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Enhancing the strength and surface quality of carbon fiber reinforced PLA composite parts 3D printed using fused deposition modelling

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Published/Copyright: October 13, 2025
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International Polymer Processing
From the journal International Polymer Processing Volume 40 Issue 5

Abstract

The final quality of 3D printed parts through Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) depends on many parameters, which vary for the printing of different materials. The addition of carbon fibers to polylactic acid (PLA) enhances its strength while reducing its printability. Hence, selection of appropriate process parameters for printing carbon fiber reinforced PLA (CF-PLA) is essential. Many industrial applications require high strength along with better surface finished components. The current research studies the effect of the FDM variables printing temperature, printing speed, infill density, and layer thickness on the tensile strength and surface roughness of a 3D printed part. The experiments were designed using the response surface methodology, and 31 experimental trials were generated. The tensile strength of the 3D printed component was influenced by the printing temperature, printing speed, and infill density, while layer thickness had no significant effect on the tensile strength. Similarly, for surface roughness, the infill density has no significant effect, but the other parameters have a significant influence. The optimum process parameters yielding a maximum tensile strength of 39.54 MPa and a minimum of surface roughness of 13.77 μm are printing temperature of 247.4 °C, printing speed of 40 mm/min, infill density of 91.8 % and layer thickness of 0.2 mm.

Keywords: fused deposition modeling; 3D printing; PLA; carbon fiber; response surface methodology
Corresponding author: Baskar Radhakrishnan, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Suguna College of Engineering, Coimbatore, India, E-mail:

  1. Research ethics: Not applicable.

  2. Informed consent: Not applicable.

  3. Author contributions: The author(s) have (has) accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  4. Use of Large Language Models, AI and Machine Learning Tools: The authors declare that no generative artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) tools were used for the writing of this manuscript, and only standard spelling and grammar checking tools were employed.

  5. Conflict of interest: The author(s) state(s) no conflict of interest.

  6. Research funding: No funding.

  7. Data availability: Not applicable.

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Supplementary Material

This article contains supplementary material (https://doi.org/10.1515/ipp-2025-0055).

Received: 2025-05-29
Accepted: 2025-08-28
Published Online: 2025-10-13
Published in Print: 2025-11-25

© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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https://doi.org/10.1515/ipp-2025-0055
Keywords for this article
fused deposition modeling; 3D printing; PLA; carbon fiber; response surface methodology

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Review Article
  3. Digitalization techniques in polymer processing – a review
  4. Research Articles
  5. Investigation on the extrusion-induced geometric distortion of three-lumen medical micro-catheters through numerical simulation
  6. Hemp-PEEK composites: surface treatment, processing, and performance
  7. Simulation of polyurethane foaming process based on physical property parameters
  8. Evaluation of mechanical properties of basalt and aramid fiber reinforced hybrid composites with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) core material
  9. The effect of styrene isoprene diblock content on hot melt label pressure-sensitive adhesives properties
  10. Dual nozzle electrospinning based on piezoelectric-conductive composites preparation: simulation and experiment
  11. Enhancing the strength and surface quality of carbon fiber reinforced PLA composite parts 3D printed using fused deposition modelling
  12. Combining Mag-Org fillers with epoxy-functionalised graphene to enhance the thermal stability of the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) based matrix while optimising its mechanical properties
  13. Performance enhancement of ternary epoxy hybrid composites with rice husk bio-filler
  14. Optimizing anisotropy in injection-moulded poly(methyl methacrylate) parts using DOE and simulation
  15. Hybrid biocomposites based on PLA/pine fiber/CaCO3
  16. Enhancement of mode I/II fracture toughness in basalt/Kevlar hybrid composites via multiwall carbon nanotube integration
  17. Quick assessment of melt flow index in hybrid bio-composite filaments for bio additive manufacturing
  18. Preparation, flame retardancy, and phase-change kinetics of OMMT/chitosan composite phase-change capsules
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