Process parameter optimization for tensile strength of 3D printed parts using response surface methodology

Quality of 3D printed part is highly dependent on process parameters of 3D printer. In this study, authors investigated the effects of layer thickness and build orientation on tensile strength of part produced by a 3D printer. The experiments were conducted on ZCorp's ZPrinter 450 by fabricating ZP150 powder's dumbbell shaped test specimens. Box-Behnken Design (BBD) of response surface methodology (RSM) of design of experiment was used to obtain the number of experiments and results were analyzed using ANOVA and regression analysis methods. Optimization of the process parameters was done by one-way ANNOVA in Minitab software. The results show that tensile strength decreases with increasing layer thickness. For orientation of the part in XY Plane, tensile strength increases with increasing rotation. For XZ and YZ plane tensile strength first decreases till 45° and then increases rapidly up to 90°.