An Experimental Analysis of Poly-Lactic Acid (PLA) Filament Manufacturing for the 3D Printer Using Taguchi and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)

The 3D printing technology known as Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) for fabricating three-dimensional objects using a filament as the input substance. Poly-Lactic Acid (PLA) is a superior alternative for several petroleum-based polymers due to its ability to break down naturally, compatibility with living organisms, and favourable thermal and mechanical characteristics. The investigation started by feeding a PLA pellet into an extruder machine, which functioned at an extrusion temperature between 175ºC to 185ºC, with a screw speed varying from 3 rpm to 5 rpm. This study focuses on optimizing the filament extrusion process parameters in manufacturing PLA filament by using the taguchi method. The experiments were meticulously planned using a Taguchi method of L9 orthogonal array for two factors at three levels each. A tensile test was conducted to examine the mechanical performance of PLA filament for 3D printing. Data from tensile testing are analyzed using a regression model and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The findings indicate that the interactions between extrusion temperature and Screw speed significantly influence the mechanical strength. The results suggest that the tensile strength of PLA filaments ranged from 19.88 to 27.22 MPa. These results will provide a significant dataset for future researchers using PLA material as a filament in 3D printing for further investigation.