Mechanical Property and Prediction Model for FDM-3D Printed Polylactic Acid (PLA)

Investigation of the Influence of Fused Deposition Modeling 3D Printing Process Parameters on Tensile Properties of Polylactic Acid Parts Using the Taguchi Method

Despite Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) being an economical 3D printing method known for its material versatility and ease of use, the mechanical performance of FDM-produced components is significantly influenced by process parameter settings. This study investigated the effects of the layer thickness, raster angle, build orientation, and extrusion temperature on the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elastic modulus of Polylactic Acid (PLA) specimens using Taguchi methods, with significance analyzed through analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results indicated that the build orientation is the primary factor affecting both the UTS and elastic modulus, with a flat orientation yielding the best performance. ANOVA showed that the build orientation, raster angle, and extrusion temperature significantly influence the UTS, with the build orientation contributing 98.16%. For the elastic modulus, the build orientation and raster angle were significant, contributing 94.83% and 1.76%, respectively. The optimal parameters were a 0.16 mm layer thickness, flat build orientation, 30°/-60° raster angle, and 200 °C extrusion temperature, resulting in predicted UTS and elastic modulus values with error percentages of 4.33% and 2.74%, respectively, compared to experimental values. The regression model demonstrated high predictive accuracy, with R-squared values of 99.71% for the UTS and 99.52% for the elastic modulus.

Optimizing the Dielectric and Mechanical Performance of 3D-Printed Cellulose-Based Biocomposites and Bionanocomposites through Factorial Design for Electrical Insulation Application

Materials for low-permittivity and electrical insulation applications need to be re-engineered to achieve sustainable development. To address this challenge, the proposed study focused on the dielectric and mechanical optimization of 3D-printed cellulose-based composites for electrical insulation applications. Two different fillers, microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC), were used to create biocomposites and bionanocomposites, respectively, blended into a polylactic acid (PLA) matrix. The effects of infill ratio, printing temperature, and filler content on dielectric and mechanical properties were measured using an incomplete L9 (3^3) factorial design. The findings showed that the infill ratio was the most significant factor influencing the properties tested, directly attributable to the increase in material availability for polarization and mechanical performance. The second most influential factor was the filler content, increasing the polarity of the tested composites and decreasing the toughness of the biocomposites and bionanocomposites. Finally, printing temperature had no significant effect. Results for the biocomposites at a 50% infill ratio, 200 °C printing temperature, and a weight content of MCC of 15% gave a 60% higher tensile-mode stiffness than neat PLA printed under the same conditions, while exhibiting lower dielectric properties than neat PLA printed with a 100% infill ratio. These results pave the way for new lightweight materials for electrical insulation.

Effects of high gravity on properties of parts fabricated using material extrusion system by additive manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM) has gained significant attention in recent years owing to its ability to fabricate intricate shapes and structures that are often challenging or unattainable using conventional manufacturing techniques. This high-quality development trend entails higher requirements for the structural design of 3D printers. In this study, polylactic acid (PLA) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) filaments were fed through a heated extrusion nozzle, which melted the material and deposited it onto a build platform. This study's objectives are high-gravitational material extrusion (HG-MEX) systems development, analyzing the high gravity influences on the flow behavior of materials during extrusion, and understanding the effects of gravitational on material flow and overall extrusion performance. HG-MEX systems have great potential for addressing various challenges in additive manufacturing, such as precise manufacturing. The highlight of the progress is that we developed an HG-MEX system and applied surface science to material extrusion in different gravity. We established a system and obtained results on different gravity, we analyzed the analogy between different gravity phenomena. We analyzed the interplay between the behavior of the fabricated parts and gravity. We analyzed high gravity effects on extrusion processes. The results confirmed the characteristics and feasibility of the developed system. The results suggest that a material extrusion line operating under 15 G conditions resulted in better printing quality compared to one operating under 1 G conditions. This observation implies that high gravity had a positive effect on the extrusion process, leading to improved material extrusion performance.

