Investigation and Prediction of Tensile, Flexural, and Compressive Properties of Tough PLA Material Using Definitive Screening Design

Abstract

The material extrusion fused deposition modeling (FDM) technique has become a widely used technique that enables the production of complex parts for various applications. To overcome limitations of PLA material such as low impact toughness, commercially available materials such as UltiMaker Tough PLA were produced to improve the parent PLA material that can be widely applied in many engineering applications. In this study, 3D-printed parts (test specimens) considering six different printing parameters (i.e., layer height, wall thickness, infill density, build plate temperature, printing speed, and printing temperature) are experimentally investigated to understand their impact on the mechanical properties of Tough PLA material. Three different standardized tests of tensile, flexural, and compressive properties were conducted to determine the maximum force and Young’s modulus. These six properties were used as responses in a design of experiment, definitive screening design (DSD), to build six regression models. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) is performed to evaluate the effects of each of the six printing parameters on Tough PLA mechanical properties. It is shown that all regression models are statistically significant (p<0.05) with high values of adjusted and predicted R2. Conducted confirmation tests resulted in low relative errors between experimental and predicted data, indicating that the developed models are adequately accurate and reliable for the prediction of tensile, flexural, and compressive properties of Tough PLA material.

Optimization of Charpy Impact Strength of Tough PLA Samples Produced by 3D Printing Using the Taguchi Method

“…In particular, this material offers unique properties such as improved toughness and impact resistance. With an energy absorption capacity three times higher than standard PLA filaments, tough PLA offers excellent flexibility, high abrasion, and impact resistance, making it highly suitable for various engineering applications [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. Impact resistance studies are frequently conducted to determine the fracture toughness of composite PLA parts.…”