ENHANCED SURFACE QUALITY AND STRENGTH OF FDMed SPECIMENS USING BBD AND BIO-INSPIRED ALGORITHMS

This research investigated and optimized the parameters of the FDM process by employing bio-inspired algorithms for determining the optimal parameter settings in terms of surface quality and mechanical performance. Four important process parameters including layer thickness (0.11–0.33mm), part orientation (0–90°), raster width (0.2–0.56mm), and the raster angle (0–60°) at three variation levels were selected for fabricating the specimens (ABS material P430) using the statistical Box–Behnken design. ANOVA analysis and multiple regression analysis were used to fit the experimental data to a second-order polynomial equation. Through, the RSM analysis, the layer thickness is the key important factor that accounts for all of the responses. The fracture behavior of specimens was examined using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). From the SEM analysis, a substantial amount of plastic deformation on the fracture surface indicative of craze cracking is visible from a 0° orientation, indicating a totally ductile fracture mechanism. Then, three swarm intelligence algorithms such as Tasmanian Devil Optimization (TDO), Remora Optimization Algorithm (ROA), Tuna Swarm Optimization (TSO) were implemented to optimize the input parameters that would lead to minimum surface roughness and maximum tensile strength. Experimental data and predicted values varied between 1.64% and 1.84%, as shown by verification experiments.