Novel Approach to Lightweight PLA Manufacturing Using Chemical Agents for Enhanced UAV Performance

Yasan Ö. B.

Erciyes Üniversitesi Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü Dergisi, vol.42, no.2, pp.397-410, 2026 (TRDizin)

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the production and optimization of foamed filaments for Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) based on mixing poly(lactic acid) (PLA) granules with different concentrations of foaming agents. The diameter of the produced filaments was set to 1.75mm. The melt mixing process of PLA and foaming agent was carried out at a ratio of 12%, 18%, and 24%. Later, we used the filaments to print objects using a 3D printer to produce test samples. The process parameters for FDM, such as nozzle temperatures and printing speeds, were also varied during filament and sample printing. The mechanical and morphological analysis was done on the produced samples. The mechanical analysis entailed measuring tensile strength, elongation, breakage, and Young’s modulus. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to test microstructures in the produced samples. On the other hand, the density test was used to determine the porosity of foamed filaments. Through optimizing foaming processes, we aimed to determine a combination of low material density with acceptable structural strength. The experimental results will enable us to understand how to make foamed PLA filaments for structurally optimized FDM.