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Evaluation and Optimization of Process Parameter for Surface Roughness of

3D-Printed PETG Specimens Using Taguchi Method at Constant Printing
Temperature

Chapter · January 2023

DOI: 10.1007/978-981-16-9057-0_22

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Evaluation and Optimization of Process
Parameter for Surface Roughness
of 3D-Printed PETG Specimens Using
Taguchi Method at Constant Printing
Temperature

N. Lokesh, J. Sudheer Reddy, B. A. Praveen, Y. M. Kishore Veeresh,

B. Sreehari Acharya, J. Eshwar Kapse, Pramath P. Nadig,
and Mahadeva Prasad

Abstract 3D printing technology is also known as additive manufacturing tech-

nology where the products are manufactured layer by layer. In recent years, huge
research is taking place in this field to increase the strength of products by varying
the printing process parameters with respect to different materials for various appli-
cations. In this research, efforts have been made to decrease the surface roughness for
PETG-printed specimen using fused deposition modeling (FDM) process through
Taguchi method. The process parameter chosen for the current research is raster angle
(RA), infill density (ID), and layer thickness (LT) by keeping other process parameter
constant. For the surface texture (roughness) of FDM-printed specimens, three level
of values is considered for each process parameter, and correlations between these
process parameters were examined which is not found in the literature for PETG
specimens. Using design of experiment (DOE) via L27 orthogonal array study has
been started. The obtained experimental data were analyzed to examine the impact of
each process parameter on the top surface roughness. To assess if process variables
have any significant features, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) is performed. The
layer thickness has greater than 73% influence on surface roughness, followed by
infill density and raster angle, according to the ANOVA results. The results from
investigation of Taguchi methods showed that from the selected process parameter
0.1-mm layer thickness, 90% infill density and 60° raster angle are found to be the
optimum for better surface finish at 245 °C and at 45 mm/s print speed. The research

N. Lokesh (B) · J. S. Reddy · B. A. Praveen · M. Prasad

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology, Yelahanka,
Bangalore 560064, India
e-mail: n.lokesh1234@gmail.com
Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belagavi, Karnataka 590018, India
Y. M. K. Veeresh · B. Sreehari Acharya · J. E. Kapse · P. P. Nadig
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology, Bangalore,
Karnataka 560064, India

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023 201
P. Pradhan et al. (eds.), Recent Advances in Mechanical Engineering,
Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-9057-0_22
202 N. Lokesh et al.

is focused on a simple yet effective method for estimating surface roughness over
various surfaces of FDM specimens using PETG material.
.

Keywords Fused deposition modeling · Raster angle · Infill density · Layer

thickness PETG · ANOVA

1 Introduction

Additive manufacturing is an advanced manufacturing method used to fabricate

prototypes, tooling as well as functional prototypes. There are various types of addi-
tive manufacturing technologies, including Binder jetting, selective laser melting,
fused deposition modeling, and powder bed fusion. All these works by depositing
materials layer by layer to produce three-dimensional (3D) objects, where it is directly
built from a 3D computer-aided-design model of the object [1]. Many research works
are being carried out in the recent years, on both 3D printing technology and the
applications in smart materials and in tribology [2]. The FDM techniques as an end
application product or prototype are dependent on process parameters in the manu-
facturing industries [3]. Surface roughness plays an important role in determining
how an object interacts with its surroundings because of the frictional force opposing
it, affecting tribological behavior of surfaces [4–6].
The vital process parameters in the fused deposition modeling (FDM) include
mainly raster angle, layer thickness, and infill density. Surface roughness of the
part product being printed by FDM mainly depends on process parameter for the
thermoplastic polymer, polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG). The part charac-
teristics of the final product depend on many factors including raw material used,
process parameters, and operational environment. Thermoplastic polymers used in
rapid prototyping techniques can be used to produce durable parts subjected to static
and dynamic loading conditions [7].
FDM enables great diversity of the filament materials available in the market.
The low cost and abundance of the thermoplastic polymers PETG and need for
the hydrophobicity enabled the selection of PETG material [8]. The experimental
investigation on the individual effect of different process parameters such as layer
thickness, infill density, and infill pattern is carried out on PETG material to see if any
considerable differences in surface roughness is being found [9]. Taguchi techniques
of optimization are best suited as it reduces the substantial number of experimental
runs.
The technique used in the current study is depicted in Fig. 1. The specimens
were printed using FDM [10] in accordance with the DOE by L27 orthogonal array,
and raw data for surface roughness were obtained on the top, side, and bottom
surfaces. Smaller the optimum value for signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was determined
using ANOVA for each response [11]. Furthermore, the parameters’ rankings are
established, and an interaction plot is produced to investigate the significance of
Evaluation and Optimization of Process Parameter … 203

Fig. 1 Detailed flowchart of

the research work

influencing parameter and to decide its level. The regression equation is used to find
the essential factors for achieving the best surface finish, which is then confirmed by
experimentation. Hence, the current work in this paper highlights on enhancing and
controlling the influencing process parameters which ultimately impacts the surface
finish of 3D-printed parts.

