Chemical vapour treatment for enhancing the surface finish of PLA object produced by fused deposition method using the Taguchi optimization method

Abstract

In this study, the effect of process parameter and various post-processing techniques on surface roughness of PLA object produced by fused deposition method is investigated. The economical and versatile method with the proper design of the experiments to reduce the surface roughness is our objective. The PLA is selected as the workpiece material, a biodegradable material which is vastly used in medical implants, where surface roughness is a major issue. The various post-processing technique is analyzed, and the parameter optimization is taken into consideration. Post-processing technique like chemical treatment, vapour smoothing, sanding and polishing is carried out. Taguchi design of the experiment is also used to optimize the parameter that affects the targeted surface roughness. Taguchi L9 orthogonal array is used to organize the different parameters, and Minitab software is used to determine the optimum parameter setting. The dichloromethane chemical is found to be the best chemical for dissolving the PLA material and reducing the layer lines so that the surface roughness can be reduced. The final results confirmed that the chemical vapour treatment using dichloromethane and the Taguchi method sufficient to improve the surface roughness.