Filaments parametric evaluation of wear and surface roughness in 3D printed PLA using in-house and commercial filaments

Fused filament fabrication (FFF)-based additive manufacturing is constrained by functional reliability in terms of wear resistance and surface finish, which impinge upon the performance of printed parts. This study evaluates whether a low-cost, in-house extruded polylactic acid (PLA) filament can achieve comparable or superior performance to commercially available PLA filaments in functional fused filament fabrication applications. PLA pellets were dried, and 1.75 mm diameter filament was extruded, and comparative test pieces were printed with a Flashforge Adventurer 4 printer. A Box–Behnken design was used to evaluate the impact of layer thickness, printing speed, and the number of top layers on wear and surface roughness. Wear (pin-on-disc) and surface roughness (Mitutoyo SJ-410) were evaluated, and the findings indicate that the in-house PLA filament provides lower wear rates and moderate surface finish, especially at optimized settings, compared to commercial filament. These results show that PLA filament produced in-house is not only economically viable but also an environmentally friendly material that extends the field of FFF applications, demanding improved tribological behavior and surface finish.