Tensile Properties of 3D Printed PLA under Unidirectional and Bidirectional Raster Angle: A Comparative Study

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) gains popularity in recent times, due to its capability to create prototype as well as functional end use product directly from CAD file. Parts fabricated using FDM process have mechanical properties comparable with those of injection-molded parts. However, performance of the FDM part is severally affected by the poor mechanical properties of the part due to nature of layered structure of printed part. Mechanical properties of the part can be improved by proper selection of process variables. In the present study, a comparative study between unidirectional and bidirectional raster angle has been carried out at a combination of different layer height and raster width. Unidirectional raster angle varied at five different levels, and bidirectional raster angle has been varied at three different levels. Fabrication of tensile specimen and tensile testing of specimen has been conducted according to ASTM D638 standard. From the results, it can be observed that higher tensile strength has been obtained at 0° raster angle followed by 45°/45° raster angle, while lower tensile strength has been obtained at 90° raster angle. Analysis of fractured surface revealed that failure takes place along with raster deposition direction for unidirectional and zigzag failure can be observed for bidirectional raster angle.

• Shilpesh R. Rajpurohit
• Harshit K. Dave

• Additive manufacturing
• fused deposition modeling
• raster angle
• tensile strength.

[1] ASTM, A., 2012. F2792-12 Standard terminology for additive manufacturing technologies. ASTM International.
[2] C. K. Chua, K. F. Leong, 3D printing and additive manufacturing: principles and applications of rapid prototyping, World Scientific Publishing Co Inc., 2014
[3] I. Gibson, D. W. Rosen, B. Stucker, Additive manufacturing technologies, New York: Springer, 2010
[4] I. Durgun, and R. Ertan, ‘Experimental investigation of FDM process for improvement of mechanical properties and production cost”, Rapid Prototyping Journal, vol. 20, 2014, pp.228-235
[5] A. Bagsik, V. Schöppner, and E. Klemp, “FDM part quality manufactured with Ultem 9085,” In 14th international scientific conference on polymeric materials, vol. 15, 2010, pp. 307-315.
[6] A. Garg, A. Bhattacharya and A. Batish, “On surface finish and dimensional accuracy of FDM parts after cold vapor treatment,” Materials and Manufacturing Processes, vol. 31, 2016, pp.522-529.
[7] S. B. Mishra, R. Malik, and S. S. Mahapatra, “Effect of External Perimeter on Flexural Strength of FDM Build Parts,” Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering, 2017 pp.1-9.
[8] A. Qattawi, B. Alrawi, and A. Guzman, “Experimental Optimization of Fused Deposition Modelling Processing Parameters: a Design-for-Manufacturing Approach,” Procedia Manufacturing, vol. 10, 2017, pp.791-803.
[9] M. Dawoud, I, Taha, and S. J. Ebeid, “Mechanical behaviour of ABS: An experimental study using FDM and injection moulding techniques,” Journal of Manufacturing Processes, vol. 21, 2017, pp.39-45.
[10] K. P. Motaparti, G. Taylor, M. C. Leu, K. Chandrashekhara, J. Castle and M. Matlack, “Experimental investigation of effects of build parameters on flexural properties in fused deposition modelling parts,” Virtual and Physical Prototyping, 2017, pp.1-14.
[11] L. Wang and D. J. Gardner, “Effect of fused layer modeling (FLM) processing parameters on impact strength of cellular polypropylene,” Polymer, vol.113, 2017, pp.74-80.
[12] A. Lanzotti, M. Grasso, G. Staiano, and M. Martorelli, “The impact of process parameters on mechanical properties of parts fabricated in PLA with an open-source 3-D printer,” Rapid Prototyping Journal, vol. 21, 2015, pp.604-617.
[13] A. K. Sood, R. K. Ohdar, and S. S. Mahapatra, “Parametric appraisal of mechanical property of fused deposition modelling processed parts,” Materials & Design, vol. 31, 2015, pp.287-295.
[14] Y. Song, Y. Li, W. Song, K. Yee, K. Y. Lee, and V. L. Tagarielli, Measurements of the mechanical response of unidirectional 3D-printed PLA. Materials & Design, vol. 123, 2017 pp.154-164.
[15] X. Liu, M. Zhang, S. Li, L. Si, J. Peng, and Y. Hu, “Mechanical property parametric appraisal of fused deposition modeling parts based on the gray Taguchi method,” The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, vol. 89, 2017, pp. 2387-2397
[16] J. C. Riddick, M. A. Haile, R.Von Wahlde, D. P. Cole, O. Bamiduro and T. E.Johnson, “Fractographic analysis of tensile failure of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene fabricated by fused deposition modeling” Additive Manufacturing, vol. 11, 2016, pp. 49-59.