3D Printing & Mechanical Characteristion of Polylactic Acid and Bronze Filled Polylactic Acid Components

Abstract

Rapid prototyping (RP) technologies have emerged as fabrication methods to obtain engineering components within a short span of time. Desktop 3D printing, also referred as Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology is a powerful method of rapid prototyping technique that can fabricate three-dimensional engineering components. Poly Lactic acid (PLA) is a green alternative to petrochemical commodity plastics, used in packaging, agricultural products, disposable materials, textiles, and automotive composites, 3-D printing technology enables fabrication of PLA and bronze filled PLA, which has less tensile and flexural modulus. In order for 3D printed parts to be useful for engineering applications, the mechanical properties of the material will play an important role in the functioning of the components. In the present study, commercial grade PLA & bronze filled PLA has been considered as material for preparation of samples using desktop 3D printer. The samples were tested for their mechanical characteristics like Tensile and flexural strength properties. The test Samples were fabricated using 3D printing with different layer height and with different layer build-up speed. Comparison between the PLA & bronze filled PLA based on the experimental results are discussed and found PLA has superior tensile and flexural property when compared to Bronze filled PLA.