ABSTRACT
This study examines the tribological characteristics of polymer-composites produced by fused deposition modeling (FDM), with a particular emphasis on composite materials where polylactic acid (PLA) is used as matrix material and Al metal powder is used as a reinforced material. The study’s objectives are to compare the wear resistance capacities of PLA and PLA-Al-based composite materials prepared by three dimensional (3D) printing process. The samples were manufactured by the FDM-based manufacturing process. It has revealed that the PLA-Al composite had significantly better wear resistance than PLA. The PLA-Al sample has exhibited the lowest wear rate (501 μm), whereas the PLA sample has exhibited a comparatively higher wear rate of (1,188 μm). These findings have major implications for the automobile sector, oil and gas industry, and marine applications that require materials with excellent wear resistance.
