Investigation of Fused Deposition Modelling Process Parameters in 3D Printing for Composite Material (Poly Lactic Acid and Banana Fibre)

Abstract

Additive manufacturing is gaining popularity nowadays due to its applications in the automotive, medical, aerospace industries, and sports to manufacture complex parts. Fused deposition modelling is an additive manufacturing process utilised widely due to its lower cost, fast prototyping and faster production time. The present study focuses on applying FDM to the composite material filament and the impact of parameters of FDM on the part quality. A composite filament material was prepared to combine PLA (Poly-lactic Acid) and banana fibre. Specimens were prepared using this composite filament by varying various parameters such as layer thickness, infiltration and build orientation. Flexural and tensile tests were performed as per standards. It was found that the material properties considered are significantly affected by percentage infill and build orientation. The ‘on edge’ build orientation provides better material properties as compared to the other two orientations. The tensile strength is observed to be 73% and 77% more in flat orientation and ‘on edge’ orientation, respectively, as compared to upright orientation. Also, the flat orientation and ‘on edge’ orientation respectively showed 60% and 70% more flexural strength than the upright orientation.

An Overview of the Additive Manufacturing of Bast Fiber-Reinforced Composites and Envisaging Advancements Using the Patent Landscape

“…Tensile strength was 73% and 77% greater in the 'flat' and 'on edge' orientations, respectively, compared with the upright position. Furthermore, the 'flat' and 'on edge' orientations both had superior flexural strength to the upright position by a factor of 60% and 70%, respectively [50].…”

Impact of additive manufacturing on sports safety prevention and performance enhancement: a review

“…These parts are manufactured from additive manufacturing 3D printing to reduce all parts weight ratio and improve the quality strength, good accuracy [41], and flexible operation to use those parts in boxing. Boxers can use easily with great compatibility to achieve better performance in the gaming [42][43][44][45].…”

Recycling as a Key Enabler for Sustainable Additive Manufacturing of Polymer Composites: A Critical Perspective on Fused Filament Fabrication

“…As for the reinforcement, nearly any vegetable filler possible has been tested for FFF, from continuous fibres [87][88][89][90] to wood flour [91] to nanocellulose [92,93]. Short fibres have been obtained from jute [94,95], kenaf [96], bamboo [97,98], flax [97], hemp and harakeke [99,100], banana and other palm trees [101,102], agave [103], and bagasse [104], just to name a few. Since they come from renewable resources and are also biodegradable, vegetable fillers are commonly deemed as green and sustainable alternatives to synthetic ones, like glass and carbon fibres [105].…”