Improving surface finish of extrusion based additive manufactured parts using novel triangle based toolpath approach

A novel approach utilizing triangle toolpath has been developed in this study to improve the surface finish of parts created by extrusion-based additive manufacturing (AM). During the extrusion-based AM process, poorly oriented surfaces can result in inferior surface quality, failing to meet the desired quality requirements for the final part. The inherent staircase effect in extrusion-based AM limits the part surface quality of built parts, resulting in a substandard surface finish. To overcome this limitation, a triangle-based machining toolpath approach has been introduced to remove staircases from all directions and enhance the average surface roughness of parts produced through extrusion-based AM. The combined impact of AM and machining parameters on the outcome was investigated using statistical analysis techniques. Experimental results and surface profile images have validated the effectiveness of the proposed approach in achieving an improved surface finish.