FDM Based Custom 3D Printer Development in Robotic
FDM Based Custom 3D Printer Development in Robotic
Email : [email protected]
Abstract. 3D printing is one of the most important tools of Industry 4.0. 3D printing technology
has an advantage over traditional manufacturing processes, as it has the ability to convert 3D
designs/models into ready-to-use products. The world of education needs to continue to adapt to
technological developments. Making a mechanical prototype of a robotic arm is one of the main
things to do to develop learning media in an educational environment. The mechanical prototype
of the robotic arm can be made using 3D printing, so it will provide real implementation for
education. The purpose of this study is to develop a custom 3D Printer learning media which is
expected to facilitate the installation process and development of a mechanical prototype of a
robotic arm as a form of implementation in the Mechatronics Engineering Education Study
Program, FT UNY. This research was carried out based on the ADDIE model, namely Analysis,
Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation. The results of this study are a custom 3D
printer based on FDM, both Cartesian and CoreXY types that can be used in learning in the
Mechatronic Engineering Education Study Program. The test results show the average value of
the measurement error of printing results is less than 2% so that it can be used in the learning
process and supports the selected learning content. 3D printers can print robotic arm mechanical
components with good results and low tolerances for printing precision.
1. Introduction
Manufacturing equipment of the type of 3-dimensional (3D) printing is widely used in the era of the
industrial revolution 4.0 in meeting various needs in industry, scientific activities, and education. 3D
printers make it easy for manufacturers to produce products so that they are one of the tools that are
needed in the industrial era 4.0. The main goal of Industry 4.0 is to meet the needs of every customer
impacting areas such as research and development, research methodologies, manufacturing, order
management, and product recycling [1]. Industry 4.0 has nine fundamental pillars: advanced robotics,
additive manufacturing, augmented reality, simulation, horizontal/vertical integration, industrial
internet, cloud, cybersecurity, and big data and analytics [2].
One of the most important tools of Industry 4.0 is 3D printing [3]. 3D Printing is an additive
manufacturing process that prints layer by layer to produce an object according to the design.
Thermoplastics or polymers are used as materials for various types of 3D printing. The industrial world
has been transformed through the implementation of Additive Manufacturing which brings progress.
Compared to traditional manufacturing processes, 3D printing technology has the advantage of having
the ability to turn 3D designs into ready-to-use products. Affordable costs, minimal waste, fewer
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence. Any further distribution
of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd 1
ICE-ELINVO-2022 IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2406 (2022) 012005 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2406/1/012005
finishing processes, and fast production are added values resulting from 3D printing Equipment. The
industry of the future has these attributes.
The world of education needs to continue to adapt to technological developments by arranging
facilities that support the transfer of science and technology in learning. Making a mechanical prototype
of a robotic arm is one of the main things to do to develop learning media in an educational environment.
Mechanical prototypes of robotic arms can be made using 3D printing, so that they will provide real
implementation in the world of education. This is a form that can be done to keep up with technological
developments for the world of education.
The integration between the development of industry 4.0 in the field of education needs to always
be improved by adopting a variety of new technologies developed. Various types of 3D printing
technology, FDM is the most widely used type of 3D Printer. The development of FDM 3D Printers is
very rapid, especially in meeting various needs. So that 3D printing technology as one of the
technologies in the IR 4.0 era needs to be taught in the world of education, included in the curriculum
and supported by infrastructure that supports the learning process.
Support in the introduction of FDM-based 3D Printing technology in the world of education needs
to be equipped with adequate, inexpensive and easy support facilities in assembly and development, as
well as identification of its implementation, so that appropriate learning media need to be developed.
2. Research methodology
2.1. 3D Print
3D printing or it can also be called additive manufacturing, is the process of making 3-dimensional solid
objects that have been previously designed using CAD software. The method used is that the material
is arranged layer by layer according to the shape of the design that has been made to become a complete
form [4]. The current use of 3D printing technology makes it possible to make objects in various shapes
and sizes according to the material used and the dimensions of the work area of the tool. 3D printing
technology has many benefits because it is adjusted to the raw materials used and the specifications of
the needs themselves. For example in the manufacturing industry, the use of 3D print technology helps
in making a prototype of a model before mass production is carried out.
The FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) printer is a 3D printer that uses the method of melting
matrial or filament materials through a heated nozzle and then layering them [5]. There are two
important aspects that distinguish the types of FDM printers, namely the coordinate system and the
mechanical system. The types of FDM printers include: (1) Cartesian where the technology in this
printer uses three X, Y, Z axes based on Cartesian coordinates in mathematics; (2) a delta having three
or more arms where each arm is attached to a vertical rail; (3) Scara has a quite unique shape because it
connects the nozzle to the driving motor using a robotic arm system; (4) H-Bot which is almost similar
to the Cartesian type, the difference is in the bed and the location of the nozzles where the bed moves
from top to bottom and the nozzles stay at the top; (5) Core XY has almost the same characteristics as
the H-Bot type where the connecting belt mounting system is relatively stable and low vibration from
every movement.
3D printing requires a material used as a raw material called a filament. Here are some types of
filament commonly used in 3D printer machines. PLA (Polylactic acid); This type of filament is a
filament made of polymer where the type is thermoplastic and biodegradable. One of the most widely
developed materials in various fields of application is this type of PLA. Due to its harmless
biocompatibility, PLA can be developed in the medical world [6] [7]. The characteristic of this type of
filament is that it can melt at a temperature that is not too high.
ABS (Acetonitrile Butadiene Styrene); ABS is a general term to describe various mixtures of
acrylonitrile and the polymerization of styrene in the presence of polybutadiene. The use of this material
is not without reason, ABS has a complex morphology with additive composition and effects. High
temperatures are required to melt this type of filament so that the power required for 3D printing
machines is also large.
PTEG (Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol); PTEG material is a type of thermoplastic which has
very strong, non-brittle, and high temperature resistance [8]. However, despite these advantages, PTEG
2
ICE-ELINVO-2022 IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2406 (2022) 012005 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2406/1/012005
material is difficult to use and if it is often exposed to ultraviolet light, the resulting product will be
damaged quickly.
3
ICE-ELINVO-2022 IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2406 (2022) 012005 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2406/1/012005
examples of its implementation are expected to meet the needs of learning media in the Mechatronics
Engineering Education Study Program.
The development stage is carried out by making the custom 3D Printer, starting from making and
assembling the mechanical and electronic components, then installing and connecting the software to
the electronic components used. Settings are also made on the software so that it can communicate with
the hardware that has been prepared so that it can be used in working on designs using various types of
filaments in this case to print the robot arm design. At this stage, validation of the media that has been
made is also carried out. The validation is carried out by experts and lecturers who teach courses that
are in accordance with the objectives of this research.
4
ICE-ELINVO-2022 IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2406 (2022) 012005 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2406/1/012005
The research subjects are lecturers and students of the Mechatronics Engineering Education Study
Program, Faculty of Engineering, UNY who study and use 3D Printers in learning. The selected subjects
are devoted to lecturers and students who study the process of designing, installing, programming and
implementing FDM-based 3D Printers. Data retrieval was carried out in two ways, namely literature
studies related to mechanical and electronic specifications from an FDM-based 3D Printer which is
needed by students in designing, installing, programming and implementing to print the mechanical
components of the robotic arm using various types of filaments and a questionnaire to validate the results
of the designed design. already implemented. Performance testing of the tools that have been made is
also carried out in the data collection process by taking the parameters of the tools that will produce
specifications and tool manuals. The data analysis technique used is in the form of quantitative data
analysis from the results of the 3D Printer performance test based on a modular FDM to make a
mechanical prototype of a robotic arm and a limited test questionnaire filled out by the respondents.
5
ICE-ELINVO-2022 IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2406 (2022) 012005 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2406/1/012005
The analysis phase is also carried out by analysing the needs related to mechanical and electronic
components of a custom 3D printer based on FDM. Mechanical components consist of frames, rods,
threads, bearings and support angles that form a mechanical 3D printer, as well as electronic components
consisting of power supply, microcontroller, RAMPS 1.6, stepper motor, heater block, heater bed, fan,
LCD, smart controller , proximity sensors and limit switches.
The following is the mechanical design of a custom 3D printer based on FDM:
FDM-based custom 3D printer mechanical components are supported by electronic components at work.