2 Materials

The material used in this work is the polyethylene terephthalate glycol, commonly
known as PETG WHITE filament. Properties of PETG is represented in Table 1.
This material is extensively used in the field of additive manufacturing for some
of its unique properties [12]. It offers good impact resistance, resistance to heat,
and chemicals compared to other materials like PLA and ABS. It has an excellent
feature definition and an appreciable surface finish. When compared to acrylic or
polycarbonate, it is considerably stronger and lasting longer. Because of its distinct
properties, it is ideal for impact-resistance testing and high-strength display devices
[13]. It is better suited to be worked at high temperatures and is considerably brittle
than the other materials. Its rigid structure is one of the significant reasons behind

Table 1 Material property of

Mechanical Standard Units Typical value
PETG
properties
Tensile toughness ASTM (D-638) MPa 50
Young’s modulus ASTM (D-638) MPa 2100
Tensile length ASTM (D-638) % 130
extension
Flexibility/Elasticity ISO 178 MPa 68
204 N. Lokesh et al.

finding its wide range of applications. It finds its uses in the biomedical field, for
medical implants, pharmaceutical, and medical device packaging [14]. The mate-
rial which is available in the filament form is used and is fed into the 3D printer,
and the testing specimens are obtained by using the concept of fused deposition
modeling (FDM). Later, these specimens are tested for their surface roughness, and
the consequent values are determined.

3 Objectives and Methodology

The present study focuses on evaluating the influence of the selected process crite-
rions on the surface texture of the 3D-printed PETG specimens. Surface roughness
is measured on the basis of deviations from the existent surface texture to its abso-
lute one. Taguchi analysis is used to discover and identify the significant process
parameters influencing the surface roughness for all three faces of the printed compo-
nents, using portable Mitutoyo SJ-210 surface roughness tester thereby generating
the empirical relationships via regression equation for the reduced surface roughness
between the FDM and MPI operating parameters.
The methodological flow followed for the present project is depicted in Fig. 1. It
begins with the design of an experiment using an outer array or an orthogonal array
L27 shown in Table 2. Multiple emulations of the tested surface roughness specimens
are used to gather raw data for the top, side, and bottom faces. The variance is
decreased by increasing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for each individual answer,
which is done using ANOVA. Individual plots are then produced once the replies
have been evaluated to establish the rankings. The important influencing elements for
multi-replies are determined once the processing model has been improved. For the
optimal values of parameters, the SNR ratio is projected, and raw data for important
variables are computed, resulting in a reduced surface roughness.

4 Experimental Work

Primarily, the specimens were designed as per the ASTM standard D256 using
CATIA V5 converted to STL file which is imported to Ultimaker CURA 4.0 for
slicing. Raster angle, layer thickness, and infill density were chosen as the process
parameters in this project since they play vital role is 3D orienting process and have
not been utilized before in the literature. The printed specimens were tested for Ra
on top, side, and bottom surfaces using Mitutoyo MJ 190 (Fig. 2).
Table 2 Shows the orthogonal array (or outer array) with the measured Ra surface roughness value and SNR ratio
Specimen Raster Infill Layer Ra (Top) Ra (Bottom) Ra (Side) SNRA (Top) SNRA SNRA (Side) SNRA
angle density thickness (Bottom) (Combined)
RIL—01 30 30 0.1 0.38 1.2 0.68 8.404328 −1.58362 3.349822 1.660458464
RIL—02 30 30 0.15 1.17 1.25 1.25 −1.36372 −1.9382 −1.9382 −1.755021494
RIL—03 30 30 0.2 1.21 1.77 1.39 −1.65571 −4.95947 −2.8603 −3.377320656
RIL—04 30 60 0.1 1.12 1.72 0.54 −0.98436 −4.71057 5.352125 −1.765156951
RIL—05 30 60 0.15 1.41 1.77 0.95 −2.98438 −4.95947 0.445528 −3.0272766
RIL—06 30 60 0.2 1.74 1.59 1.33 −4.81098 −4.02794 −2.47703 −3.876626579
RIL—07 30 90 0.1 0.29 1.27 0.38 10.75204 −2.07607 8.404328 2.119731159
RIL—08 30 90 0.15 1.12 1.43 0.89 −0.98436 −3.10672 1.0122 −1.347506861
RIL—09 30 90 0.2 1.98 1.95 0.84 −5.9333 −5.80069 1.514414 −4.486290364
RIL—10 45 30 0.1 0.57 1.23 0.86 4.882503 −1.7981 1.310031 0.659394305
RIL—11 45 30 0.15 1.06 1.44 0.79 −0.50612 −3.16725 2.047458 −1.050898796
Evaluation and Optimization of Process Parameter …

