Mechanical Properties of 3D Printed PLA Material at different infill density and pattern

Abstract

PLA is an organic polymer that lends itself to multiple applications. It is commonly used in fused deposition modeling technology (FDM), which operates by depositing successive layers of material. The material extrusion, in the form of a wire, follows an imposed pattern, which influences the static and dynamic behavior of the final component. In the literature there are many works concerning the mechanical characterization of the PLA but, due to the natural orthotropic of the FDM process and, above all, the ascertained influence of the particular technical system with which the operations are performed, it is necessary to characterize the extruded material through different metrological techniques. To allow the use of this technology for structural elements production, in the present work, quasi-static tests have been carried out to characterize the material and the process considering the three spatial growth directions (x, y, and z). In particular, uniaxial tensile tests were performed for the determination of mechanical strength, modulus of elasticity, and percentage elongation. The tensile properties of 3D Printing of PLA material and its parameters such as infill density and infill pattern were measured by a tensile test experiment. In general, the results showed that increasing the infill density will increase the tensile properties for both infill patterns. Moreover, the infill patterns affect the tensile properties. Line infill pattern incontestable the best tensile properties compared with the grid pattern. A comprehensive investigation of the result of the infill pattern on the tensile properties is usually recommended for future study. The main purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the mechanical properties according to the change in infill density by 3D printing using PLA materials and finally find out the applicability of lightweight parts in aerospace or automobiles.