Effect of Barrel Temperature Parameters on the Diameter of Polypropylene Filament Produced by 3D Printing Extrusion

Abstract

Technological advancement have brought significant changes to the manufacturing world. Although 3d printing has gained
popularity as a rapid and efficient prototyping method, the price of commercially available filament remains relatively high.
This study aims ti produced filament made from polypropylene using the sctrusion method, and to analyze the effect of barrel
temperature variation on the filament’s diameter and surface material. The extrusion process was carried out ussing a
Filatec filament extruder with barrel temperature of 160˚C and 180˚C, screw speed 11 pm, puller speed 18 rpm, and using
fan cooling method. The result show that increasing the barrel temperature affects the filament diameter produced, with a
diameter of 1,66 mm obtained at 180˚C.analysis surface of the filament using a digital microscope with amcap software
revealed that No. voids were found at either barrel temperature, indicating a solid filament surface. The study concludes that
the higher barrel temperature was, lead to larger filament diameters.