Study on the Equation of State and Jet Forming of 3D-Printed PLA and PLA-Cu Materials

In order to improve the research and development efficiency and quality of low-density liners in production and scientific research development, PLA and PLA-Cu composite liners were prepared based on 3D-printing technology. In this paper, the relationship between the shock wave velocity D and the particle velocity u of PLA and PLA-Cu materials was tested by a one-stage light gas gun experiment device, and then the Grüneisen equation of state parameters of the two materials was obtained by fitting. The forming process of the two jets was numerically simulated by using the equation of state. When combined with the pulsed X-ray shooting results of the jets, it was found that the jets of the two materials showed obvious characteristics of "expansion particle flow", and the head of the PLA jet had a gasification phenomenon. The length of the PLA jet at 20 μs in the numerical simulation was 127.2 mm, and the average length of the PLA jet at 20 μs in the pulsed X-ray shooting experiment was 100.45 mm. The length of the PLA jet gasification part accounted for about 21% of the total length of the jet. The average velocity of the head of the PLA jet is 7798.35 m/s, and the average velocity of the head of the PLA-Cu jet is 8104.25 m/s. In this paper, 3D-printing technology is used to prepare the liner for the first time, aiming to open up a new preparation technology and provide a new material selection for low-density material liners.

The Influence of the Layer Height and the Filament Color on the Dimensional Accuracy and the Tensile Strength of FDM-Printed PLA Specimens

Among the FDM process variables, one of the less addressed in previous research is the filament color. Moreover, if not explicitly targeted, the filament color is usually not even mentioned. Aiming to point out if, and to what extent, the color of the PLA filaments influences the dimensional precision and the mechanical strength of FDM prints, the authors of the present research carried out experiments on tensile specimens. The variable parameters were the layer height (0.05 mm, 0.10 mm, 0.15 mm, 0.20 mm) and the material color (natural, black, red, grey). The experimental results clearly showed that the filament color is an influential factor for the dimensional accuracy as well as for the tensile strength of the FDM printed PLA parts. Moreover, the two way ANOVA test performed revealed that the strongest effect on the tensile strength was exerted by the PLA color (η² = 97.3%), followed by the layer height (η² = 85.5%) and the interaction between the PLA color and the layer height (η² = 80.0%). Under the same printing conditions, the best dimensional accuracy was ensured by the black PLA (0.17% width deviations, respectively 5.48% height deviations), whilst the grey PLA showed the highest ultimate tensile strength values (between 57.10 MPa and 59.82 MPa).

Achieving effective interlayer bonding of PLA parts during the material extrusion process with enhanced mechanical properties

The additive manufacturing technique of material extrusion has challenge of excessive process defects and not achieving the desired mechanical properties. The industry is trying to develop certification to better control variations in mechanical attributes. The current study is a progress towards understanding the evolution of processing defects and the correlation of mechanical behavior with the process parameters. Modeling of the 3D printing process parameters such as layer thickness, printing speed, and printing temperature is carried out through L27 orthogonal array using Taguchi approach. In addition, CRITIC embedded WASPAS is adopted to optimize the parts' mechanical attributes and overcome the defects. Flexural and tensile poly-lactic acid specimens are printed according to ASTM standards D790 and D638, respectively, and thoroughly analyzed based on the surface morphological analysis to characterize defects. The parametric significance analysis is carried out to explore process science where the layer thickness, print speed, and temperature significantly control the quality and strength of the parts. Mathematical optimization results based on composite desirability show that layer thickness of 0.1 mm, printing speed of 60 mm/s, and printing temperature of 200 °C produce significantly desirable results. The validation experiments yielded the maximum flexural strength of 78.52 MPa, the maximum ultimate tensile strength of 45.52 MPa, and maximum impact strength of 6.21 kJ/m². It is established that multiple fused layers restricted the propagation of cracks with minimum thickness due to enhanced diffusion between the layers.

