Optimization of Environment-Friendly and Sustainable Polylactic Acid (PLA)-Constructed Triply Periodic Minimal...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Growing demand for lightweight, robust materials in engineering.
• Additive manufacturing (AM), specifically fused deposition modeling (FDM), offers cost-effective solutions using sustainable materials like polylactic acid (PLA).
• Need for optimized printing and testing parameters for AM components.

Purpose of the Study:

• To guide users in selecting optimal printing and testing parameters for 3D-printed components.
• To identify the best triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structures for compression performance.
• To determine the ideal FDM parameters for maximizing mechanical strength and energy absorption.

Main Methods:

• Application of the Taguchi method for experimental design.
• Utilized grey relational analysis for parameter optimization.
• Performed compressive tests on nine uniquely patterned samples with varying TPMS structures and FDM parameters.

Main Results:

• Cuboid gyroid-structured samples exhibited superior compressive strength compared to other TPMS structures.
• Optimal FDM parameters identified: printing speed of 40 mm/s, relative density of 60%, and cell size of 3.17 mm.
• The best-performing sample (ninth experiment) showed significant improvements: 16.9% yield strength, 34.8% compression modulus, and 29.5% energy absorption increase over the second-best.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully identified optimal FDM parameters for PLA components, enhancing mechanical properties.
• Cuboid gyroid TPMS structures are recommended for applications requiring high compressive performance.
• Findings provide valuable data for engineers and designers utilizing FDM for structural applications.