Simulation and Experimentation of Flexural and Impact Properties of PLA Filament 3D Printing Results

ABSTRACT

This study examines the impact of key fused deposition modeling (FDM) printing parameters, specifically infill patterns and infill densities, on the flexural performance of polylactic acid (PLA) components. A combination of experimental testing and finite element analysis (FEA) simulations was employed to assess and validate the mechanical behavior of printed specimens under flexural loading. The findings consistently demonstrated that specimens printed with 100% infill exhibited the highest flexural strength, as confirmed by both experimental measurements and simulation results. A clear correlation was observed between increasing infill density and enhanced flexural strength. Among the infill patterns studied, the line pattern yielded superior flexural and impact strength compared to the triangular pattern. This improvement is attributed to the more uniform and denser internal structure of the line pattern, which minimizes voids and promotes better load distribution. The strong agreement between experimental and FEA results underscores the reliability of simulation tools in predicting the mechanical behavior of FDM‐printed PLA components.