Optimization of Process Parameters for Steel Wire-Reinforced Polylactic Acid Composites Produced by Additive Manufacturing

The mechanical performance of Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)-produced polymer composites is highly dependent on processing parameters; however, most studies focus on unreinforced polymers, leaving a gap in understanding how these parameters influence continuous wire-reinforced composites. This study addresses this gap by investigating the effect of hatch spacing and layer thickness on the tensile properties of steel wire-reinforced PLA composites. The Taguchi method was employed to systematically optimize mechanical performance, using an L9 orthogonal array to evaluate tensile strength across different process conditions. The results showed that layer thickness was the most influential factor, contributing to 75.861% of the total variance (F = 60.90, p = 0.001), followed by hatch spacing (21.647%, F = 17.37, p = 0.010). The highest tensile strength of 231.61 MPa was obtained at a hatch spacing of 0.4 mm and a layer thickness of 0.2 mm, confirming the importance of optimizing these parameters to improve interfacial bonding and minimize defects. Signal-to-Noise (S/N) ratio analysis further validated these optimal conditions, with the highest S/N ratio of 47.29 observed under the same settings. This study provides a structured approach to optimizing process parameters for metal-reinforced polymer composites, contributing to the development of stronger, more reliable FDM-produced composite materials.