Abstract :

Additive Manufacturing, Specifically Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Offers Significant Advantages For Producing Flexible Polymer Components With Complex Geometries. Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) Is An Elastomeric Material Well-suited To FDM, But Its Mechanical Behavior Is Strongly Sensitive To Process Parameter Settings. This Study Presents A Systematic Experimental Investigation Into The Effects Of Layer Thickness, Feed Rate, And Infill Density On The Tensile Properties Of FDM-fabricated TPU Specimens. A 3³ Full Factorial Design (27 Experiments) Was Employed, Covering Layer Thickness Levels Of 0.10, 0.15, And 0.20 Mm; Feed Rates Of 20, 30, And 40 Mm/s; And Infill Densities Of 60%, 70%, And 80%. Dog-bone Specimens Conforming To ASTM D638 Type I Geometry Were Printed On A Creality Ender-3 FDM Printer And Tested On A Universal Testing Machine (UTM). Tensile Strength Across All 27 Specimens Ranged From 2.816 To 4.447 N/mm², With A Mean Of 3.357 N/mm², And Percentage Elongation Ranged From 33.20% To 40.15%, Confirming Highly Ductile Behavior. Effect Range Analysis Revealed That Infill Density Is The Most Influential Parameter (effect Range: 0.343 N/mm²), Followed By Feed Rate (0.292 N/mm²) And Layer Thickness (0.101 N/mm²). The Optimal Parameter Combination — Layer Thickness 0.10 Mm, Feed Rate 20 Mm/s, And Infill Density 80% — Is Identified. These Findings Provide Experimentally Validated Guidance For FDM Process Parameter Selection In The Manufacture Of Structural And Functional TPU Components

Published:

22-4-1-2026

Issue:

Vol. 26 No. 4-1 (2026)

Page Nos:

732-742

Section:

Articles

License:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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