Investigation of material extrusion parameters and printing material impacts on wear and friction using the Taguchi method

Purpose The purpose of this study is to find optimum production parameters using the Taguchi method in terms of printing material (a composite material produced from polylactic acid [PLA] and polypropylene [PP]) impacts on wear and friction. Design/methodology/approach A composite filament coil was fabricated from PLA and PP pellets using a lab-based extrusion device. The hardness and chemical structure of the filaments were examined. The filament-based material extrusion process was used to produce cylindrical shapes for tribological (pin-on-disc) analyses. Moreover, Taguchi methodology was performed to find the most influential parameter on tribological characteristics. Findings The hardness (Shore D) values of the filaments were polylactic acid (PLA) (85), polypropylene (PP) (58) and PLA and PP mixture of 50:50 (PLAPP) (63). Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis results show that PLA and PP mixtured successfully. The diameter deviation of all samples was found as lower than 5%. The honeycomb pattern presented the best dimensional accuracy. Changing printing patterns and temperatures affect the friction profile. Coefficient of friction (COF) values of cylindrical samples of PLA and PP samples around 0.35 and 0.31, respectively. Overall, material type for wear resistance applications is a key point. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, there seems to be a lack of 3D-printed PP and PLAPP studied in terms of tribological aspects as a neat polymer. The tribological profiles of PP, PLA and PLAPP (PLA and PP mixture of 50:50) were investigated in this study. The author believe that this is a preliminary study that might close the gap and add some novel information to the current literature.