The Impact of Slicing Softwares on the Mechanical Properties of 3D Printed Parts
Solomon B Selvaraj1, Narasimhan K2, Daniel Abishai L3, Krishna Kaanth M4, Ashish Daniel5

1Solomon B Selvaraj*, School of Mechanical Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
2Narasimhan K, School of Mechanical Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
3Daniel Abishai L, School of Mechanical Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
4Krishna Kaanth M, School of Mechanical Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
5Ashish Daniel, Director, GEMS Polytechnic College, Aurangabad, Bihar, India

Manuscript received on May 25, 2020. | Revised Manuscript received on June 29, 2020. | Manuscript published on July 30, 2020. | PP: 487-494 | Volume-9 Issue-2, July 2020. | Retrieval Number: B3668079220/2020©BEIESP | DOI: 10.35940/ijrte.B3668.079220
Open Access | Ethics and Policies | Cite | Mendeley
© The Authors. Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Abstract: “Slicing tool” or “Slicing Software” computes the intersection curves of models and slicing planes. They improve the quality of the model being printed when given in the form of STL file. Upon analyzing a specimen that has been printed using two different slicing tools, there was a drastic variation on account of the mechanical properties of the specimen. The ultimate tensile strength and the surface roughness of the material vary from one tool to another. This paper reports an investigation and analysis of the variation in the ultimate tensile strength and the surface roughness of the specimen, given that the 3D printer and the model being printed is the same, with a variation of usage of slicing software. This analysis includes ReplicatorG, Flashprint as the two different slicing tools that are used for slicing of the model. The variation in the ultimate tensile strength and the surface roughness are measured and represented statistically through graphs. An appropriate decisive conclusion was drawn on the basis of the observations and analysis of the experiment on relevance to the behavior and mechanical properties of the specimen. 
Keywords: FFF, Slicing software, STL file, UTS, Surface roughness, Wanhao Duplicator 4S-printer.