Analysis of tensile strength of a fused filament fabricated PLA part using an open-source 3D printer

The application of the fused filament fabrication (FFF) or fused deposition modeling (FDM) may be limited due to relatively poor mechanical properties of the 3D-printed components. The present experimental investigation quantifies the effect of the three process parameters viz. raster angle, layer height, and raster width on the tensile properties of the FFF-printed PLA, using an open-source 3D printer. The mean effect of each process parameters on the tensile properties and the effect of the interaction are discussed. From the result analysis, it is found that raster angle, raster width, and interaction of layer height and raster width have a significant influence on the tensile properties. Tensile test results show that parts printed at 0° raster angle exhibit higher tensile strength as compared to those with 90° raster angle. Furthermore, fractography was performed on the tensile specimen using a high-precision measuring microscope to determine the effect of process variables on modes of failure. A close relationship between the raster angle and failure mode has been observed and critically discussed.