A comprehensive study of tensile properties of 3D-printed polylactic acid (PLA) parts based on statistical analysis and multi-response optimization of printing parameters

A comprehensive study of tensile properties of 3D-printed polylactic acid (PLA) parts based on statistical analysis and multi-response optimization of printing parameters | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article A comprehensive study of tensile properties of 3D-printed polylactic acid (PLA) parts based on statistical analysis and multi-response optimization of printing parameters Dongqing Pan This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6763501/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 13 Aug, 2025 Read the published version in The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology → Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study presents a comprehensive investigation of all the key tensile properties of 3D-printed polylactic acid (PLA) parts, including tensile strength, yield strength, modulus of elasticity, elongation at break, and energy at break. A three-factor, two-level (2 3 ) full factorial design of experiments (DOE) was employed to analyze the main and interaction effects of layer thickness, printing angle, and printing speed. Statistical analysis reveals that layer thickness significantly affects all tensile properties except ductility, with increased layer thickness generally reducing strength, stiffness, ductility and toughness. Printing angle and speed show minimal influences on the tensile properties but with consistent trends. A significant interaction is observed between layer thickness and printing angle, specifically on ductility and toughness. Multi-response optimizations are conducted to identify optimal printing parameters for maximizing strength, ductility, and balanced strength and ductility, respectively. For maximizing strength and stiffness, the optimal settings are low layer thickness (0.25 mm), high printing angle (60°), and high printing speed (60 mm/s). To maximize ductility and toughness, the optimal settings are low layer thickness (0.25 mm), low printing angle (45°), and high printing speed (60 mm/s), which also provide the most balanced combination of strength and ductility for the 3D-printed PLA parts. The findings offer valuable guidance for tailoring FDM parameters to achieve desired mechanical behaviors in 3D-printed PLA components based on their applications. Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) Polylactic Acid (PLA) Tensile Properties Full Factorial Design of Experiments (DOE) Multi-Response Optimization Full Text Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 13 Aug, 2025 Read the published version in The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Major Revisions Needed 21 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 28 May, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 28 May, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 28 May, 2025 First submitted to journal 27 May, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6763501","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":463101858,"identity":"78adef2a-5360-4e26-9104-bf59bc1c43dd","order_by":0,"name":"Dongqing Pan","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAp0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDCCA0CcUAFhSxCv5cEZUrUwPmwjRQvf7eZnDxLnHc7jb2A+eJuHGC2Sd46ZGyRuO1wscYAt2ZooLQY3EswkgFoSGw7wmEkTqSX9m0TinMOJ8w/wfyNWSw7QlobDiRsO8LARp0XyzpkyiYRj6YkbD7MZW84hRgvf7fZtkj9qrBPnHW9+eOMNMVoQccFMlHIULaNgFIyCUTAKcAEAKiM2Ce8OOrEAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9799-2354","institution":"University of North Alabama","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Dongqing","middleName":"","lastName":"Pan","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-05-28 02:47:12","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6763501/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6763501/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-025-16243-x","type":"published","date":"2025-08-13T15:58:06+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":89311254,"identity":"78c88d05-b21f-4c02-98bb-06a06ed27afe","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-08-18 16:10:29","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1403795,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"finalmanuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6763501/v1_covered_6b5ff300-681f-4d11-a42c-dda6cc102fc4.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"A comprehensive study of tensile properties of 3D-printed polylactic acid (PLA) parts based on statistical analysis and multi-response optimization of printing parameters","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"the-international-journal-of-advanced-manufacturing-technology","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"jamt","sideBox":"Learn more about [The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology](https://www.springer.com/journal/170)","snPcode":"170","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/170/3","title":"The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Polylactic Acid (PLA), Tensile Properties, Full Factorial Design of Experiments (DOE), Multi-Response Optimization","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6763501/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6763501/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis study presents a comprehensive investigation of all the key tensile properties of 3D-printed polylactic acid (PLA) parts, including tensile strength, yield strength, modulus of elasticity, elongation at break, and energy at break. A three-factor, two-level (2\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e) full factorial design of experiments (DOE) was employed to analyze the main and interaction effects of layer thickness, printing angle, and printing speed. Statistical analysis reveals that layer thickness significantly affects all tensile properties except ductility, with increased layer thickness generally reducing strength, stiffness, ductility and toughness. Printing angle and speed show minimal influences on the tensile properties but with consistent trends. A significant interaction is observed between layer thickness and printing angle, specifically on ductility and toughness. Multi-response optimizations are conducted to identify optimal printing parameters for maximizing strength, ductility, and balanced strength and ductility, respectively. For maximizing strength and stiffness, the optimal settings are low layer thickness (0.25 mm), high printing angle (60\u0026deg;), and high printing speed (60 mm/s). 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