RIL—12 45 30 0.2 1.82 1.38 1.64 −5.20143 −2.79758 −4.29688 −4.208575276

RIL—13 45 60 0.1 0.61 1.31 0.54 4.293403 −2.34543 5.352125 1.005807945
RIL—14 45 60 0.15 1.32 1.97 0.9 −2.41148 −5.88932 0.91515 −3.313125493
RIL—15 45 60 0.2 1.8 2.04 1.41 −5.10545 −6.1926 −2.98438 −4.955304621
RIL—16 45 90 0.1 0.74 2.38 0.61 2.615366 −7.53154 4.293403 −3.413751636
RIL—17 45 90 0.15 1.51 2.06 0.83 −3.57954 −6.27734 1.618438 −3.809705928
RIL—18 45 90 0.2 2.03 2.24 1.26 −6.14992 −7.00496 −2.00741 −5.533205869
RIL—19 60 30 0.1 0.62 2.19 0.91 4.152166 −6.80888 0.819172 −3.016520387
RIL—20 60 30 0.15 1.62 1.02 1.5 −4.1903 −0.172 −3.52183 −2.948188095
RIL—21 60 30 0.2 1.74 3.84 1.88 −4.81098 −11.6866 −5.48316 −8.514132806
(continued)
205
Table 2 (continued)
206

Specimen Raster Infill Layer Ra (Top) Ra (Bottom) Ra (Side) SNRA (Top) SNRA SNRA (Side) SNRA
angle density thickness (Bottom) (Combined)
RIL—22 60 60 0.1 0.85 1.56 0.89 1.411621 −3.86249 1.0122 −1.192778895
RIL—23 60 60 0.15 1.3 0.83 1.06 −2.27887 1.618438 −0.50612 −0.672568892
RIL—24 60 60 0.2 1.45 2.17 1.6 −3.22736 −6.72919 −4.0824 −4.946832206
RIL—25 60 90 0.1 0.96 1.48 0.69 0.354575 −3.40523 3.223018 −0.777432836
RIL—26 60 90 0.15 1.86 1.46 0.98 −5.39026 −3.28706 0.175478 −3.392261195
RIL—27 60 90 0.2 2.17 1.28 1.44 −6.72919 −2.1442 −3.16725 −4.482372553
N. Lokesh et al.
Evaluation and Optimization of Process Parameter … 207

Fig. 2 3D-printed test

sample

4.1 Data Collection and SNR Ratio

For the functionality of the product, surface behavior is as much important as the
mechanical properties. For a better surface finish, the measured Ra values should be
low; thus, the “smaller the better” quality characteristic is used in this study and is
given in Eq. (1)
 
1 2
n
η = −10log10 . Y (1)
n i=1 i

In comparison to the top and bottom faces, the side face has a flat surface finish,
according to the raw data. This difference in the bottom surface is due to the temper-
ature of the printing platform, which is regulated at 80 °C throughout the process to
prevent warpage by anchoring the beneath layers. Because of the larger nozzle size,
the top surface roughness can be attributed to reduce surface detailing. The SNR data
obtained are shown in Table 2.

4.2 Analysis of Variance

ANOVA was used to calculate the relative effect of the components and interactions
using MINITAB at 95% CI. The total DOF for three components with three levels
each and an interaction parameter is 27, which matches the observed DOF exactly.
The P-value from the test was used to assess the factor’s significance. By comparing
the phrase’s sum of squares (Adj SS) to the entire sum of squares, the percentage
contribution was calculated. Minor factors were removed from the ANOVA table
because they were judged insignificant. The ANOVA findings for the Ra responses
value of the top face is shown in Table 3. The DOF of unnecessary components with
208 N. Lokesh et al.

Table 3 ANOVA for the top surface Ra value

Source DF Adj SS Adj MS F-value P-value Contribution (%)
Raster angle (R) 2 0.03899 0.038989 0.64 0.433 3.54
Infill density (I) 2 0.09830 0.098298 1.62 0.219 4.67
Layer thickness (L) 2 0.00376 0.003757 0.06 0.048 73.53
Raster angle * Infill 4 0.08497 0.084966 1.40 0.251 8.17
density
Raster angle * Layer 4 0.05250 0.052500 0.86 0.364 0.05
thickness
Infill density * Layer 4 0.11406 0.114063 1.88 0.186 1.13
thickness
R*I*L 6 0.07411 0.074113 1.22 0.283 1.02
Error 2 7.89
Total 26 100

tiny percentage contributions was used to modify the ANOVA error function. The
difference between the total DOF and the sum of all the DOF of minor variables
was used to calculate the goal function. The correlation between various parameters
was also investigated in order to evaluate the ANOVA experimentally measured Ra
levels for the relevant objective.

