Assessment of the Mechanical Integrity and Feasibility of Hyper PLA-CF for High-Speed FDM Manufacturing of Functional Components
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12974/2311-8717.2026.14.06Keywords:
Additive manufacturing (AM), Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Hyper PLA-CF, Printing parameters, Mechanical performance, Microstructure AssessmentAbstract
Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), also known as Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), has attracted considerable attention over the past decade due to rapid technological advancements that have enabled a transition from prototyping to the production of functional components. This research investigates the viability of next-generation composite materials for high-speed printing, a topic that is seldom studied. It emphasizes Hyper Polylactic Acid reinforced with Carbon Fiber (Hyper PLA-CF), engineered for high-speed printing, wherein increased printing speeds, accelerated cooling, and reduced polymer chain diffusion modify thermal and bonding properties beyond the capabilities of conventional PLA-CF. The study evaluates mechanical performance, including tensile, compressive, bending, and impact properties, in relation to printing parameters such as layer thickness, nozzle temperature, build plate temperature, and printing speed, utilizing Taguchi design, Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis was employed to investigate the microstructural characteristics. The results demonstrate that Hyper PLA-CF maintains high strength at elevated speeds, with strength influenced by the interaction between thermal parameters and layer geometry. Layer thickness notably influences tensile, bending, and impact properties, whereas build plate temperature primarily affects compression strength. SEM observations confirmed the influence of layer thickness and nozzle temperature on interlayer bonding and failure modes. These findings establish design parameters for reliable high-speed FFF utilizing Hyper PLA-CF on the CREALITY K1C, thereby addressing a critical gap in industrial implementation.
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