Experimental Mechanical Property Investigation on PLA-CF Specimens using Fused Filament Fabrication Technology

Abstract

This study investigated the mechanical characteristics of components produced from composite Polylactic Acid reinforced with Carbon Fibers (PLA-CF). PLA and PLA-CF were produced with strict rules regarding layer thickness, nozzle diameter, printing speed, and orientation. PLA-CF exhibited superior tensile characteristics, Izod impact test values, and higher crystalline degree than PLA. Samples with density values of 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% were tested for ultimate tensile strength. It was shown that the PLA-CF UTS samples at 100% infill density (45.292 MPa) surpassed the PLA samples (42.235 MPa). As the strength values increased, the Izod impact strength followed the same pattern with infill density. The Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) approach was employed to optimize the infill density in order to enhance the dimensional accuracy. The aforementioned parameter was found to have a more significant influence on product quality and time reduction in the Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) process.