Fused deposition modeling (FDM) process parameter optimization for PLA component manufacturing

Abstract

Technological developments in manufacturing have significantly improved living standards in recent years. These advancements are largely driven by progress in material science and the development of manufacturing techniques that enable cost-effective mass production. Additive manufacturing (AM) is a production method that creates objects by adding material layer by layer based on three-dimensional model data. In this process, a physical product is generated directly from a 3D Computer-Aided Design (CAD) model. The main objective of additive manufacturing technologies is to produce components with minimal cost, high quality, and optimal efficiency. In this study, the effects of process parameters on the strength, filament consumption, and printing time of PLA (polylactic acid) parts produced by fused deposition modeling (FDM) were investigated. The produced parts were ‘Clip Control Fixtures’ used to check the presence of clips on wire harness bundles manufactured at YAZAKI. Wall line count (WLC), infill density (ID), and print speed (PS) were selected as process parameters. Experiments were conducted using the Taguchi L9 experimental design with three levels for each factor. According to the analysis performed under the “larger is better” assumption, WLC had the greatest effect on strength (56.21%), followed by ID (33.49%). The optimal parameter combination for maximum strength was determined as WLC 6, ID 90, and PS 40. For filament consumption (“smaller is better”), ID showed the highest influence (95.68%). For printing time, PS (71.53%) and ID (27.71%) were the most influential factors, and the optimal combination was WLC 2, ID 20, PS 120.

Keywords

• Fused Deposition Modelling
• PLA Optimization
• Taguchi Method
• S/N Proportion
• G-Code Parameters Selection

References

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