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A comprehensive investigation of the 3D printing parameters’ effects on the mechanical response of polycarbonate in fused filament fabrication

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Abstract

In this work, Polycarbonate (PC) filament was manufactured and utilized to 3D print tensile test specimens for the optimization of two 3D printing parameters (temperature and layer height) in relation to the Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS, σb) and the Elastic Modulus (E). First, the general full factorial Design of Experiments (DOE) was followed, and three levels of both the Layer Height (LH) and the Nozzle Temperature (NT) were employed for the experiments. Then, the nine combinations were 3D printed, three times each. The average and the max–min differences (Δσb and ΔE) were calculated for both the σb and E. Subsequently, Main Effects Plots (MEP), interaction charts, and Analysis of Variances (ANOVA) were utilized to determine the effects of the LH and NT on σb, E, Δσb, and ΔE. The mechanical response of PC in 3D printing was investigated and the models developed for the two parameters were studied to provide the required scientific information to optimize the process. It was found that both the LH and the NT are essential parameters for determining the mechanical response. LH of 0.2 mm and NT of 270 °C optimized the study objectives, i.e., maximizes the σb and E and minimizes the Δσb and ΔE.

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The raw data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author.

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Funding

No funding was received for conducting this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hellenic Mediterranean University, Heraklion, Greece

    N. Vidakis & M. Petousis

  2. School of Technology, University of Thessaly, Karditsa, Greece

    J. D. Kechagias

Authors
  1. N. Vidakis
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  2. M. Petousis
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  3. J. D. Kechagias
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Contributions

Conceptualization: NV and JK; methodology: NV and JK; formal analysis and investigation: JK and MP; writing—original draft preparation: JK; writing—review and editing: JK and MP; funding acquisition: NV; resources: NV and JK; supervision: NV and JK. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. D. Kechagias.

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Vidakis, N., Petousis, M. & Kechagias, J.D. A comprehensive investigation of the 3D printing parameters’ effects on the mechanical response of polycarbonate in fused filament fabrication. Prog Addit Manuf 7, 713–722 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40964-021-00258-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40964-021-00258-3

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