EFFECTS OF FUNCTIONAL FILLERS IN THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF 3D-PRINTED POLYLACTIC ACID USING FUSED DEPOSITION MODELLING

Polylactic acid (PLA) has increasingly attracted research in various industrial fields due to its great biocompatibility and sustainability over other thermoplastics, which are widely used as filament feedstock in 3D-printing technology, specifically in Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM). Despite PLA being suitable in FDM processing, it has limitations in applications that need plastic deformation at high-stress levels due to its low strength and ductility. For this purpose, this review article discusses the existing studies that involve the incorporation of fillers in 3D-printed polylactic acid to maximize its functionality, which is non-attainable by the pure filament material alone. An overview of polylactic acid in FDM and the properties and effects of functional fillers of different types are presented. Finally, a complete table of which functional fillers are categorized (carbonaceous, metallic, ceramic and glassy, plant-based, and mineral) summarizes the reported comparison of 3D-printed pure PLA and the composite, scoping to reveal the mechanical modifications of each filler.