Build Plate Heating and Cooling Technique Using Peltier Element for Fused Filament Fabrication

Abstract

In fused filament fabrication, the adhesion force between the build plate and the target object must be strong enough during operation. It is, however, an obstacle to detaching the object after printing. The adhesion force heavily depends on the temperature of the build plate. This work suggests controlling the temperature of the build plate using the Peltier module that alters the heat flow direction. The modified build plate replaces the factory-equipped build plate of a commercial fused filament fabrication machine. The experimental results show that the modified build plate leads to 16.6 °C, approximately 9 °C less than the ambient temperature, even with 23.9–27.1% less total energy consumption than the primary build plate.