3D Printing Application in Wood Furniture Components Assembling.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Additive Manufacturing (AM) offers design freedom for furniture components, potentially replacing traditional wood joints.
• Traditional furniture assembly involves complex, time-consuming, and labor-intensive jointing techniques.
• 3D printed connectors can overcome design limitations and simplify furniture assembly.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and evaluate a 3D printed connector for joining larch wood chair components.
• To assess the suitability of reinforced polylactic acid (PLA) fiberglass filament for this application using fused filament fabrication (FFF).
• To investigate the impact of material properties and printing methods on connector performance.

Main Methods:

• Microscopic investigation of filament and 3D printed connector structure (50×, 100×, 200× magnification).
• Mechanical testing of L-type joints formed with 3D printed connectors and traditional mortise-tenon joints.
• Analysis of defects in connectors after compression and tensile load tests.

Main Results:

• Microscopic analysis revealed poor glass fiber distribution and agglomerations in the PLA fiberglass filament.
• Heterogeneous filament structure and printing defects negatively affected the mechanical behavior of the 3D printed connectors.
• Bending moments of 3D printed connectors were compared to traditional mortise-tenon joints, with larch wood strength influencing results.

Conclusions:

• The design of the 3D printed connector and filament deposition direction require optimization.
• Material reinforcement and structural integrity are critical for successful application in furniture joints.
• Further research is needed to enhance the mechanical properties of 3D printed connectors for wood furniture applications.