The term 3D printer refers to machines capable of additive manufacturing, which means creating objects by sequential layering. Additive manufactured objects can be used in the whole product life cycle, from rapid prototyping through small series production up to full production. In addition to the hardware itself it is necessary to use tools and applications like "slicing tools", post-production adjustments, process models and testing and verifying scenarios.
With slicing tools it is possible to convert digital 3D models into printing instructions for 3D printers. The general approach is: The model is cut into horizontal slices which are then used to create extrusion paths similar to milling paths in the traditional CNC field, which are then being filled with material, mostly plastic material. Commonly the amount of extruded material is being calculated subsequently (price and time estimate).
The goal of this study is to compare available slicing tools on multiple 3D printers under defined aspects using different configurations. The main contributions of this study are: 1. Collecting methods and tools to judge print results, 2. Analysis of the available slicing tools and 3D printers with appropriate tests and comparisons and 3. Evaluating the slicing tools using the analysis as solid foundation.
