A Review on Analysis of Layer Thickness of 3D Printed Plastic Parts

Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) in Additive Manufacturing (AM), has emerged as a versatile and efficient production method, enabling the fabrication of complex geometries with minimal material waste and reduced post-processing. This study investigates the influence of two key FDM process parameters printing speed and layer thickness on the mechanical behaviour of 3D printed components made from ABS and PLA. Standard tensile test specimens were modelled as per ASTM D638 Type 1 and printed using varying parameter combinations. The objective is to analyse the effects of these settings and to compare findings with trends reported in earlier research. Previous studies have demonstrated that parameter selection plays a important role in determining the mechanical properties of 3D printed parts. For instance, ABS samples printed in the axial direction with a 0.3 mm layer thickness exhibited improved tensile strength compared to those printed in the lateral direction, where void formation was more prevalent. Other research focused on optimizing printing temperature and infill density to enhance the tensile performance of ABS parts, especially in automotive applications, using ASTM D638 standards for evaluation. Additionally, studies incorporating design of experiments approaches found that mechanical behaviour can be significantly affected by combinations of infill pattern, layer thickness, and infill density, where gyroid patterns and fine layers showed enhanced strength characteristics. Unlike broader investigations that explore multiple parameters simultaneously, this study focuses solely on printing speed and layer thickness to offer a more detailed and controlled analysis. By incorporating both ABS and PLA materials and comparing results with previously published work, the study seeks to contribute to the understanding of parameter-specific behaviour in FDM printing and support future efforts in process optimization for functional and load-bearing applications.