The following is the electronic circuit of a custom 3D printer based on FDM:
6
ICE-ELINVO-2022 IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2406 (2022) 012005 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2406/1/012005
The development stage is carried out to implement the designed model. The results of the
development stage are shown in Figure 5. In the development stage, the installation process and
settings for the software are carried out. First, download the MK4Duo Firmware on github
https://github.com/MKFirmware/MK4duo. MK4Duo is Marlin firmware that has been edited in such a
way that it is easy to configure for various types of machines. This firmware was chosen to simplify the
firmware setting process. In configuration_basic.h we will apply basic settings to the 3D Printer. The
first is board settings. There are already several boards that will be used, which can be seen on boards.h.
Choose with the board used. In this study using RAMPS 1.6 HFB. Kinematics / type of engine motion
can also be set in this section. There is a choice of conventional Cartesian motion, CoreXY, Scara, Delta,
and others. The next setting is done by setting the parameters according to the type of printer kinematics
that have been determined. If you choose to use Cartesian kinematics, it can be set in
configuration_cartesian.h, if you use CoreXY, it can be set in configuration_core.h, and so on. Settings
that can be accessed include: Machine Name, Axis Step Per Unit (how many steps per millimeter for
stepper motors x, y, z and extruder), Axis Feed rate, Axis Axeleration (acceleration), Axis Jerk
(maximum distance for acceleration to occur), Endstop Logic, Z Probe Option (whether using proximity
sensor or BL Touch), Endstop Min or Max, Minimum Z height for Homing, Travel Limit, Bed Leveling,
Safe Z Homing, and others. The next setting is configuration_feature.h. In this setting we can enable
some 3D Printer features such as EEPROM and SDCARD. The configuration_lcd.h setting allows to
activate the LCD feature according to the LCD we are using. In this study, the RepRap Discount Smart
Controller type LCD was used. Other settings provided include Language settings, Bootscreen, and so
on. In the configuration setting temperature.h we can set parameters related to temperature such as: the
number of temperature sensors installed on the 3D printer (for example, HotEnd and Bed sensors),
temperature limits, activating the thermal runaway protection feature, and others.
Implementation is done by testing a custom 3D printer that has been made by testing whether it
can function as expected or not. Testing is done by printing one of the components of the robot arm,
namely the gripper. The design of the gripper section used as the test material is shown in Figure 6.
7
ICE-ELINVO-2022 IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2406 (2022) 012005 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2406/1/012005
From Figure 6, testing is carried out on certain parts of the design to be able to see the accuracy
of printing both in the X, Y and Z axes as well as the angle of inclination. Also compared to the printing
time using a custom Cartesian-based 3D Printer, CoreXY and a manufacturer's 3D Printer represented
by the Creality CR 10 Max 3D printer. The following parameters used in the testing process can be seen
in Figure 7.
From table 2 it can be calculated the amount of printing error based on the CAD model that has been
made as follows:
The average value data from the percent printing error in table 3 shows that the best printing
accuracy is obtained from the prints using the Creality 3D printer followed by the CoreXY custom 3D
printer and finally the Cartesian Custom 3D printer. The best printing time is obtained from the printing
8
ICE-ELINVO-2022 IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2406 (2022) 012005 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2406/1/012005
time using a CoreXY 3D printer with a nozzle size of 0.4 mm, which means the filament output volume
will be twice as long as with a 0.8 mm nozzle as found in the Creality 3D printer.
4. Conclusion
A custom 3D printer based on FDM has been produced, both Cartesian and CoreXY types that can be
used in learning in the Mechatronics Engineering Education Study Program. The test results have shown
that the 3D Printer has an average measurement error of less than 2% so that it can be used in the learning
process and supports the selected learning content. 3D printers can print the mechanical components of
a robotic arm with good results and low tolerances for printing precision. The best printing time was
obtained from printing using a CoreXY 3D printer with a nozzle size of 0.4 mm with a printing time of
3 hours 23 minutes to print the test material.
5. References
[1] R. Neugebauer, S. Hippmann, M. Leis, and M. Landherr, “Industrie 4.0 - From the Perspective
of Applied Research,” Procedia CIRP, vol. 57, pp. 2–7, 2016, doi:
10.1016/j.procir.2016.11.002.
[2] M. A. Moktadir, S. M. Ali, S. Kusi-Sarpong, and M. A. A. Shaikh, “Assessing challenges for
implementing Industry 4.0: Implications for process safety and environmental protection,”
Process Saf. Environ. Prot., vol. 117, pp. 730–741, 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.psep.2018.04.020.
