TAGUCHI'S OPTIMIZATION OF FUSED DEPOSITION MODELING FOR 3D PRINTED CARBON FIBER REINFORCED PLA- PRO COMPOSITE: THE IMPACT OF PRINTING PARAMETERS

Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) has emerged as an effective additive manufacturing technique for fabricating polymer and polymer-matrix composites reinforced with various materials. In this study, chopped short carbon fibers were incorporated into polylactic acid pro (PLA PRO) to enhance its mechanical performance, targeting a 30% improvement in overall strength. The composite specimens were fabricated using FDM and evaluated for their tensile strength, flexural strength, and Izod impact strength. Taguchi’s optimization method was employed to determine the optimal combination of printing parameters that maximize these mechanical properties. The influence of key process parameters layer height, printing orientation, extrusion temperature, air gap, and nozzle material was systematically investigated. Results revealed that the careful optimization of these parameters led to substantial improvements in performance. The addition of short carbon fibers (8μm in length and 300μm in diameter) significantly enhanced the tensile strength (61 MPa), flexural strength (70 MPa), and Izod impact strength (480 J/m) of the composite, corresponding to an approximate 30-40% increase compared with pure PLA. Among the investigated parameters, layer height and nozzle material were identified as the most influential factors affecting the mechanical behavior of carbon fiber-reinforced PLA composites.