Optimisation of processing parameters for wear properties of polylactic acid biopolymer parts in FDM process

Currently, additive manufacturing (AM) technology has been expanding in advanced engineering and biomedical applications. The fused deposition modelling (FDMTM) method, also known as fused filament fabrication (FFF), is one of the most extensively used AM methods owing to its simple operation, reliability and potential to manufacture intricate components. The mechanical and wear properties of these components depend mainly on the proper selection of processing parameters. This study aims to determine the optimum parameters for low wear rate, less frictional force and good surface roughness. To achieve this aim, a hybrid approach based on user preference ranking is adopted to evaluate the effect of the four processing parameters including nozzle temperature, fill density, layer thickness and printing speed, on the wear behaviour, frictional force and surface roughness. The study procedure includes Taguchi L27 experiment design, finding the weight ratios, calculating utility index (UI) values and optimising UI values using Taguchi methodology for maximum utilisation. The results found that at 220 degrees C of nozzle temperature, 100% fill density, 0.24 mm layer thickness and a printing speed of 60 mm/s are optimal parameters for the maximum utility index value. From the results, the percentage of contribution of fill density, nozzle temperature, layer thickness and printing speed were observed as 69.071%, 15.974%, 5.431% and 2.306%, respectively.