Mechanical properties of 3D printed parts and discovering zinc fused deposition modeling

#D printing is becoming a common method of additive manufacturing complex parts for assembly or final net-shape items. The final 3D printed artefact is to be investigated and compared against traditional methods of manufacturing (injection moulding). To investigate the effects of the 3D printing parameters, layer, size, temperature, print head speed and filament material. This paper will investigate and develop novel direct zinc metal FDM for possible applications such as biomedical and electronics tracing. The novel metal FDM will focus on pure zinc (99.9%), with future developments for zinc magnesium alloys. The purpose of this novel FDM is to produce biocompatible complex shapes for vivo use and for electronics as traces for circuitry.