Development of FFF AM Process for Metallic Parts and Fabrication of Lattice Structures

AM technology, in which metal or ceramic powders are laminated at high density and sintered and densified by powder metallurgy technology to form the final product, is attracting renewed attention in place of conventional Additive Manufacturing(AM) technology. In particular, inexpensive printers are available for the MEX (Material EXtrusion) using the FFF(Fused Filament Fabrication) method, and low-cost metal 3D printing can be easily realized by using the FFF equipment, and fabricate specimens using a filament made of metal powder and resin compounds. On the other hand, metallic materials with high porosity have been attracting in recent years. These materials are expected to have both light weight and strength, thermal insulation and sound absorption properties, and excellent impact force absorption properties. In this report, we investigate the fabrication process of porous materials using metal AM by the FFF method. In particular, we will attempt to fabricate stainless steel products with Kelvin’s_tetrakaidecahedron lattice structure by FFF method fabrication process and investigate the possibility of this process.