Effect of Extruder Type in the Interface of PLA Layers in FDM Printers: Filament Extruder Versus Direct Pellet Extruder

FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) is one of the most used and industrially applied additive manufacturing processes due to its fast prototyping and manufacturing, simplicity, and low cost of the equipment. However, the mechanical properties of the printed products have a large dependence on orientation and interface strength between layers which is mainly related to the thermal union obtained. This thermal union has a large dependence on the melting and cooling down process. Additionally, the materials used must be extruded in a continuous filament before their use, which limits the materials used. However, a pellet extruder could be used directly in the printing equipment, avoiding filament extrusion. In this work, specimens of PLA (Poly(lactic acid)) with different bead orientations have been produced via filament or pellet extrusion to compare the effect of the different melting processes in the manufacturing methodology. Pellet extruded specimens showed higher infill and mechanical properties. These results were related to better adhesion between layers due to the longer melting and cooling process. The result was confirmed using DSC and XRD techniques, where a higher crystallinity was observed. A bicomponent specimen (50% pellet-50% filament) was prepared and tested, showing higher mechanical results than expected, which was, again, due to the better thermal union obtained in the pellet extruder.

Establishing a Framework for Fused Filament Fabrication Process Optimization: A Case Study with PLA Filaments

Developments in polymer 3D printing (3DP) technologies have expanded their scope beyond the rapid prototyping space into other high-value markets, including the consumer sector. Processes such as fused filament fabrication (FFF) are capable of quickly producing complex, low-cost components using a wide variety of material types, such as polylactic acid (PLA). However, FFF has seen limited scalability in functional part production partly due to the difficulty of process optimization with its complex parameter space, including material type, filament characteristics, printer conditions, and "slicer" software settings. Therefore, the aim of this study is to establish a multi-step process optimization methodology-from printer calibration to "slicer" setting adjustments to post-processing-to make FFF more accessible across material types, using PLA as a case study. The results showed filament-specific deviations in optimal print conditions, where part dimensions and tensile properties varied depending on the combination of nozzle temperature, print bed conditions, infill settings, and annealing condition. By implementing the filament-specific optimization framework established in this study beyond the scope of PLA, more efficient processing of new materials will be possible for enhanced applicability of FFF in the 3DP field.

The Influence of the Process Parameters on the Mechanical Properties of PLA Specimens Produced by Fused Filament Fabrication-A Review

Polylactic acid (PLA) is produced from renewable materials, has a low melting temperature and has a low carbon footprint. These advantages have led to the extensive use of polylactic acid in additive manufacturing, particularly by fused filament fabrication (FFF). PLA parts that are 3D printed for industrial applications require stable mechanical properties and predictability regarding their dependence on the process parameters. Therefore, the development of the FFF process has been continuously accompanied by the development of software packages that generate CNC codes for the printers. A large number of user-controllable process parameters have been introduced in these software packages. In this respect, a lot of articles in the specialized literature address the issue of the influence of the process parameters on the mechanical properties of 3D-printed specimens. A systematic review of the research targeting the influence of process parameters on the mechanical properties of PLA specimens additively manufactured by fused filament fabrication was carried out by the authors of this paper. Six process parameters (layer thickness, printing speed, printing temperature, build plate temperature, build orientation and raster angle) were followed. The mechanical behavior was evaluated by tensile, compressive and bending properties.

CaCO3 Polymorphs Used as Additives in Filament Production for 3D Printing

Nowadays, additive manufacturing—also called 3D printing—represents a well-established technology in the field of the processing of various types of materials manufacturing products used in many industrial sectors. The most common type of 3D printing uses the fused filament fabrication (FFF) method, in which materials based on thermoplastics or elastomers are processed into filaments. Much effort was dedicated to improving the properties and processing of such printed filaments, and various types of inorganic and organic additives have been found to play a beneficial role. One of them, calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), is standardly used as filler for the processing of polymeric materials. However, it is well-known from its different applications that CaCO₃ crystals may represent particles of different morphologies and shapes that may have a crucial impact on the final properties of the resulting products. For this reason, three different synthetic polymorphs of CaCO₃ (aragonite, calcite, and vaterite) and commercially available calcite powders were applied as fillers for the fabrication of polymeric filaments. Analysis of obtained data from different testing techniques has shown significant influence of filament properties depending on the type of applied CaCO₃ polymorph. Aragonite particles showed a beneficial impact on the mechanical properties of produced filaments. The obtained results may help to fabricate products with enhanced properties using 3D printing FFF technology.