Surface Roughness Optimization of Poly-Jet 3D Printing Using Grey Taguchi Method

Abstract

In the current study, the surface finish of specimens fabricated with PolyJet 3D Printing Direct process is discussed. Three surface roughness indicators were measured at three positions, while three process parameters namely layer thickness, build style and scale were examined. An L4 orthogonal array was employed for the design of experiments. Grey-Taguchi method was applied in order to optimize all surface roughness parameters. The effect of each parameter has been investigated using ANOM (Analysis of Means), while ANOVA (Analysis of Variances) has been performed to identify each parameter importance onto the surface texture. Additionally, the findings of this study were compared with the results of a similar optimization study conducted before, using the usual Taguchi method. It was concluded that 16 µm of layer thickness and glossy style provide the optimum surface roughness results, while built style is the most dominant factor. All the results of the Grey Taguchi method are compatible with the ones of the usual Taguchi method.