Researchers Develop ‘Faster and More Precise’ FFF 3D Printing Method

In a new study, researchers from Rutgers University have outlined what they claim to be a much faster and more precise FFF 3D printing process. The approach is named Multiplexed Fused Filament Fabrication (MF3) and involves a single gantry and a series of small nozzles rather than the single large nozzle traditionally used in FDM. Thanks to this, the authors claim that that they have been able to 3D print large and complex parts at a fraction of the cost of other 3D printing methods. Additionally, the method is notable for not only allowing them to significantly decrease printing time but also increase both printing resolution and size of parts.

The MF3 printing process was published in the research paper “Scalable, flexible and resilient parallelization of fused filament fabrication: Breaking endemic tradeoffs in material extrusion additive manufacturing” written by Jeremy Cleeman, Alex Bogut, Brijesh Mangrolia, Adeline Ripberger, Kunal Kate, Qingze Zou and Rajiv Malhotra. Within, the researchers explain that the MF3 technology works by printing concurrently with multiple FFF extruders without controlling each extruder motions individually. This is made possible by “using a new toolpath strategy that is rooted in our discovery of continuous filament retraction and advancement.”

An abstract showing how the MF3 process works as well as the resulting prints (photo credits: Rutgers University)

The Importance of Software for the MF3 Process

One of the keys behind the successful of this new MF3 process is thanks to the software behind it. The researchers have developed their own slicer software in order to optimize the movement of the gantry arm. Furthermore, the software is capable of detecting which nozzles should be turned on or off for the greatest efficiency while printing. This also has as secondary benefit of potentially allowing for less down time for the printer. When a nozzle is clogged or not working, the software can turn it off and focus on other nozzles. In printers with just one nozzle by contrast, it would be necessary to turn off the machine.