Optimizing mechanical behaviour of polylactic acid (PLA) specimen in fused deposition modeling (FDM): A Taguchi approach

Abstract

The quality of the fabricated part in the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technique is primarily influenced by the printing variables. Therefore, it is crucial to select the parameters appropriately in order to enhance the qualities of the build specimen. In light of this, this research investigated experimentally and statistically the influence of several printing parameters, like layer thickness, printing speed, and the density of infill, on mechanical properties using polylactic acid (PLA) material. On the basis of Taguchi’s factorial design model, nine trials established. The PLA parts manufactured on the FDM printer and mechanical properties evaluated using uniaxial tensile and hardness test. The Signal-to-Noise ratio (S/N) was being used to identify the best combination of the printing parameters. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) used to find the significant variables and how they affected mechanical properties. In addition, a linear regression analysis performed to estimate the tensile strength ( ${\sigma }_t$ ) and hardness of the manufactured component. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) was utilised for fractural surface analysis. The results reveal that only one factor, infill density (100 %), is statistically significant and have a substantial effect on the tensile strength (88.98%). Printing speed have more effect (55.38%) and layer thickness have the least affect (18.66%) on the hardness. Last, but not least, the confirmation test demonstrates that the experimental and statistical findings are consistent.