Impact of print orientation on wear behavior in FDM printed PLA Biomaterial: Study for hip-joint implant
Authors:   Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University, Lonere, Raigad, Maharashtra, India, Dama Yogiraj , Jogi Bhagwan ,   Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University, Lonere, Raigad, Maharashtra, India, Pawade Raju ,   Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University, Lonere, Raigad, Maharashtra, India, Kulkarni Atul ,   Vishwakarma Institute of Information Technology, Kondhwa (Budruk), Maharashtra, Pune, India
Published: December 2024

Introduction: hip joint replacement surgery involves replacing the damaged joint with an implant that can re-create the joint's articulation functionality. 3D printing technology is more promising than the traditional manufacturing process when it comes to producing more complex parts and shapes. The goal of the current research project is to determine how quickly biomaterial implant can be manufactured using 3D printing for hip-joint replacement by studying the wear rate of parts manufactured using different printing orientations. Although there are several additive manufacturing technologies, fuse deposition modeling (FDM) technology has had a significant impact on healthcare, automotive industry, etc. This is mainly due to the adaptability of different polymer-based composite materials and its cost-effectiveness. Such 3D printed polymers need to be further studied to evaluate the wear rate depending on different 3D printing orientations. Polylactic acid (PLA) biomaterials were extensively studied to determine its suitability for use as hip joint materials. Purpose of the work: in this work, an experimental study was carried out on the effect of printing orientation on dry sliding wear of a polylactic acid (PLA) material obtained by fused deposition modeling (FDM) technology using the pin-on-disk (SS 316) scheme. In addition, experimental and empirical models are developed to predict the performance taking into account the influence of load and sliding speed. Grey relational analysis was used to determine the optimal parameters. The methods of investigation: the FDM printing was used to manufacture pins using different printing orientations. Printing direction refers to printing at angles of 0°, 45°, and 90°, while all other 3D printing parameters remained unchanged. Wear testing was performed using the pin-on-disk kinematic scheme. During the experiments, the normal pin load and disk rotation speed were varied. The experiments were methodically designed to study the effect of input parameters on the specific wear rate. About 13 experiments were conducted for each printing orientation with a friction path of 4 kilometers, in the load range of 400–800 N, at a sliding speed of 450–750 rpm. Result and discussion: the study provides important results especially regarding the direction of 3D printing of components. It was found that the lowest sliding wear was observed for the pin printed at an angle of 0°, while slightly higher wear was observed for the pin printed at an angle of 90°. The layer bonding in the pin printed at an angle of 45° deformed under higher load, mainly due to an increase in temperature. The low bond strength in the pin printed at an angle of 45° resulted in high sliding wear. The optimal result was achieved at a sliding speed of 451 rpm and a load of 600 N. The results of the study are very useful for choosing materials for 3D printing of biomedical implants, medical and industrial products.