An Experimental Investigation Of Printing Speed, Layer Thickness, And Nozzle Temperature On The Mechanical Properties Of Silk-Pla Printed Specimens

Author

Razaul Islam, Prairie View A&M University

Date of Award

8-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Degree Discipline

Mechanical Engineering

Abstract

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) is a popular 3D printing technique used across various industries. Choosing the right printing parameters is essential for ensuring the overall quality and integrity of 3D-printed products. These parameters greatly affect the quality and strength of 3D-printed items. The focus of this study was the influence of printing parameters such as layer thickness, nozzle temperature, and printing speed on the mechanical behavior of 3D-printed silk polylactic acid (PLA). Tensile tests were conducted on a universal testing machine to analyze the mechanical behavior of the printed materials. Moreover, Digital Image Correlation (DIC) analyses were utilized on the tested specimens to determine the displacement and strain across the entire surface area. The test specimens were printed with layer thicknesses of 0.1mm, 0.15mm, and 0.2 mm. The temperatures of the nozzle used during printing varied from 200°C, 210°C, and 220°C, whereas print speeds of 100 mm/s, 120 mm/s, and 140 mm/s were considered. The other printing parameters were kept consistent for all specimens. The tensile specimen, adhering to ASTM D638 standards, was designed using SolidWorks CAD software. In this study, the maximum UTS was observed at 40.68 MPa at 0.2mm layer thickness, 220°C nozzle temperature, and 120mm/s print speed, whereas a layer thickness of 0.2mm, nozzle temperature of 200°C, and print speed of 120mm/s demonstrated the lowest tensile stress, measuring 25.79 MPa. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that the interaction between layer thickness, nozzle temperature, and printing speed significantly affected the tensile strength and Young's modulus of Silk-PLA. This study revealed that nozzle temperature was the most critical parameter regarding the ultimate tensile strength and Young's modulus, providing crucial insights for optimizing 3D printing parameters, whereas DIC results showed comprehensive insights into the deformation and full field strain distribution of the 3D-printed materials.

Index Terms- Additive manufacturing, FDM, mechanical properties, Silk-PLA, DIC.

Committee Chair/Advisor

Jeajong Park

Committee Co-Chair

Xiaobo Peng

Committee Member

Lai Jiang

Publisher

Prairie View A&M University

Rights

Date of Digitization

9/9/2024

Contributing Institution

John B Coleman Library

City of Publication

Prairie View

MIME Type

Application/PDF

Recommended Citation

Islam, R. (2024). An Experimental Investigation Of Printing Speed, Layer Thickness, And Nozzle Temperature On The Mechanical Properties Of Silk-Pla Printed Specimens. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.pvamu.edu/pvamu-theses/1537