Optimisation of tensile stress of poly(lactic acid) 3D printed materials using response surface methodology

Three-dimensional printed plastic products developed through fused deposition modelling (FDM) take long-term mechanical loading in most industrial prototypes. This article focuses on the impact of the 3D printing parameters, type of thermal treatment and variation of characteristic dimensions of standard specimens on the tensile properties of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) material. Two mediums were used for thermal treatment: NaCl powder and plaster. The specimens immersed in NaCl powder were heated to the melting temperature of the filament (200 °C), while the processing of the plastered specimens was performed at a temperature of 100 °C. After treatment, the specimens were cooled at room temperature (25 °C), and the dimensions of the annealed and untreated specimens were controlled. The tensile test of the specimens was performed on the universal test machine. The response surface methodology (RSM) is employed to predict the tensile stress by undertaking input parameters. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) results revealed that the untreated specimens, orientation –45/45 and layer thickness of 0.1 mm had the highest tensile stress value. Thermal treatment in plaster showed a significant increase in tensile strength, while the best specimens were obtained after treatment in NaCl, and all refer to the –45/45 (0.1 mm) orientation.