[3] A. Jandyal, I. Chaturvedi, I. Wazir, A. Raina, and M. I. Ul Haq, “3D printing – A review of
processes, materials and applications in industry 4.0,” Sustain. Oper. Comput., vol. 3, no.
October 2021, pp. 33–42, 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.susoc.2021.09.004.
[4] M. Mpofu, Thabiso Peter ; Mawere, Cephas ; Mukosera, “The Impact and Application of 3D
Printing Technology,” Int. J. Sci. Res., vol. 3, no. 6, pp. 2148–2152, 2014.
[5] S. T., M. Patil, J. Joseph, K. Kumar, P. R, and J. Prasad, “A Review on 3D Printer- A New
Technology,” Int. J. Eng. Res. Technol., pp. 1–3, 2018.
[6] I. Antoniac, D. Popescu, A. Zapciu, A. Antoniac, F. Miculescu, and H. Moldovan,
“Magnesium filled polylactic acid (PLA) material for filament based 3D printing,” Materials
(Basel)., vol. 12, no. 5, pp. 1–13, 2019, doi: 10.3390/ma12050719.
[7] S. Pitjamit, K. Thunsiri, W. Nakkiew, T. Wongwichai, P. Pothacharoen, and W.
Wattanutchariya, “The possibility of interlocking nail fabrication from FFF 3D printing
PLA/PCL/HA composites coated by local silk fibroin for canine bone fracture treatment,”
Materials, vol. 13, no. 7. 2020. doi: 10.3390/ma13071564.
[8] G. Vishal, S. R. Vempati, and R. Srinivasulu, “Estimation of viscoelastic properties by additive
manufacturing for poly ethylene terephthalate glycol ( PETG ) material,” Int. Res. J. Eng.
Technol., vol. 7, no. 10, pp. 1272–1277, 2020.
[9] R. Gautam, A. Gedam, A. Zade, and A. Mahawadiwar, “Review on Development of Industrial
Robotic Arm,” Int. Res. J. Eng. Technol., vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 1752–1755, 2017, [Online].
Available: https://irjet.net/archives/V4/i3/IRJET-V4I3402.pdf
[10] K. A. M. Almendral, R. M. G. Babaran, B. J. C. Carzon, K. P. K. Cu, J. M. Lalanto, and A. C.
Abad, “Autonomous fruit harvester with machine vision,” J. Telecommun. Electron. Comput.
Eng., vol. 10, no. 1–6, pp. 79–86, 2018.
[11] L. T. Sin, A. R. Rahmat, and W. A. W. A. Rahman, Polylactic Acid: PLA Biopolymer
Technology and Applications, 1st ed. Great Britain: Elsevier Inc., 2013.
[12] D. Sumardiyanto and S. Putra, “Alat pengolahan limbah filament 3D print dengan material
polylactic acid (PLA),” J. Kaji. Tek. Mesin Univ. 17 Agustus 1945 Jakarta, vol. 6, no. 2, pp.
13–23, 2021.
[13] A. Kurnia Putra, F. Fidiyanto, B. Prakoso, R. Zandy Armantya, M. Khasan Sandi, and F. Hari
Saputro Al Haris, “Perakitan 3D printer fused deposite modeling (FDM) berbasis arduino mega
2560,” Gaung Inform., vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 123–133, 2019.
[14] M. Z. Bin Abdul Karim and N. M. Thamrin, “Servo Motor Controller using PID and Graphical
User Interface on Raspberry Pi for Robotic Arm,” J. Phys. Conf. Ser., vol. 2319, no. 1, p.
012015, 2022, doi: 10.1088/1742-6596/2319/1/012015.
9
ICE-ELINVO-2022 IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2406 (2022) 012005 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2406/1/012005
[15] E. M. Diaconu, “Smart lighting system,” Sci. Bull. Electr. Eng. Fac., vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 6–9,
2021, doi: 10.2478/sbeef-2021-0002.
[16] M. Sodiq and H. Hasbullah, “Prototype of arduino based parking rotation system,” IOP Conf.
Ser. Mater. Sci. Eng., vol. 384, no. 1, 2018, doi: 10.1088/1757-899X/384/1/012013.
[17] M. Alam, M. G. Kader, M. H.-O.-R. Molla, and A. S. M. Rokonuzzaman, “Design,
construction and performance test of a fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printer,” Proc.
Int. Conf. Mech. Eng. Renew. Energy 2019, no. February 2021, pp. 0–6, 2019.
10