Development and characterization of enset and sisal fiber-reinforced PLA composites for FDM 3D printing

This study presents the development and characterization of false banana (enset) and sisal fiber-reinforced polylactic acid (PLA) composites for fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing. The effects of fiber ratios (3 wt.% and 5 wt.%) combined with alkaline and acetylation chemical treatments on the thermal, structural, mechanical, and microstructural characterization of the composites were investigated. Thermal stability was evaluated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) over a temperature range of 10 to 800 ° C . The results revealed that fiber addition enhanced PLA’s thermal stability by shifting the decomposition temperature from 348 ° C to 386 ° C and increasing the melting point from 150 ° C to 171 ° C . The structural and microstructural analysis of pure and fiber-reinforced PLA composites were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). FT-IR spectra confirmed enhanced cellulose content after alkali treatment of enset and sisal fibers, while XRD results showed increases crystallinity for both fibers after chemical treatment. Tensile testing showed that the addition of 3 wt.% untreated sisal fiber increased the tensile strength by 45% compared to pure PLA. In contrast, the alkali-treated 3 wt.% sisal fiber sample exhibited only a 9% increase relative to pure PLA. Similarly, the PLA composite reinforced with 3 wt% untreated enset–sisal hybrid fibers exhibited improvements in tensile and flexural strength of 36% and 43%, respectively. Furthermore, the SEM analysis provided insights into the surface roughness introduced by cellulose fibers, highlighting their impact on surface finish quality. Collectively, this study presents a novel approach that integrates natural fibers into advanced engineering applications, paving the way for green and sustainable composite materials in 3D printing.