Optimization of extrusion-based 3D printing process for sustainable manufacturing

The development of additive manufacturing (AM) has gained popularity with the advent of new products featuring tailored lattice structures. Products with different lattice structures exhibit distinctive properties that meet the requirements of specific applications across various industries. Extrusion-based 3D printing is one of the most widely used AM processes, due to its ability to process a wide variety of materials at relatively low cost. In this work, the effects of different infill patterns on the mechanical properties of parts fabricated by fused deposition modeling (FDM) are analyzed. To study the influence of process parameters, a new variant of polylactic acid (PLA-N) filament is used to fabricate parts for tensile, bending, and compressive testing. Similarly, for sustainable manufacturing, the build time and printing cost are considered alongside the mechanical properties of the PLA-N parts. To achieve superior strength with efficient utilization of materials and power, the FDM process is optimized using multi-objective optimization on the basis of ratio analysis (MOORA) combined with the artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm. Distinct from prior FDM studies that optimized single properties or used standard materials such as polylactic acid (PLA) or acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), this work simultaneously integrates three mechanical responses and a comprehensive printing cost model for a next generation PLA-N biopolymer. Using the optimization method, the best parametric setting is determined to improve mechanical properties, including tensile, bending, and compressive strength, while reducing cost and printing time.