Advances in Fused Deposition Modeling

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is one of the most widely used additive manufacturing processes for fabricating prototypes and functional parts in common engineering plastics. The process is based on the extrusion of heated feedstock plastic filaments through a nozzle tip to deposit layers onto a platform to build parts layer by layer directly from a digital model of the part. The simplicity, reliability, and affordability of the FDM process have made the additive manufacturing technology widely recognized and adopted by industry, academia, and consumers. The FDM process has also been widely used by research and development sectors to improve the process, develop new materials, and apply the FDM systems in a wide range of engineering applications. This chapter describes an overview of the basic process, materials, and capabilities of the Stratasys FDM technology, and also presents a comprehensive review of research and development work undertaken using the FDM process since its inception over the past two decades.