Analysis of Geometrical Accuracy and Surface Quality of Threaded and Spline Connections Manufactured Using MEX, MJ and VAT Additive Technologies

This paper presents the process of manufacturing mechanical joint components using additive manufacturing (AM) techniques such as Material Extrusion (Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM)), Material Jetting (PolyJet), and Vat Photopolymerization (VAT)/Stereolithography (SLA). Using the PolyJet technique and a photopolymer resin, spline and threaded joint components were produced. For comparative analysis, the threaded joint was also fabricated using FDM and SLA techniques. PLA material was used for the FDM technique, while photopolymer resin was utilized for the SLA process. The components produced underwent a surface analysis to evaluate the accuracy of the dimensions in relation to the nominal dimensions. For the spline connection components, the dimensional deviations recorded by a 3D scanner ranged from -0.11 to +0.18 mm for the shaft and up to 0.24 mm for the sleeve. Measurements of screw and nut diameters showed the highest accuracy for screws produced using the PolyJet technique, while the nuts exhibited the best accuracy when fabricated with the SLA method. The profile of the screw threads using a contour gauge revealed the most accurate thread profile on the screw manufactured with the PolyJet technique.