Explication of mechanism governing atmospheric degradation of 3D-printed poly(lactic acid) (PLA) with different in-fill pattern and varying in-fill density
Swamini Chopra, Kavita Pande, Priadarshni Puranam, Abhay D. Deshmukh, Avinash Bhone, Rameshwar Kale, Abhishek Galande, Balaji Mehtre, Jaydeep Tagad, Shrikant Tidake
Abstract
. However, the accelerated weathering test instruments lack the ability to correlate the stabilities maintained by the test with the actual occurrences during natural exposure. Thus, an attempt has been made in the present work to expose the 3D-printed PLA samples to actual atmospheric conditions of Aurangabad city (M.S.) in India. The degradation of PLA after the exposure is studied and a mechanism is elucidated. Additionally, the tensile properties of the PLA samples are evaluated to correlate the extent of degradation and the material performance. It was found that though the performance of PLA deteriorates with the exposure time, the combination of in-fill pattern and volume plays an important role on the tensile properties and the extent of degradation. It is concluded herein that with natural exposure, the degradation of PLA occurs in two stages, supported by a side reaction. Thus, this study offers a new perspective towards the life of components in actual application by exposing PLA to the natural atmosphere and evaluating its strength and structure.