Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies are the most promising method in the production of functional parts. Although 3D printing technology includes various methods, fused deposition modelling (FDM) is the most widely used one. In FDM, generally polylactic acid (PLA) filaments are used to fabricate 3D geometry by stacking individual layers. In fact, FDM is a complicated process with numerous parameters that affect printing quality. Printing parameters such as printing orientation, layer thickness, printing orientation angle, filling ratio, filament feed rate, etc. have significant impact on the quality and performance of FDM printed parts. Since the mechanical properties are very important for functional parts, the effect of these parameters on the mechanical properties of the PLA specimens has been extensively studied. However, there is no sufficient data in the surface characterization literature of these parameters. In this study, the effect of layer thickness and printing temperature on the surface properties of PLA specimens printed using FDM was investigated.