Process:

Fused Deposition Modeling or FDM is a process which deposits a continuous filament of a thermoplastic polymer through a heated nozzle. The material is delivered as a filament into the extrusion head and heated to slightly above its flow point, so that it solidifies relatively quickly after it exits the nozzle. Physical parts are fabricated layer by layer.

FDM can help to eliminate design errors early in the product development stage. Before any significant investment is made, it can provide the ability to create many variations, relatively quickly. FDM uses additive manufacturing process which does not require any tools or set-ups compared to the subtractive techniques used in the traditional machining operations thus reducing prototype development time.

Key advantages:

• Reduce time-to-market
• Rapidly create many variations
• Exhibits final material properties