Investigation on 3D Printing Parameters of PLA Polymers for Gear Applications

Due to Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Additive Manufacturing technology offers to produce complex parts, low cost and large material selection; this technique is increasingly used in several industries. There are several printing parameters that directly affect the mechanical and tribological properties of the final part. The objective of our research work is to investigate different fabrication parameters for Polylactic acid (PLA) polymers for gear applications by characterising the ball-on-disk and compression tests. Several FDM printing parameters were considered for experiments, such as temperature, layer height, printing speed, infill pattern and so on. All specimens for the experimental investigations were printed with different printing parameter combinations by using the "Ultimaker Original +" 3D printer. Ball-on-disk tests were performed to analyse wear performance factors of samples, while compression tests were carried out to compare their load-bearing capabilities. The experimental tests were performed several times for each sample and summarised by determining the average values. The obtained results demonstrate that the FDM 3D printing parameters highly affect the wear behaviour and load-bearing capability of the produced parts due to the various microstructural modifications during the manufacturing process. Based on the ball-on-disc laboratory test results, the difference between the highest and lowest average friction coefficient is characterised by about 57%, while this difference reached 46% for maximum compressive force in the case of compression test results. The current research work provides useful guidance for the selection of FDM printing parameters to get better material properties of PLA polymers for gear applications.