Nature-inspired design and strategies help researchers to develop new materials and designs to solve complex scientific and engineering problems. The purpose of this study is to develop sustainable polylactic acid (PLA)–wood biocomposites with bio-inspired infill architectures (gyroid and honeycomb) and evaluate systematically how important printing parameters in fused filament fabrication affect the mechanical and dynamic performance of this type of material.
The printing material was developed by infusing PLA with wood microparticles to develop biocomposites in accordance with the circular economy principle. To determine the impact of infill pattern, infill density and temperature on printing, the Taguchi T9 design was used. Various static (tensile, flexural, interfacial shear, compression) and dynamic (impact, natural frequency) mechanical tests were conducted. Furthermore, regression analysis has been performed and the effects of various printing parameters on mechanical properties have been studied. Then, the TODIM bases multi criteria decision making technique was used to choose the most suitable printing condition with superior mechanical properties.
The highest tensile strength (86.33 ± 2.83 MPa), tensile modulus (4.98 ± 0.12 GPa) and natural frequency were observed with a rectilinear infill pattern with 100% infill density, 200 °C printing temperature and 60 mm/s printing speed. Whereas, the honeycomb infill pattern, with 75% infill density, 200 °C printing temperature and 40 mm/s printing speed showed the greatest flexural strength (70.12 ± 3.06 MPa) and compressive strength, while the gyroid infill pattern, 50% infill density with printing temperature of 200 °C and 50 mm/s printing speed showed maximum impact strength (24.69 ± 0.51 kJ/m²) and elongation at break. Multicriteria analysis identified 75% infill density, 200 °C printing temperature, 40 mm/s speed and honeycomb pattern as the best overall printing condition.
The integration of bio-inspired infill structures with sustainable wood-reinforced PLA composite materials has been demonstrated and characterized for multiple applications in this study. The findings provide a systematic framework for selecting fused filament fabrication process parameters for natural fibre-based biocomposites and highlight their potential as environmentally sustainable alternatives for engineering and industrial applications.
