Submitted:
12 September 2025
Posted:
16 September 2025
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Abstract
This study investigates the tensile strength performance of titanium-polylactic acid (PLA) composites fabricated via fused deposition modeling (FDM) compared to pure PLA under identical manufacturing conditions. The aim is to identify whether surface integration and material combination strategies enhance the load-bearing capacity of polymer components. PLA filaments of 1.75mm diameter were used, and the Taguchi Design of Experiments (DOE) with an orthogonal L9 array was employed to assess the impact of process parameters such as printing temperature, bed temperature, and layer height on the Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS). Surface treatments, including laser structuring and sandblasting, were applied to selected titanium surfaces to study their effect on interfacial adhesion. Tensile tests were performed using a Universal Testing Machine, and statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS software. The results revealed a statistically significant difference in strength between the two materials, with titanium-PLA composites exhibiting significantly higher strength than pure PLA. The material type significantly influenced strength, with 98.2% of the variance in strength attributable to the material type. However, the material type did not significantly affect strength across the parameters of printing temperature, bed temperature, and layer height. The findings support the development of stronger and more reliable hybrid structures for structural and lightweight applications.
Keywords:
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Printing Materials
2.2. Design of Experiment (DOE)
2.3. Specimen Printing
| Name of parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Model | Raise 3D |
| Working area (mm) | 330mm x 340mm x4mm |
| Nozzle diameter (mm) | 0.4 |
| Infill pattern | Grid |
| Infil percentages (%) | 100 |
| Shell | 2 |
| Fan speed | 100% |
2.4. Tensile Test


3. Results and Discussions
3.1. Experimental Result
| No | Parameter | Tensile | |||
| A | B | C | D | ||
| 1 | 50 | 180 | 50 | 0.1 | 0 |
| 2 | 50 | 200 | 60 | 0.15 | 95.29 |
| 3 | 50 | 220 | 70 | 0.2 | 108.86 |
| 4 | 50 | 180 | 60 | 0.2 | 104.58 |
| 5 | 50 | 200 | 70 | 0.1 | 107.83 |
| 6 | 50 | 220 | 50 | 0.15 | 104.69 |
| 7 | 50 | 180 | 70 | 0.15 | 125.5 |
| 8 | 50 | 200 | 50 | 0.2 | 118.72 |
| 9 | 50 | 220 | 60 | 0.1 | 109.85 |
| No | Parameter | Tensile | |||
| A | B | C | D | ||
| 1 | 50 | 180 | 50 | 0.1 | 34.35 |
| 2 | 50 | 200 | 60 | 0.15 | 34.73 |
| 3 | 50 | 220 | 70 | 0.2 | 36.72 |
| 4 | 50 | 180 | 60 | 0.2 | 36.15 |
| 5 | 50 | 200 | 70 | 0.1 | 35.32 |
| 6 | 50 | 220 | 50 | 0.15 | 36.55 |
| 7 | 50 | 180 | 70 | 0.15 | 29.69 |
| 8 | 50 | 200 | 50 | 0.2 | 29.51 |
| 9 | 50 | 220 | 60 | 0.1 | 32.31 |
3.2. Descriptive statistics
| Material | N | Mean Strength | Std.Deviation |
|---|---|---|---|
| PLA | 7 | 34.470 | 2.654 |
| CMT | 7 | 107.117 | 7.045 |
3.3. Independent Sample T-Test
| T-test for Equality of Means | t | df | Sig.(2-tailed) | Mean Difference | 95% CI (Lower) | 95% CI (Upper) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25.529 | 12 | <.001 | 72.647 | 66.035 | 79.258 |
3.4. One Way ANOVA
| Comparison | Material | df (Between, Within) | F | p-value (Sig) | ∏2(Effect Size) | Significance (p<0.05) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PT | PLA | (2,12) | 0.567 | 0.607 | 0.2208 (large effect) | NOT SIGNIFICANT |
| CMT | (2,12) | 0.055 | 0.948 | 0.0266(small effect) | NOT SIGNIFICANT | |
| BT | PLA | (2,12) | 0.539 | 0.621 | 0.2121 (large effect) | NOT SIGNIFICANT |
| CMT | (2,12) | 0.869 | 0.486 | 0.3028 (large effect) | NOT SIGNIFICANT | |
| LH | PLA | (2,12) | 0.206 | 0.822 | 0.0934 (medium effect) | NOT SIGNIFICANT |
| CMT | (2,12) | 1.935 | 0.258 | 0.492 (large effect) | NOT SIGNIFICANT |
4.5. One Way ANOVA for material comparison
| Factor | Material | N | Mean | Std.Deviation | Df (Between/Within) | F-value | P-value | Effect Size (Cohen’s) | Significant | Conclusion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material Comparison | PLA | 7 | 34.470 | 2.654 | (1,12) |
651.173 | <.001 | 0.982 (large effect) | Significant | PLA has lower strength |
| CMT | 7 | 107.117 | 7.045 | CMT has highest strength |
4. Conclusion
Author Contributions
References
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| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 1.75 mm |
| Density | 1.22 g/cm3 |
| Melt Flow Index | 6 g/10min |
| Glass Transition temperature | 62°C |
| Melting Temperature | 150 °C |
| Tensile Strength | 36.5 + 0.6 Mpa |
| Young Modulus | 2633 + 117.4 Mpa |
| Parameter |
Level 1 (Low) |
Level 2 (Medium) |
Level 3 (High) |
| Printing Speed (˚C ) | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Printing temperature (˚C ) | 180 | 200 | 220 |
| Bed temperature (˚C ) | 50 | 60 | 70 |
| Layer thickness (mm) | 0.1 | 0.15 | 0.2 |
| No. of samples/Factors | A | B | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 50 | 180 | 50 | 0.1 |
| 2 | 50 | 200 | 60 | 0.15 |
| 3 | 50 | 220 | 70 | 0.2 |
| 4 | 50 | 180 | 60 | 0.2 |
| 5 | 50 | 200 | 70 | 0.1 |
| 6 | 50 | 220 | 50 | 0.15 |
| 7 | 50 | 180 | 70 | 0.15 |
| 8 | 50 | 200 | 50 | 0.2 |
| 9 | 50 | 220 | 60 | 0.1 |
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