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© 2025 by the author. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

This study explores the machinability of Material Extrusion (MEX) printed parts made from carbon fiber-reinforced polylactic acid (PLA). MEX-printed parts typically exhibit high surface roughness, necessitating post-processing to enhance their quality. In this work, milling was used as a post-processing method to improve the surface finish. Response surface methodology (RSM) experimental design was employed to investigate the effects of cutting velocity, feed rate, and depth of cut on the surface quality of the machined surfaces. Results showed that the as-built MEX-printed sample exhibited a high average surface roughness (Sa) of ~7.982 µm, indicating the need for post-processing. Post-processing milling considerably enhances the Sa by reducing it to ~1.621 µm under the optimal condition. Statistical findings showed that all considered factors have significant influence on the Sa, with feed rate as the most influential one, contributing to 47.63% of the total variation. The Sa values varied from 1.834 µm to 4.146 µm due to changes in the considered factors. Increasing feed rate leads to the emergence of cavities and ridges along the deposited filaments associated with brittle removal mechanism, resulting in higher surface roughness.

Details

Title
Experimental Evaluation of Milling Post-Processing on the Surface Quality of MEX-Printed Carbon Fiber-Reinforced PLA Composites
Author
AlFaify Abdullah Yahia  VIAFID ORCID Logo 
First page
1049
Publication year
2025
Publication date
2025
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
20751702
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3275541031
Copyright
© 2025 by the author. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.