Surface Roughness of PLA, PETG, and Metal Copper Materials: Impact of Layer Thickness and Infill Design

Abstract

The excessively rough surface of the printed parts is a disadvantage of the 3D printer for the production of fused filaments due to the fact that they are applied layer by layer. This study looked at how surface roughness affects layer thickness and infill design of 3D machine settings when using a 1 cm³ block printed with PLA, PETG and metallic copper. The roughness of the block was evaluated using a non-contact profilometer and all materials had their layer thicknesses: 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 mm, as well as their infill scheme changed to 30%, 40% and 50%. As the thickness of the layer increases, so does the surface roughness of all materials. Conversely, the surface roughness is not affected by the infill design parameter.