Parametric investigation into the transparency of PLA parts fabricated through fused filament fabrication

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM) has undergone tremendous development in recent years. AM is extensively used in various fields; however, the application of AM in optics is still limited. Thus, extensive efforts are required to explore the suitability of AM in optics. Therefore, current research presents a pilot study on the transparency characterisation of parts fabricated through AM. Fused filament fabrication has been selected for sample preparation from transparent polylactic acid. Various process parameters viz layer height, extrusion temperature, raster angle, build orientation, road width and deposition speed have been selected. Experiments have been carried out using one-factor-at-a-time approach to study the effect of selected process parameters on transparency. The transparency of the prepared samples was characterised using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The obtained results have shown that transparency has been significantly affected by layer height, road width and build orientation.