Hypothesis: Precise control of 3D printing process parameters helps improve the final quality of parts and reduce the likelihood of production defects. Therefore, using the signal-to-noise analysis of Taguchi method can be employed for controlling and optimizing the process conditions of 3D printing of polyamide/carbon fiber polymer composites to improve impact strength.
Methods: In this study, polymeric composite samples of polyamide/carbon fiber were fabricated using the fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printing process. Three processing parameters-printing temperature, printing speed, and layer height-were considered as the main variables, and their effects on the impact strength of the samples were investigated and optimized using the Taguchi method's signal-to-noise ratio analysis.
Findings: The results indicated that higher printing temperatures improved the adhesion between layers and increased the impact strength. By increasing the printing temperature from 220 ℃ to 240 ℃, the impact strength increased from 52.91 kJ/m² to 107.19 kJ/m², representing a 103% improvement in impact strength. By increasing the printing speed from 20 mm/s to 30 mm/s, the impact strength increased from 68.15 kJ/m² to 88.56 kJ/m², representing a 30% improvement. Finally, increasing the layer height up to a certain value led to a decrease in impact strength, followed by a subsequent increase. A layer height of 0.1 mm resulted in the highest impact strength of 94.92 kJ/m². By analyzing the results and using the Taguchi method, the optimal conditions for achieving maximum impact strength were identified as a printing temperature of 240 ℃, a printing speed of 30 mm/s, and a layer height of 0.1 mm. Under these optimal conditions, the impact strength of the polyamide/carbon fiber polymer composite samples was 108.15 kJ/m². This study provides effective optimization strategies to enhance 3D printing processes and develop advanced composite materials for industrial applications.