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Research on the printing error of tilted vertical beams in delta-robot 3D printers

Yuezong Wang (Faculty of Materials and Manufacturing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China)
Jinghui Liu (School of Emergency Management, Institute of Disaster Prevention, Sanhe, China)
Mengfei Guo (Faculty of Materials and Manufacturing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China)
LiuQIan Wang (Faculty of Materials and Manufacturing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China)

Rapid Prototyping Journal

ISSN: 1355-2546

Article publication date: 8 September 2021

Issue publication date: 22 October 2021

203

Abstract

Purpose

A three-dimensional (3D) printing error simulation approach is proposed to analyze the influence of tilted vertical beams on the 3D printing accuracy. The purpose of this study is to analyze the influence of such errors on printing accuracy and printing quality for delta-robot 3D printer.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the kinematic model of a delta-robot 3D printer with an ideal geometric structure is proposed by using vector analysis. Then, the normal kinematic model of a nonideal delta-robot 3D robot with tilted vertical beams is derived based on the above ideal kinematic model. Finally, a 3D printing error simulation approach is proposed to analyze the influence of tilted vertical beams on the 3D printing accuracy.

Findings

The results show that tilted vertical beams can indeed cause 3D printing errors and further influence the 3D printing quality of the final products and that the 3D printing errors of tilted vertical beams are related to the rotation angles of the tilted vertical beams. The larger the rotation angles of the tilted vertical beams are, the greater the geometric deformations of the printed structures.

Originality/value

Three vertical beams and six horizontal beams constitute the supporting parts of the frame of a delta-robot 3D printer. In this paper, the orientations of tilted vertical beams are shown to have a significant influence on 3D printing accuracy. However, the effect of tilted vertical beams on 3D printing accuracy is difficult to capture by instruments. To reveal the 3D printing error mechanisms under the condition of tilted vertical beams, the error generation mechanism and the quantitative influence of tilted vertical beams on 3D printing accuracy are studied by simulating the parallel motion mechanism of a delta-robot 3D printer with tilted vertical beams.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China through Grant No. 51975009 and No. 51675014 and Hebei Social Science Foundation through Grant No. HB18GL004. The authors would like to thank the foundation for the financial supports and wish to express their sincere appreciation to the reviewers for their useful and constructive comments.

Citation

Wang, Y., Liu, J., Guo, M. and Wang, L. (2021), "Research on the printing error of tilted vertical beams in delta-robot 3D printers", Rapid Prototyping Journal, Vol. 27 No. 9, pp. 1633-1649. https://doi.org/10.1108/RPJ-03-2020-0052

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

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