Optimizing Process Parameters of FDM-Printed PLA Components Using a Combined Taguchi-CRITIC-VIKOR Approach

This research aims to optimize polylactic acid (PLA) materials with varying process parameter levels using the Taguchi method, compare tensile strengths, generate stress-strain curves, and achieve high-strength structures efficiently in a shorter production time while minimizing material use via fused deposition modeling (FDM). For this purpose, three factors were considered, and experiments were carried out using the Taguchi L9 orthogonal array. At the first stage, relationships between the measured tensile strength, the filament used, the production time, and the input factors were analyzed. The results revealed that tensile strength is predominantly influenced by wall line count (WLC), with a contribution of 56.2 %, followed by infill density (ID) at 33.5 % and print speed (PS) at 8.5 %. Conversely, ID emerges as the principal factor in material consumption, accounting for 95.7 % of the contribution margin. Similarly, printing time was largely determined by PS (71.5 %), followed by ID (27.7 %), indicating that significant reductions in production time can be achieved through PS optimization. At the second stage, a multi-criteria optimization and the VIKOR compromise solution, a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method, were applied, with the trials as decision alternatives and the responses as criteria. As a result, the optimal combination was found to be WLC 6, ID 50 %, and PS 40 mm/s. Remarkably, the MCDM methodology has yet to be applied to Additive Manufacturing processes, with criteria importance determined through intercriteria correlation (CRITIC) approaches. This establishes a novel research pathway for multi-criteria optimization in 3D printing using PLA materials by addressing this gap through a unique optimization methodology.