Effect of Printing Temperature on Fatigue and Impact Performance of 3-D Printed Carbon Fiber Reinforced PLA Composites for Ankle Foot Orthotic Device

Carbon fiber reinforced-polylactic acid (CF-PLA) composites nowadays are widely researched alternative structural materials for their potential application in prosthetic and orthotic implants. The present work firstly consolidates the findings on the application of 3D printing in biomedical and allied fields. Fatigue life and impact strength of 3D printed CF-PLA test specimens were determined. The test specimens were fabricated through the fused deposition modeling (FDM) approach at two printing temperatures. The pronounced effect of printing temperature is characterized by the significant change in fatigue life and impact strength of the FDM specimen. The fatigue life at the printing temperature of 240°C was 2.7 times greater than that at 225°C, whereas the impact strength was greater by 5.93%. The microscopy findings revealed increased diffusion and a reduced number of ridges and pores at higher printing temperature testifying that printing temperature prominently controls the durability and impact response of FDM printed parts.