Mechanical properties of biodegradable pla plastic parts produced by 3D printing

Abstract

The presented paper is focused on FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) 3D printing technology, which works with thermoplastic materials that are gradually applied layer by layer to the work platform. As we knows, plastics are made from crude oil, and in general they are an environmental burden on our environment. However, there are also different plastics that are produced from renewable sources and are environmentally friendly materials that are degradable and does not pose a risk to the environment. Such plastic is, for example, PLA thermoplastic. To show what is the status of biodegradable PLA plastic it is necessary to make strength testing. Paper describes prepared and realized full factor experiment, focused to tensile strength measurement. The measurement is done on PLA plastic samples designed by standards. Experiment is statistically evaluated. The measured and evaluated values are compared also with production time for effectiveness comparison.