A Mechanical Performance Study on FDM 3D Printed PLA and Chitosan Composite

Abstract An adaptable additive manufacturing method, fused deposition modeling (FDM) is especially useful for creating intricate geometries for use in biomedical applications. A composite filament with improved mechanical and biological properties is created in this study by reinforcing Polylactic Acid (PLA) with 2 weight percent chitosan nanoparticles (particle size: 30–50 µm). ASTM D-790 standards are followed when printing test specimens, and the most important process variables chosen are layer height, bed temperature, and nozzle temperature. 3-point bending tests are used to assess flexural strength. Under different print conditions, fracture behavior and surface morphology can be understood through micro structural analysis using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and 3D optical profilometry. The highest tensile strength of 12 MPa is obtained with a layer thickness of 0.2 mm. While SEM analysis shows a consistent fracture mode across various parameters and validates uniform dispersion of chitosan nanoparticles along the fracture surface, observations show that layer height has a significant impact on the bending response.