An analysis of process parameters of FFF 3D printing of PLA polymers

The study aimed at understanding two main areas of action: first, the understanding and development of the performance of 3D printing technologies, and second, the development of the application of fractional factorial design in optimising the fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printing processing of PLA.Special attention was focused on whether differences between the usual, generally accepted values of FFF parameters affect the tensile properties of 3D-printed PLA. Tensile properties were tested using the standard test method for the tensile properties of plastics, ASTM D638, and the significance of process parameters was characterised using 25-2 fractional factorial experiments.Optimising the FFF 3D printing processing of PLA can be successfully carried out using 25-2 fractional factorial experiments. The designed factorial experiment found that the most relevant main parameters influencing the results in tensile test properties of the 3D printing of PLA are layer height, extrusion temperature, and working platform temperature. It was found that satisfactory tensile strength can be achieved even at higher layer depths with the appropriate selection of process parameters.The paper should serve as an essential link for future research. The paper covers basic parameters and basic mechanical properties. Future research could include other parameters and other mechanical properties that define the overall bearing capacity of the material.The paper optimises parameters for 3D printing of PLA, primarily to facilitate the prediction of 3D printing results for industrial production needs and to achieve better processing results. Due to the rapid growth in the application of 3D-printed polylactic acid (PLA) products, the industry must manufacture PLA parts with greater confidence. There are many 3D printers and a wide range of PLA filament materials, but sometimes, there is a lack of data on the optimal combination of 3D printing process parameters.The paper analyses the parameters of 3D printing PLA more comprehensively. An original design has been applied that enables an integrated analysis of process parameters. It has been shown that thicker layers do not always mean worse mechanical properties, especially since thicker layers shorten processing time and improve economic efficiency.