The Compression Behavior of Continuous Carbon Fibers-Based Polylactic Acid (PLA) Resin 3D Printing Materials for Different Infill Strategy

3D printing, which employs a method of layer-by-layer material deposition, offers several benefits for part manufacturing and includes a reduced number of process steps, increased flexibility for prototyping, particularly for intricate components, and minimal waste of materials. However, the mechanical characteristics of 3D-printed components have a big concern owing to the inherent limitations of interlayer adhesion and surface roughness. The utilization of continuous fiber-reinforced polymer composites in 3D printing involves the incorporation of continuous fiber reinforcements within the polymer matrix, enhancing the mechanical integrity of the printed parts. Compression testing is the primary means of evaluation as this study to explore the mechanical characteristics of continuous carbon fiber (CCF)-based polylactic acid (PLA) in connection with various infill patterns. For demonstration, three models with the same infill pattern but different material layouts are investigated to show the power of CCF-based PLA resin. It can be seen that the results of the case of PLA-CCF achieve excellent mechanical properties that can withstand the peak load of 7 kN with only 31 g of weight. The finite element models are used to predict the stress and strain of the tests which are close to the results of experiments. Furthermore, since 3D printing materials are becoming more and more important in a range of industries, our discovery opens the door for additional research. Finding the ideal features for various applications will require more research into the mechanical properties and behavior of 3D-printed materials.