Process Planning in FDM 3D-Printed Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene Using Integrative DEA and TOPSIS

Abstract

This article examines a process of publishing plans using three-dimensional printing (3DP) by focusing on

Printer - location problems. The service life of the 3D printer affects proper location of the printer platform and, consequently, altered position of the part on the printer affects the characteristics of the part. We evaluated 36 testing specimens fabricated using Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D-printed Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS). The designed experiment is conducted with specimens’ density at 25, 50, and 100 percent based on the X and Y direction as well as the location of the printer at the front (F), the middle (M), the back (B), the left (L), and the right (R) with two replicates for each scenario. Next, relative efficiency of each decision making unit (DMU) is analyzed based on three input criteria (i.e., the amount of material, production cost, and production time) and five output criteria (i.e., surface roughness, accuracy, % elongation, tensile strength, and hardness) using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) technique. Fifteen DMUs found to have the efficiency score of 1 and the other three DMUs lesser than 1. Then, Bodar count technique is used to evaluate criteria weight and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) technique is used to analyze the best alternative, in which the DMU 2 produced using 25%-density level at the XM position is recommended. The results from this research can be further applied for effective production planning for 3DP in the future.