The extruder head in a fused-deposition-modeling setup has a diameter of 1 mm and produces layers that are 0.25 mm thick. If the velocities of the extruder head and polymer extrudate are both 50 mm/s, estimate the production time for generating a 50-mm solid cube. Assume that there is a 15-second delay between layers as the extruder head is moved over a wire brush (for cleaning)?
Assuming that the porosity of the support material is 50%, calculate the production rate for making a 100-mm high cup with an outside diameter of 88 mm and wall thickness of 6 mm. Consider both the case with the closed end (a) down and (b) up?