Analysis of test plastic samples printed by the additive method fused filament fabrication

Abstract

The presented paper deals with the influence of coloring additives and the setting of process parameters of 3D printing on the mechanical and surface properties of samples made of PLA material. The paper characterizes the process of filament production, as well as the printing of normalized samples on a 3D printer using the additive method Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF). The effect of 3 types of coloring additives is evaluated on the basis of tensile test, hardness test and surface analysis. The evaluated quantities are especially loading force, yield stress, hardness, surface texture, roughness and waviness. The influence of the percentage of sample filling with respect to the mechanical properties of the material is also evaluated. The paper is completed assessing achievements of the results achieved and an overall recommendation for filament manufacturers and users of 3D printers. © 2021, MM publishing Ltd.. All rights reserved.