Inkbit

Arizona State Students Conduct Study On How to Make 3D Prints Stronger

Eplus3D

Share this Article

When working with PLA plastics, one of the more common materials used in FDM based 3D printers, a lot can go wrong during, as well as after the print has finished. During the print process, one little piece of dirt, a study-2movement of the printer, or uneven calibration could turn your entire project into a chaotic mess of plastic. Likewise, after an object has been printed with polylactic acid (PLA), which is a relatively strong plastic, it could break, snap, or tear under pressure.  After all it is still plastic.

Students at Arizona State University, including Ben Zimmerman and three others, decided to set out on a mission, for their Senior Engineering Capstone, to determine how to print and process a print, in a way that would create stronger, stiffer, more hardy objects. The project was titled, “Design of Experiment: 3D Printing Parameters and Their Effects on Tensile Properties of Poly(lactic) Acid (PLA).”

There were four factors included in the experiment, which were print orientation, print speed, anneal temperature, and anneal time. For those who are not aware, the process of annealing is simply the heating of an object in an industrial furnace after it has been printed out. Below you will find a chart displaying the various factors which were tested.

study-1

Their findings have revealed some rather interesting and useful information about how to print stronger objects, and how to strengthen objects once a print is complete. Here are their conclusions:

Print Orientation:
The optimal print orientation is horizontal. The 3D printed object should be oriented so that its layers run in the same direction as the pulling force which is being applied to that object.

Print Speed
The optimal print speed in their experiment was 90 mm/sec. At such a rate, compared with a slower 45 mm/sec, the prints had an optimal fracture strength. Fracture strength is simply the amount of load an object can handle before it breaks.

Anneal Temperature and Time
The optimal amount of time and the temperature that a printed object should be placed into the furnace was 30 minutes, at a temperature of approximately 140˚C. Note that the PLA filament was initially extruded at 190˚C.

This study was able to clarify some of the questions people may have about 3D printing techniques and post processing. Zimmerman is active within a thread related to this study on 3DPB.com. Feel free to drop by and ask him any questions you may have about his, and his team’s work.

study-3

Share this Article


Recent News

3D Printing Webinar & Event Roundup: May 28, 2023

3D Printing News Briefs, May 27, 2023: Contract, Acquisition, Movie Prop, & More



Categories

3D Design

3D Printed Art

3D Printed Food

3D Printed Guns


You May Also Like

3D Printing News Briefs, May 25, 2023: Post-Processing, Osteoarthritis, & More

We’re starting out with business in 3D Printing News Briefs today, as Exentis appointed Eric Bert the President of Exentis Americas, and 3YOURMIND announced Alexandre Donnadieu has been promoted to...

Featured

Stratasys and Desktop Metal to Merge in $1.8 Billion Deal

After US stock markets closed on Wednesday, May 25, Bloomberg reported that “people familiar with the matter” told the website that 3D printing industry pioneer Stratasys (Nasdaq: SSYS) was “in...

Zeda Opens 3D Printing Facility in Cincinnati to Serve Regulated Industries

Today, California-based Zeda, Inc. announced that it has officially opened the doors to its new 75,000-square-foot advanced manufacturing facility in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company, which rebranded to Zeda from PrinterPrezz...

Featured

US and Australia Form Clean Energy Pact as WTO Head Calls for “Reglobalized” Supply Chains

Amidst the G7 summit in Hiroshima last weekend, CNBC interviewed the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, concerning her general outlook on the current state of international...