Dimensions of the deposited strand in the material extrusion process: Experimental and numerical investigations

The material extrusion process is investigated by focusing on the geometry of a single strand extruded through a printing nozzle and deposited on a substrate of a 3D printer. An experimental protocol is set to determine the width W, and the height H, of a strand. The geometry depends mainly on the nozzle diameter D, the gap between the substrate and the tip of the nozzle g, the extrusion velocity U and the printing velocity V. The relevant parameter to determine W/D and H/g is reduced to one dimensionless parameter equal to (D/g)(U/V).