Optimization of Material Extrusion Parameters for Biodegradable PLA–Silicon Bone Scaffolds: A Pathway to Scalable Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM) via material extrusion (MEx) offers customizable, cost‐effective routes to patient‐specific bone scaffolds, but balancing mechanical performance, production efficiency, and pore architecture in biodegradable composites remains challenging. In this study, we compounded 12 wt% silicon into polylactic acid (Si–PLA) filament and evaluated 12 MEx parameter clusters varying nozzle temperature (200–220 °C), bed temperature (70–90°C), infill patterns (hexagonal/line/triangular), infill density (60%–80%), print/travel speeds (40–60 mm/s), and firstlayer thickness (2–4 mm) using a SpiceLogic analytic hierarchy process (AHP) framework. Nine criteria spanning estimated vs. actual print time, ultimate tensile/flexural strength and moduli, and morphological quality (pore uniformity, surface defects, and infill fidelity) were weighted and ranked. The A4 cluster (200°C/70°C, line infill, 60%, 60 mm/s speeds, and 2 mm layer) emerged as optimal, delivering a 4.3 MPa tensile strength (+12%) and 17.2 MPa flexural strength (+15%) while reducing print time by 10%. Sensitivity analysis confirmed ranking robustness across ±10% weight variations. This decision science approach not only outperformed traditional Taguchi/response surface methodology (RSM) methods in multiresponses’ trade‐off but also provides a scalable pathway for translating Si–PLA scaffold fabrication from lab to commercial production.