Parametric analysis and optimization of flexural properties of fused-filament fabricated parts using experimental design and swarm-based evolutionary metaheuristics
摘要
This study investigates the impact of fused filament fabrication process parameters on the flexural strength of a commercially available poly(lactic acid) filament material. An optimization problem involving flexural strength and elastic modulus as primary responses is solved by implementing NSGA − III and MOGWO intelligent algorithms. The independent filament material extrusion process parameters examined were infill density, deposition angle, nozzle temperature, and printing speed. All parameters had three levels and were assigned to a Box–Behnken customized response surface design for fabricating the corresponding samples, thereby obtaining results related to flexural properties. Statistical analysis of the results obtained was conducted to determine the significance of fused filament fabrication parameters using analysis of variance, regression modeling, and contour plot indications. Full quadratic regression models were generated, assessed, and implemented as objective functions to solve the multi-objective optimization problem formulated in the study. The results verified that both algorithms, NSGA-III and MOGWO, can effectively address the existing trade-off between flexural strength and elastic modulus for PLA filament, providing beneficial, non-dominated solutions that support industrial applications related to additive manufacturing technology.