Experimental Investigation on the Effect of Process Parameters on the Fused Filament Fabrication of Polymer Composite Material

Abstract

Additive Manufacturing (AM), popularly known as 3D printing, is a transformative approach to manufacturing which has revolutionized the landscape of prototyping and industrial production. Contrary to traditional subtractive manufacturing methods, AM technology enables the fabrication of complex geometries in exceptional precision and flexibility by the layer-wise deposition of material as per the digital model. In Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) of AM, materials, usually thermoplastics, or composites, are extruded and deposited at controlled processing conditions to achieve desired characteristics such as mechanical strength, thermal stability, electrical conductivity, biocompatibility, and surface quality. This experimental study focusses on controlling the process parameters for optimal mechanical performance; developing polymer composites of optimum composition; optimising the process and composition parameters for enhanced mechanical strength using Taguchi method and Grey Relational Analysis; and analysing the biocompatibility of the developed composite FFF printed samples using MTT assay. newline