Effect of printing orientation, annealing temperature and annealing time on mechanical properties of 3D printed PLA
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Author |
Fakrul Hisyam Bin Yusoff, Siti Nor Habibah Binti Hassan and Mohd Rizal Bin Alkahari
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e-ISSN |
1819-6608 |
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On Pages
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22-32
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Volume No. |
21
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Issue No. |
1
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Issue Date |
March 10, 2026
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.59018/012613
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Keywords |
additive manufacturing, annealing process, polylactic acid, fused deposition modelling, polylactic acid, mechanical characterization.
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Abstract
This paper investigates the effects of printing orientation, annealing temperature, and annealing time on the mechanical properties of 3D-printed polylactic acid (PLA). The study addresses the challenge of improving the mechanical performance of PLA, which is widely used in Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) due to its biodegradability, but is often limited for load-bearing applications due to weak interlayer bonding. Post-processing techniques, such as annealing, are crucial for enhancing the crystalline structure and relieving internal stresses in these parts. This study employs regression and Taguchi analysis to determine the most influential parameters and their optimal settings. The specimens were printed at 90° and 180° orientations and then annealed at temperatures of 70°C, 85°C, and 100°C for durations of 60, 90, and 120 minutes. The results show that printing orientation is the most significant factor affecting tensile strength, with the 90° orientation consistently outperforming the 180° orientation. Annealing significantly improved the tensile strength of the 90° oriented specimens by 22.5%. Regression analysis confirmed that printing orientation has the most statistically significant effect on tensile strength. The Taguchi analysis ranked printing orientation as the primary factor, followed by annealing temperature and then annealing time. The optimal parameters for maximizing tensile strength were identified as a 90° printing orientation and an annealing temperature of 85°C for 90 minutes. However, temperatures at or above 100°C, especially for longer durations, were found to be detrimental, leading to thermal degradation and a sharp decrease in tensile strength. The study concludes that careful optimization of printing and annealing parameters is essential for producing strong and reliable 3D-printed PLA parts for functional applications.
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