Analyzing the Impact of FDM Parameters on Compression Strength and Dimensional Accuracy in 3D printed PLA Parts

Abstract

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is an additive manufacturing (AM) technique frequently used to create prototypes and parts with intricate geometrical designs. It is gaining popularity since it enhances products by removing the need for expensive equipment. The materials used, the printing process, and the parameters influence the mechanical properties of printed objects. The quality and functionality of the parts are impacted by FDM process parameters. This study focused on the impact of six parameters on the mechanical and physical properties of samples printed using the FDM machine (Creality Ender-5 Pro). The infill density percentage, infill pattern, layer thickness, shell thickness, number of top/bottom layers, and the percentage of infill overlap have been taken as the process parameters. The compressive strength has been calculated using the ASTM D695 compression test. The results illustrated how printing parameters affected samples' mechanical and physical properties, which were proven by the ultimate compression stress UCS and the percentage of compression average deviation. The analysis of variance shows the significance of infill density (100%) for UCS, while layer thickness (0.15 mm) is significant for compression average percentage deviation. For instance, the increase in the infill density from 20% to 100% shows that the strength climbed from 4 MPa to 56.5 MPa. Similarly, reducing layer thickness from 0.3 mm to 0.15 mm results in a diminished dimensional accuracy deviation from 1.65% to 0.446%, approximately three times less than that of the specimen with a 0.3 mm layer thickness.

Keywords

• compression strength
• dimensional accuracy
• fused deposition modeling fdm
• pla
• process parameters