4.3 Response to Signal-To-Noise Ratio

The responses and relative contributions of the different components were then
studied further using the SNR ratio data. This research helped to determine the
relative importance of several components in reaching the aim. The delta values of
the various criteria were used to establish the ranking. The response tables for each
response may be found in Table 4.

Table 4 SNR response for top Ra values

Level 1 2 3 Delta Rank
Raster angle 0.04884 −1.2403 −2.30096 2.34979 2
Infill density −0.03214 −1.78865 −1.67162 1.75651 3
Layer thickness 3.98685 −2.63211 −4.84715 8.834 1
Evaluation and Optimization of Process Parameter … 209

5 Analysis and Discussion of the Results

The effect of the process parameters such as raster orientation, infill component
density, and the layer thickness on the surface finish of the FDM-printed part’s top,
side, and bottom faces was investigated. For two replications, the values of raw
data and SNR were determined considering their average values and were shown in
Table 2. To assess the parametric effect on response characteristics, SNR response
curves were utilized for Ra values measured on the top, side, and bottom faces. The
effect of the process variables and their levels on the response characteristics was
determined using the analysis of variance for SNR. The best process variable settings
were determined by evaluating the response curves as well as the ANOVA table in
terms of mean performance parameters.

5.1 Effect on the Surface Finish of the Top Face

Main effect plot for SN ratio of top surface with different process parameter is shown
in Fig. 3. Surface roughness reduces with increasing raster angle and infill density,
but rises with increasing layer thickness, as seen in the graph. From the response
table for SN ratio for top surface (Table 4), it can be noted that the thickness of the
layer is having high influence on surface roughness compare to other two process
parameter. ANOVA data from Table 3 gives the significant influencing factor. It is
further perceived that layer thickness and infill component density have a significant
impact on the surface roughness than any other individual or interaction factor for
the confidence interval of 95% since their p values are less than 0.05. The surface

Fig. 3 Main effect plot

210 N. Lokesh et al.

roughness decreases as the infill density increases because the space between the
lines decreases. Surface roughness is reduced along the top surface of the specimen
with 90% infill density. It is observed that with decrease in layer thickness the surface
roughness decreases since the width of each line decreases. It is also noted that with
increase in raster angle surface roughness decreases in this work 600 raster angle is
giving the optimum value and will be chosen for further analysis. From the ANOVA
Table 3, it is witnessed that raster angle has minimum significant compared to other
process parameter with a contribution less than 4% on surface roughness for PETG
specimen.
It is observed from that printing temperature places vital role in filling the gap
between each layer [15], and printing with high temperature results in warpage;
printing with low temperature results in improper adhesion between layers [15].
In this research, optimum printing temperature 245 °C has been chosen because
beyond this temperature, the material might slowly melt leading to a distorted material
surface. The printing speed is 40 mm/s, and infill pattern chosen is line pattern.
Because the deposited layer contracts when the temperature of the material equals
the room temperature, hence, 100% infill density is not considered in this study. From
the ANOVA result Table 3, it is observed that interaction between raster angle and
infill density is more significant than any other process parameter interaction. The
interaction plots are shown in Fig. 4. To analyze the data for non-normality, non-
random variation residual plots were used. All the residuals were extremely evenly
distributed on the straight line in the normal probability plot. Results obtained were
similar to the discussion made by other researchers [15] for other material. From

Fig. 4 Interaction plot

Evaluation and Optimization of Process Parameter … 211

the AVOVA Table 3, it can be noted that interaction between the process parameter
raster angle and infill density is slightly significant compared to other interactions.
Similar procedure may be employed to analyze the surface roughness of other two
faces.

6 Conclusion

To determine the best factor values, significant factors, and interactions, the Taguchi
DOE was employed. The analysis revealed that the factor ideal settings were the same
for all response characteristics. The Taguchi approach revealed that a layer thickness
of 0.1 mm, raster angle of 60, and 90% infill part density were the optimum values for
linear infill pattern style at 245 °C nozzle temperature and 40 mm/s printing speed to
obtain fine surface finish. Further, increase in raster angle may increase the surface
finish in minor range since contribution of raster angle is very less compared to other
two process parameter. From the ANOVA response, it is noticed that thickness of the
layer is having higher influence than any other factor, and its contribution is 75.34%.
The Ra values for the component printed with optimal process parameters on the top,
side, and bottom faces were 0.95, 2.145, and 1.212, respectively. Because both layer
thickness and infill density have a higher impact on build time, further, build time
optimization is required without losing the printed object’s strength. However, the
proposed settings have a 90% infill component density, which increases the part’s
weight and, if increased to 100% for bigger volume models, may cause thermal
warpage. As a result, the replies must be chosen with great care. Further, the work
may be extended to find out the influence printing speed on surface roughness at
different temperature.

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