Effect of 3D Printing on the Mechanical Properties of FDM Printed Electrical Components

Abstract

The Additive manufacturing (AM) technology, also known as 3D printing, reduces production time, enhances the production process and quality, lowers costs, and achieves several other goals when producing solid, three-dimensionally created structures for the application of digital information, medical equipment, automobile, airplane, and many more. By giving the necessary instruction through a human-machine interface, the techniques used to build three-dimensional structures allow for adding material in successively thinner layers, enabling manufacturing objects in almost any shape or geometry. The polylactic acid filament was used as the feedstock to create a range of 3D-printed electrical parts. The components were created using an FDM 3D printer after being designed in Solidworks. Samples of printed materials were subjected to experimental testing to ascertain their densities, tensile strengths, flexural strengths, thermalgravimetric analyses, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) values. Heating PLA polymers change their mechanical properties. The experiment run utilizes the printed samples to compare the findings with the standard values for each parameter. The production of locally produced 3D printing feedstock and waste management are the two biggest obstacles to 3D printing in Nigeria that this innovation will overcome. This strategy, which would reduce the importation of spare parts, will benefit the industrial sector. Less equipment will need to be discarded because there will be fewer components. Thus, it may be possible to achieve sustainable development goals for infrastructure, innovation, and business.