Effect of FDM process parameters on the mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of PLA/Cu composite

This study focuses on the effect of process parameters to enhance the mechanical properties of PLA/ Cu composite. The selected parameters includes of infill pattern (concentric, rectilinear and honeycomb), raster angle (0º, 45º and 90º) and layer thickness (0.10, 0.15 and 0.20 mm). The material characterized for their elemental and chemical composition (EDX, FTIR), thermal behaviour (TGA, DSC), mechanical performance (tensile, compressive, and flexural testing), alongside with the comprehensive microstructural and electrical evaluations. The results shows that the chemical and thermal stability of the composite is maintained compared the pure PLA. The volume resistivities of the material from 2,300.00 Ω·cm to 2,321.01 Ω·cm and the electrical conductivity ranges from 4.31 × 10− 4 to 4.35 × 10− 4 S/cm indicate that the copper fillers provide a conductive pathway, but the non-conductive PLA polymer matrix with inter-bead voids in FDM printing limits the overall charge transport. The maximum tensile strength achieved was 41.66 MPa, Elastic modulus of 1.98 GPa and the yield strength attained of 33.33 MPa. The maximum compressive strength was 44.78 MPa and compressive modulus of 1.19 GPa. The maximum flexural strength was 47.02 MPa and flexural modulus attained in the 1.29 GPa . Graphical abstract