Effect of process parameters on the mechanical properties of 3D-printed pla parts using fused deposition modeling process

Abstract

Fused Deposition Modeling is fourth type of Additive Manufacturing based on energy consumption. Fused deposition modelling or fused filament fabrication also well known as Material Extrusion is a commonly used additive manufacturing process for aerospace, automobile and polymer industry. The following 3D printing process factors will enhance the mechanical qualities of 3D printed products: Nozzle size, Filament size, melting temperature, Bed heat, Printing Speed, Layer thickness, Infill geometry, Number of Layers, Raster angle, Raster gap, and Raster width. ASTM D 638 type IV specimen is selected for this experiment. PLA, which has a low melting point and little warping is used in this experiment. To control that warping bed temperature (30℃) takes an important role to print the specimen. Two process parameters are selected, those are path width and raster angle, which have also an effect on tensile strength of PLA samples. Path width is the main process parameters in this study. The object of this study is to determine the mechanical properties of ASTM D 638 type IV standard specimen with varying the path width. Due to that path width, there was an overlapping when the material is extracted from the nozzle. The effect of longitudinal overlapping of type IV specimen is observed. We get the maximum tensile strength of 46.075 MPa at 15% overlapping. ASTM standards provide guidelines and specifications for various materials and testing procedures. However, specific standards for 3D printing with PLA may not explicitly mention raster angle or path width because it is more related to the printing process and machine parameters. Nonetheless, ASTM standards often include mechanical testing requirements, including UTS measurements, which can be indirectly influenced by factors such as raster angle, path width.