Effect of process parameters on mechanical properties and wettability of polylactic acid by fused filament fabrication process

Abstract Fiber-reinforced composites have changed additive manufacturing into a sustainable manufacturing paradigm with the capacity to produce items with outstanding mechanical performance. The fused filament fabrication (FFF) process is the latest in advanced digital fabrication techniques used for fabricating polymer material using additive layer deposition. In this study, the results of mechanical and vibration tests were used to examine the impact of process variables such as layer thickness (0.08 mm, 0.25 mm, and 0.64 mm), infill density (20 %, 40 %, 60 %, and 80 %), and infill pattern (rectilinear, triangular, and hexagonal). The novelty of this work is to correlate the contact angle measurement with the mechanical properties of the 3D-printed specimens. The adhesion behaviour of the 3D printed parts is examined by measuring the contact angle from the wettability test. From the findings, it was observed that the infill density and layer pattern play a significant role in the interlayer adhesion, as evident from the contact angle measurement.