The effect of ۳D printing process parameters on the mechanical properties of polylactic acid

۳D printing is an example of rapid manufacturing technologies that is becoming increasingly popular due to its usability and the continuous reduction in the costs of printing equipment and materials. This paper studies the effect of ۳D printing process parameters on the mechanical properties of polylactic acid (PLA). In this study, the parameters of layer thickness, printing speed, and print direction were examined. For this purpose, the design of experiments method was used to determine the parameters related to each sample. The experimental design was carried out using Minitab software and applying the Taguchi L۸ method. Accordingly, ۸ samples with different parameters were printed as standard tensile test specimens. The samples were then subjected to a tensile test at a speed of ۳ mm per minute, and their mechanical properties were extracted. The optimal sample among these parameters was found to have a layer thickness of ۰.۲ mm, a printing speed of ۴۰۰۰ mm per minute, and a print direction of ±۴۵º. Subsequently, using the properties of the optimal sample and finite element software, the optimal sample was simulated, and the failure location in the experimental state was compared with the simulated state. In this research, an elastic-plastic model along with a soft damage criterion was used to simulate the behavior of the tensile test sample. Then, the output from the finite element software for the optimal sample was compared with the failure location from the experimental test, and both failure locations showed very good agreement.

کلیدواژه ها:

Polylactic acid ، process parameters ، mechanical properties ، ۳D printing