A new method for printer calibration and contour accuracy manufacturing with 3D‐print technology

Purpose – This paper aims to verify a new method for accurate part manufacturing using a 3D printer. In particular, the direction and position dependence of the printed results are to be verified within the building area. The results of the accomplished experiments are to be used for the computation of new printer adjustments. Design/methodology/approach – Test cubes with a defined edge length were printed and measured afterwards. The test cubes were distributed thereby either over the entire building area or only for a small part of the building area. Next, the test cubes were measured and the differences between measured and desired values were used for adjustment of the printer parameter settings. Therefore, the “bleed compensation” settings were used. Findings – The deviations depended strongly on the position in the building area of the printer. In dependence of the position and orientation, different deviations in the three dimensions of the printer coordinate system resulted. By a calibration of the printer parameters for a reduced part of the processed area, the print accuracy could be strongly increased. Afterward, the calibration the deviations could be reduced from 0.4 mm ^0.2 mm to under 0.04 mm ^0.03 mm. Originality/value – The work shows the position and direction dependency of the 3D-printer manufacturing accuracy. Furthermore, a calibration procedure for bleed compensation calibration is presented.