Multi-criteria selection problem of part orientation in 3D fused deposition modeling based on analytic hierarchy process model: A case study

Additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing (3DP) is now perceived as an industrial revolution technology in this digital 4.0 era. It has become popular in various industrial fields thanks to its key advantages in almost unlimited design freedom and material efficiency. However, challenges in AM process planning still exist and require substantial studies. In this research, we study an operational-level, decision-making problem for the orientation selection of the 3DP part to understand process instability and efficiency issues. In addition, as quantitative methods to determine the part orientation accounting for user's knowledge and preferences are limited, we illustrate economical and mechanical-desire preferences from a decision maker using analytic hierarchy process (AHP) framework. Trade-offs among conflicting criteria for parts produced from fused deposition modeling (FDM) are analyzed and compared to obtain the optimal part orientation to be produced. The robust result shows that a perpendicular direction affects how part is to be selected.