An Experimental Investigation about the Dimensional Accuracy and the Porosity of Copper-Filled PLA Fused Filament Fabrication Parts

In recent years, metal-filled plastic filaments have begun to be used in fused filament fabrication (FFF) technology. However, the characterization of the parts obtained is still under development. In this work, the results on dimensional accuracy and porosity of copper-filled 3D-printed parts are presented. Cuboid parts were 3D-printed in the vertical position. The three dimensions of each part were measured, and the relative error was calculated for each one of them. Dimensional accuracy in terms of width and depth depends mainly on the layer height and printing temperature, while accuracy in height is mainly influenced by print speed and the interaction of layer height with print speed. Porosity is related to layer height, printing temperature and print speed. According to multiobjective optimization, to minimize dimensional error and obtain a porosity target value of 20%, it is recommended to select a low layer height of 0.1 mm, a high print speed of 40 mm/s, a low extrusion multiplier of 0.94 and a low temperature of 200 degrees C. The results of the present work will help to select appropriate 3D printing parameters when using metal-filled filaments in FFF processes.