Finite Element Modelling and Experimental Investigation of Tensile, Flexural, and Impact Behaviour of 3D-Printed Polyamide

Developing complex three-dimensional features using traditional manufacturing processes is tedious, time-consuming, and costly. Fused deposition modelling (FDM) process is an effective and efficient process in the fabrication of complex structures for biomedical and aerospace applications. In the FDM process, the product qualities are determined by the number of plies and orientation of the layers. So, the objective of this paper is to study the effect of layer thickness on the impact, flexural and tensile strength of 3D-printed polyamide specimen. A finite element model is developed for understanding the process and predicting the tensile and flexural strength of printed specimen. The proposed model is validated with experiments and average prediction accuracy is 94% and 87% for tensile and flexural samples, respectively. It is inferred that ultimate tensile and bending stress decreases as layer thickness increases for unidirectional printed polyamide. Larger intra-layer bonding and fewer air voids contribute to the specimen higher tensile, and flexural strength at 0.1 mm layer thickness and 100% infill density. The results of experimental analysis using specimens in the Izod impact test showed that the energy absorption is at its maximum of 400 J/m at 85% infill density and 0.1 mm layer thickness. © The Institution of Engineers (India) 2023.