Effect of printing parameters on mechanical properties and processing time of additively manufactured parts

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) has gained popularity recently due to its versatility and low cost. Considering that the quality of printed parts depends on many variables, a 3^3 factorial design of experiments was conducted, where three influential parameters in the process were studied: layer height (0.15, 0.2, and 0.25 mm), infill per - centage (30%, 60%, and 90%), and shell count (2, 3, and 4), using polylactic acid as the material. Their effects on tensile strength, flexural strength, printing time, and interactions were measured. The maximum tensile and flexural stress obtained were 33.5 MPa and 87.3 MPa, respectively, at a 90% infill percentage. It was found that layer height does not significantly affect mechanical strength, while infill percentage has the most significant influence, followed by the number of shells. The latter two factors show a meaningful interaction. Furthermore, all the studied parameters have a significant impact on printing time.