Optimization of energy absorption of additively manufactured polyamide/microcarbon fiber polymeric composites in <scp>3D</scp> printing using Taguchi method

Abstract The current study explores an interesting area of investigation at the interface between materials science and additive manufacturing: the optimization of microcarbon fiber‐reinforced polyamide (PA/mCF) polymeric composites. Nozzle temperature, printing speed, and layer height processing parameters of fused filament fabrication are optimized using the Taguchi technique and L9 orthogonal array. The signal‐to‐noise ratio analysis is used to investigate optimum energy absorption, density, and specific energy absorption of 3D printed PA/mCF polymeric composites. It was observed that a higher nozzle temperature significantly enhanced energy absorption and specific energy absorption, while the density of 3D printed composites increased only moderately. On the other hand, printing speed and layer height showed more complicated effects on properties. The results revealed that the optimum conditions for maximizing energy absorption (108.15 J/m 2 ), specific energy absorption (318.35 Jm/kg), and minimizing density (261.14 kg/m 3 ) were a nozzle temperature of 260°C, printing speed of 40 mm/s, and a layer height of 0.1 mm. These findings underline the effectiveness of the Taguchi method in improving the mechanical properties of 3D printed PA/mCF composites, providing valuable insights for the fabrication of high‐performance components in various industrial applications. Highlights Energy absorption of additively manufactured polymeric composites is studied. Polyamide/microcarbon fiber polymeric composites are produced by 3D printing. Additive manufacturing conditions are optimized using Taguchi technique. An optimum energy absorption of 108.15 J/m 2 is identified. 318.35 Jm/kg of specific energy absorption was detected as the optimum value.