Influences of 3D printing parameters on the mechanical properties of wood PLA filament: an experimental analysis by Taguchi method

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of 3D printing parameters on the mechanical properties (predominantly tensile properties) of a commercial polylactic acid-based wood fiber composite material known as wood filament. The influence of printing parameters, including layer thickness, infill density, printing speed, and nozzle temperature on the mechanical properties, is studied, and the design of the experiment (DOE) is made through Taguchi L9 orthogonal array. The specimens for the tensile test are fabricated by the material extrusion (MEX) 3D printer, which is also known as fused deposition modeling (FDM) or fused filament fabrication (FFF). After conducting the tensile test, this research considers four significant outcomes: tensile strength, maximum load, elastic modulus, and elongation at break. Further analysis of the obtained results from mechanical testing is performed through analysis of variance (ANOVA) to determine the significance of each parameter on the mechanical properties. Moreover, prediction and optimization are conducted to verify the obtained results from the DOE. Furthermore, scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) is used to analyze the fracture zones, cracks, voids, and fiber/matrix adhesion of the FDM fabricated parts which demonstrates that the lower layer thickness provides better adhesion and fewer voids between successive layers and thus exhibits better mechanical performance. Graphical abstract: (Figure presented.)