Aplicação do método de Taguchi na otimização de parâmetros de impressão 3D em PLA

Abstract

Additive manufacturing has become established as an essential technology within Industry 4.0. Widely known as 3D printing, it has stood out especially in maintenance activities, component replacement, and the optimization of production processes. Among the materials used, PLA stands out due to its low cost, biodegradability, and sustainable appeal, making it suitable for studies aimed at improving mechanical performance. This work aims to optimize 3D printing parameters for PLA parts using the Taguchi Method, through an L25 orthogonal array, evaluating six parameters at five levels. Tensile tests based on the ASTM D638-22 standard were carried out to determine the ultimate tensile strength and elongation at break. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was applied to quantify the contribution of the factors—fill pattern and infill density, printing and bed temperature, layer height, and printing speed—to the experimental results and to identify the parameters with a significant effect on the mechanical properties. This analysis made it possible to verify whether the variation observed in the responses was due to the studied printing factors or to experimental error, providing statistical validity to the results and presenting a coefficient of determination considered acceptable, although limited for elongation at break. The data indicated that infill density and fill pattern were the most influential factors on tensile strength and elongation at break, while printing speed showed a smaller effect, confirming the effectiveness of the Method in agreement with other reported studies. The results showed that infill density accounts for more than 60% of the contribution to the maximization of tensile strength, while the fill pattern contributes slightly more than 40% to ductility, making these the most decisive parameters for PLA specimens. This confirms the effectiveness of the Taguchi Method, together with ANOVA, in identifying the optimal configuration and in contributing to the combined analysis of all parameters evaluated in 3D printing.