Characterization of Polylactic Acid Parts Produced Using the Fused Deposition Modelling

This work is devoted to studying the mechanical behavior of a polylactic acid (PLA) material produced by the fused deposition modelling. The influence of mesostructure on their macro-scale mechanical properties is characterized by porosity. The dependence of its longitudinal and transverse properties on the porosity is found experimentally. It is shown that, due to the crystallization after melting and extrusion, the properties of a single PLA fiber increase in time. The results obtained show that the classical lamination theory and the Tsai–Hill failure criterion can predict the modulus and strength of PLA printed materials.