FFF of PLA reinforced with flax: Effects of the infill strategy on low-velocity impact behavior and the energy consumption

In recent decades, demand for sustainable materials and processes has been triggered globally, thus motivating researchers towards biocomposites. Also, Additive Manufacturing (AM) plays a crucial role in advancing sustainability because it enables efficient use of resources, energy and materials. Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) is among the most popular AM processes that use continuous thermoplastic material filament. Among all the process parameters of the FFF process, the infill pattern is crucial for the mechanical characteristics of the printed parts. In this scenario, Natural Fiber Composites (NFC) are growing their interest but despite their potentialities, still limitations exist in their mechanical properties. Low velocity Impact (LVI) test of NCFs printed by FFF has not deeply investigated. This work aims to fill this gap of knowledge. In particular, the effect of the pattern infill on the low velocity impact of FFFed PLA reinforced with flax has been investigated. Energy consumption has also been monitored during printing to release guidelines on mechanical behavior from an energy-saving perspective.