Analysis of Part Orientation Influence on Geometric Shapes regarding Support Structure Formation and Printing Efficiency in Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)
Keywords:
Part Orientation, Support Structures, Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Additive ManufacturingAbstract
This research aims to examine the influence of part orientation on support structure formation and printing efficiency in Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). Experimental tests were conducted on six geometric shapes: a triangular prism, a pyramid, a cube, a pentagonal prism, a cone, and a sphere. The positioning angles ranged from 0° to 90° in 10° increments and were processed with UltiMaker Cura 5.10.0. The results indicate that geometric characteristics and part orientation directly affect resource consumption and printing time. Cubes and pyramids demonstrated the highest efficiency when oriented horizontally (0°), as they required no support structures, whereas spheres exhibited high sensitivity and generated the most support material. For the triangular prism, pentagonal prism, and cone, a critical threshold for triggering automatic support–structure formation was observed at angles exceeding 45° from the vertical axis. This consequence led to increased consumption of support material and longer printing times than in the horizontal orientation. These quantitative findings can serve as practical guidelines for Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) to minimize production costs and promote sustainable manufacturing in the future.
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