Comparison of Component Properties and Economic Efficiency of the Arburg Plastic Freeforming and Fused Deposition Modeling
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The additive manufacturing process Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) is established in the industry for many years. A new, similar process to FDM is the Arburg Plastic Freeforming (APF). The main differences between both processes are the form of the starting material (FDM: Filaments, APF: Conventional granulate) and the material deposition during the layer formation (FDM: Melt strand, APF: fine molten droplets). Since the two processes can be used in similar applications, the aim of this study is to compare both processes in a holistic way. Furthermore, the advantages and disadvantages of the processes are to be highlighted. The systematic comparison between a Stratasys 400mc and the Freeformer 200-3X is divided into the areas of component properties, design limitations and economic efficiency. The material ABS-M30 (Stratasys) is used in both processes. The results show comparable component properties regarding mechanical and optical properties but also differences in design limitations and cost efficiency.