available materials is quite large. The quality of the parts printed via FDM depends on a large number of process parameters. These parameters are dependent on the Computer Aided Design CAD, Computer Aided Manufacturing CAM, material, and part orientation during printing. These parameters not only affect the ultimate strength and modulus of elasticity but also affect the manufacturing time and volume, which affect the final cost of the part. The objective of this study is to define an agile method, taking into account the product and process parameters for printing parts optimized for strength and cost made out of Nylon. The study focuses on a systematic design of experiment to measure the ultimate tensile strength, ultimate flexural strength, modulus of elasticity, time, and volume based on ISO compliant specimens. The strength to cost effectiveness of some configurations is studied and the highest cost effective configuration is determined by predicting responses for a full factorial array for tensile strength. The study provides a method to predict and simulate the cost driven design for strength of FDM parts printed via a Stratasys Fortus 900 Printer.
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