Study and analysis of metal parts fabricated through fused deposition modelling, de-binding and sintering processes

Fused Deposition Modeling being additive manufacturing process is used for making metal, plastics, ceramics, and composite parts as this technology is moldless and creates zero waste material. With less capital investment and simplicity in process, Fused Deposition Modelling has gained attention across the globe for fabricating complex and simple geometry metal parts. 3D printer takes filament as input and extrude green parts which need to be de-bound and sintered for transforming them into metal parts. Thermal de-binding of filament Ultrafuse 316L SS green parts is performed. By varying thermal de-binding parameters including heating rate, holding time and temperature, green parts can be debounded thermally without any defects. The sintered Ultrafuse 316L metal part has achieved maximum tensile strength of 560 MPa, hardness 189 HV and density of 7.47 g/cm(3).