Effect of FDM process parameters on mechanical properties of 3D-printed fabrics and yarns from polyethylene terephthalate glycol, nylon and thermoplastic polyurethane

Purpose Optimization of FDM process parameters has emerged as a major step toward mitigating the issue of reduced mechanical strength of fused deposition modeling (FDM) products. This study aims to evaluate the impact of process parameters on the mechanical properties of 3D-printed fabric yarns of three different materials, namely, polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG), nylon and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). Design/methodology/approach 2/1 Twill fabric samples with variations of extrusion temperatures and printing profiles are produced, and the individual yarns, manually separated from the fabric samples, are tested for tensile strength, modulus, strain and energy at maximum force. The tensile test results are further subjected to statistical analysis with MINITAB software to detect the standard level of influence of each parameter and evaluate their significance. Findings Both extrusion temperature and printing profile, along with their interaction, are significantly important parameters for the mechanical behavior of PETG. However, for nylon and TPU, the influence of a few parameters is found to be insignificant. For all variations of fabric yarns, relatively lower extrusion temperature is concluded to be preferable for better mechanical properties. Originality/value This research is new and original. It provides knowledge about how FDM process parameters influence the mechanical behavior of fabrics. It also identifies the optimum process parameters for the best performance of the final product. This article can be a foundation for further parametric analysis of 3D-printed fabric. No artificial intelligence or similar software was used in the preparation of this manuscript.