Scholarlink

<p>Fused granular fabrication (FGF), or pellet-extrusion 3D printing, offers a cost-effective and high-throughput alternative to filament-based fused deposition modelling (FDM), yet the structure–property relationships governing FGF-processed polymers remain poorly understood. This study systematically evaluates how infill pattern and infill density influence the mechanical behaviour of polylactic acid (PLA) fabricated through pellet extrusion—an area in which comprehensive mechanical and morphological data are scarce. Four infill architectures (parallel raster, grid, zigzag, and honeycomb) and densities ranging from 25 to 100% were examined through tensile, compressive, flexural, and impact testing, supported by stereomicroscopic fracture analysis. Mechanical performance improved markedly with increasing infill density due to reduced porosity and enhanced interlayer fusion inherent to FGF processing. Infill pattern governed anisotropy, load-path efficiency, and failure modes, with grid and zigzag designs providing more isotropic or energy-absorbing responses than parallel rasters. Honeycomb structures exhibited high stiffness-to-weight efficiency at low density but limited printability at higher densities. These findings establish the first detailed structure–property correlations for pellet-extruded PLA and provide practical design guidelines for optimizing FGF-printed components.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Effect of infill pattern and density on the mechanical properties of PLA structures fabricated via pellet extrusion 3D printing

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月19日

查看全文
  • Gopika V Gopan,
  • Sona Filo George,
  • Deepu Damodaran Ragini,
  • Shiny Velayudhan

摘要

Fused granular fabrication (FGF), or pellet-extrusion 3D printing, offers a cost-effective and high-throughput alternative to filament-based fused deposition modelling (FDM), yet the structure–property relationships governing FGF-processed polymers remain poorly understood. This study systematically evaluates how infill pattern and infill density influence the mechanical behaviour of polylactic acid (PLA) fabricated through pellet extrusion—an area in which comprehensive mechanical and morphological data are scarce. Four infill architectures (parallel raster, grid, zigzag, and honeycomb) and densities ranging from 25 to 100% were examined through tensile, compressive, flexural, and impact testing, supported by stereomicroscopic fracture analysis. Mechanical performance improved markedly with increasing infill density due to reduced porosity and enhanced interlayer fusion inherent to FGF processing. Infill pattern governed anisotropy, load-path efficiency, and failure modes, with grid and zigzag designs providing more isotropic or energy-absorbing responses than parallel rasters. Honeycomb structures exhibited high stiffness-to-weight efficiency at low density but limited printability at higher densities. These findings establish the first detailed structure–property correlations for pellet-extruded PLA and provide practical design guidelines for optimizing FGF-printed components.