Investigation of Printing Temperature on Microstructure and Mechanical Performance of PLA Components Fabricated by Fused Filament Fabrication
摘要
In this paper, the effect of print temperature on the microstructure, mechanical property, and warping deformation of polylactic acid (PLA) components prepared via fused filament fabrication (FFF) approach was investigated. The research focuses on PLA components with potential applications in biomedical implants and lightweight automotive parts. The surface morphology, microstructure, warping deformation, and mechanical properties of FFF-fabricated PLA components were detected utilizing scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), non-contact laser 3D scanner, and universal tensile testing machine, respectively. Additionally, COMSOL software was employed to simulate the heating process of PLA filaments at different temperatures, providing insights into the thermal behavior during fabrication. SEM observations showed that the surface morphology of FFF-produced PLA components obtained at 210 °C was more flat and smooth than those obtained at 190 °C and 230 °C, with reduced surface bulges and no scorching defects. The diffraction peak distribution in XRD results indicated that the FFF-fabricated PLA components prepared at 210 °C possessed the highest crystallinity (42%), which was 12% higher than that at 190 °C. The FFF-manufactured PLA components exhibited the smallest average warping deformation at 210 °C, with a value of 0.36 mm, representing a 16% decrease compared to 190 °C. In addition, the tensile strength of PLA components at 210 °C reached 53.8 MPa, which was 18% higher than that at 190 °C and 32% higher than that at 230 °C. These findings highlight the critical role of print temperature in optimizing the comprehensive performance of FFF-fabricated PLA components for practical engineering applications.