Fused deposition modeling

Mathematics

Design of experiments

Deposition (geology)

Biology

Operating system

Parametric statistics

Computer graphics (images)

Statistics

Engineering

Paleontology

Composite material

Raster graphics

Materials science

Fused filament fabrication

Polylactic acid

Sediment

Extrusion

Computer science

Orthogonal array

Taguchi methods

Process (computing)

Polymer

3D printing

Nozzle

Mechanical engineering

Process variable

Materials and Manufacturing Processes

Polylactic acid (PLA) material in filament form can be 3D printed and form complex physical models by using a low-cost material extrusion mechanism in a process that is broadly known as fused filament fabrication (FFF). Even though the PLA-FFF process has been extensively studied in the literature, its parts' mechanical response varies significantly, and it has not been studied in association with six control parameters at the same time, i.e. the infill density (ID), raster deposition angle (RDA), nozzle temperature (NT), printing speed (PS), layer thickness (LT), and bed temperature (BT). The simultaneous influence of the variable parameters on the mechanical properties is a challenging assignment and aspires to rank the six parameters' importance, model the process, and finally validate the models by using independent experiments. One-hundred twenty-five experiments run following the Taguchi L25 orthogonal array repeated five times for the study purpose. After an extensive literature survey and preliminary experiments, the parameter selection and discrete values were selected. The experimental results were analyzed using statistical tools and critically compared with that of the literature. The RDA, NT, PS, and ID significantly impact the mechanical response of the 3D printed PLA parts.

A multi-parametric process evaluation of the mechanical response of PLA in FFF 3D printing