Design optimization of PLA lattice in 3D printing

Polylactic acid (PLA), a thermoplastic polyester is an eco-friendly, biodegradable material that is used to develop strong Lattice components at low temperatures using fused deposition modelling (FDM) 3D Printing. PLA Lattices are used for diverse applications as medical implants, automotive, aviation, shape resuming memory parts, smart fabric, bio-printing, sensing instrument and many more. Parameters as volume fragment, unit cell shapes and size can be brought into play to create a competent PLA lattice depending upon the type of application and desired property. Octet truss, BCC, and CCP are commonly used unit cells, and usually fail due to stress concentration at the joining edges of trusses. Amongst these, the octet shaped truss lattice structure can withstand greater load and is suggested for load-bearing applications but is difficult to develop. In present work an effort is made to develop a strong CCP lattice structure by optimizing design factors as, unit cell and lattice size, layer height, filament print temperature and speed, infill density and pattern, support types, build orientation and temperature, layer height; and other influencing parameters to increase strength of the 3D printed Lattice part. It is observed that surrounding environment as humidity and temperature, critically affects the strength and surface finish of the fabricated PLA lattice structure.