Optimization of Mechanical Properties and Surface Characteristics of PLA+ 3D Printing Materials

Abstract

Recently, there is a growing demand towards adopting 3D printing technology in various sectors due to its potential merits. The mechanical properties and surface quality of the final product are influenced by the process parameters. Therefore, this study aims to optimize the infill density and pattern beside printing speed and temperature to achieve optimum mechanical properties and surface characteristics of PLA+ 3D-printed material. The Taguchi method was applied with L9 array, and tensile and surface roughness tests were carried out to evaluate the performance of specimens in terms of the obtained ultimate tensile strength, Young’s modulus, tensile strain (%), and surface roughness. The selected parameters with their levels were as follows: printing temperature (205, 215, and 225°C), printing speed (20, 50, and 80 mm/s), infill density (30%, 60%, and 90%), and infill pattern (triangle, cubic, and concentric). The findings revealed the significant impact of the infill density followed by the infill pattern on the mechanical and surface performances of the PLA+ material. From the other side, the Taguchi method was integrated with grey relational analysis (GRA) as a multiobjective optimization to find out the optimum mechanical properties and surface characteristics of the 3D-printed PLA+ part. Accordingly, 215°C, 50 mm/s, 90%, and triangle pattern achieved optimum mechanical properties (24 MPa, 3.14 GPa, and 13.72%) and surface roughness (3.21 µm).