Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) is presently the most common utilized 3D printing technology. Since this printing technology makes the bodies anisotropic, therefore, investigate the process with different settings is worthwhile. Tensile test specimens of two plastics have been carried out to examine the mechanical properties. Polylactic acid (PLA) and High Temperature PLA (HT-PLA) are the used materials for this purpose. A total of seventy-two test pieces of the two used polymers were printed and evaluated. Three parameters were examined in twelve different settings when printing the tensile test specimens. The considered settings are; six raster directions, three build orientations and two filling factors. The differences in stress-strain curves, tensile strength values and elongation at break were compared among the tested samples. The broken specimens after the tensile test are illustrated, which gave insight into how the test pieces printed with different parameters were fractured. The optimum printing setting is represented at crossed 45/−45° raster direction, X orientation and 100 % fill factor, where the highest tensile strength of 59.7 MPa at HT-PLA and the largest elongation of about 3.5 % at PLA were measured.

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In this work, fused deposition modeling (FDM) technology is employed for manufacturing tribological and tensile testing specimens. The test pieces are fabricated in diverse directions to examine the influence of print orientation. The tribological tests are carried out in reciprocating sliding and under dry condition. Due to their relevance, the surface roughness and the hardness of the products are studied as well. Many images are captured under a microscope to better understand the surface morphology of 3D-printed parts before and after testing. The findings reveal that the existence of various print orientations determines differences in mechanical properties and tribological behavior. Among the investigated parameters, the one with the highest tensile strength at break point is the On-Edge print orientation. The vertically oriented test pieces offer the highest friction tendency but the lowest wear depth. Meanwhile, less wear is observed when sliding under low loads but the tendency for stick-slip phenomenon occurrence increases. Although PLA is presently one of the most popular filaments for 3D printing, it can be employed in some industrial applications (e.g., bushings and bearings), if the tribological properties are amended. Bronze is characterized by excellent sliding capability because of its very low metal-on-metal friction. To date, very limited attention has been given to research on the tribology of 3D-printed objects. Therefore, the purpose of the current work is to fill the gap in knowledge by being the first study to evaluate the impact of bronze presence and 3D printing orientation on the tribological properties of bronze/PLA composite.