Fused Deposition Modelling of Polylactic Acid (PLA)-Based Polymer Composites

In this chapter, a case study on polymer composites made using the fused deposition modelling (FDM) process is exemplified. The fundamentals of the additive manufacturing process, such as stages, applications, classifications, disposal methods, material selection, general principles of FDM, and selection process parameters, have been explained. The case study focuses on creating practical four-dimensional feedstock filament prototypes out of polylactic acid (PLA), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), wood powder, and Fe3O4 powder for making quality FDM printed polymer composites. The procedure for making composites using the best combination of FDM process parameters has been illustrated using real-time experimental approaches.