Printing Layer Thickness Effect of Bulk Polylactic Acid via Fused Deposited Modeling On Mechanical Performance: Comparitive Study For High Temperature Condition

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) as a 3D printing technology using thermoplastic polymer materials, influenced by parameters such as layer thickness. This thickness can be adjusted via the Z-axis during layer-by-layer deposition. However, increasing PLA layer thickness from 0.1mm to 0.3mm results in reduced mechanical properties due to increased heating and cooling cycles leading to residual stress accumulation. The effect of layer thickness was examined by printing PLA samples at different layer heights (0.1mm, 0.2mm, 0.3mm) and assessing them through impact testing. Results showed that a 0.1mm layer thickness recorded the highest average impact strength at 29.48 J/m and exhibited a 13.41% decrease in average impact strength compared to 0.2mm and 0.3mm layer thicknesses. Additionally, increased temperature also decreases the mechanical performance of PLA due to its low heat resistance. Therefore, samples for tensile, flexural, and compression testing were printed with a 0.1mm layer thickness and tested at different temperatures (30ºC, 55ºC, 80ºC). The tensile, flexural, and compression test results indicated that samples at 30ºC demonstrated the highest average strength values of 38.777 MPa, 82.917 MPa, and 69.059 MPa, respectively, compared to samples at 55ºC and 80ºC, showing decreases of 98.63%, 100%, and 98.80% from 30ºC to 80ºC. In conclusion, a 0.1mm layer thickness was identified as the best layer thickness compared to 0.2mm and 0.3mm, while samples at 30ºC exhibited the highest tensile, flexural, and compressive strengths compared to 55ºC and 80ºC.