Study on mechanical characterization of samples fabricated with a multi-infill pattern approach

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) processing has grown in prominence in recent decades for fabricating tools and dies, biomedical models, and automotive and aerospace components. By selecting appropriate process parameters of FDM, the properties of the fabricated parts are determined. In this respect, the Infill Pattern (IP) is the most significant process parameter of FDM, which has a considerable influence over the fabricated parts. With the objective to enhance overall part performance, a novel approach that integrates multi-IPs within a single fabricated sample has been proposed in this work. This approach aims to elevate the overall achievement of the printed parts. Especially, Rectilinear (R), Triangle (T), Honeycomb (H), Concentric (C), and Gyroid (G) IPs were selected as the representative geometries. In this multi-IP approach, the R IP (50%) geometry is chosen as the main IP and the remaining are contained with C, G, H, and T (50%) IP geometry configurations. Polylactic Acid (PLA) is chosen as a material for fabricating a sample with single and multi-IP configurations to evaluate its physical characterization properties according to American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. To identify the best IP configurations, the Analysis of Variations (ANOVA) assessment has been performed. The characterization testing results and ANOVA analysis results exhibited that R, C, and multi-IP configurations enhanced the structural strength at 30%–60% of the fabricated samples.