Honeycomb Sandwich Specimens Made of PLA and Produced Via 3D FDM Printing Process - An Experimental Study

Sep 14, 2026

3D FDM printing has expanded beyond nonstructural parts toward small structural elements subjected to moderate loads, enabling polymer processing with ABS and PLA for applications such as lightweight UAV components. This study extends earlier sandwich-configurations research by analyzing PLA specimens embedding honeycomb cores to achieve weight reduction without significant mechanical degradation. A capability analysis evaluates geometric parameters, including mass, to assess printing stability. Three-point bending tests measure Young’s modulus and ultimate bending stress, followed by post-processing to define reliable specification limits for structural analysis.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Additive Manufacturing and FDM Background

Materials and Prior Studies

Research Motivation and Aim

Abstract and Objective

Methodology Overview

Capability Analysis of Geometric Parameters

Three-Point Bending Tests

Post-Processing and Specification Limits

Original Research Paper Honeycomb Sandwich Specimens Made of PLA and Produced Via 3D FDM Printing Process: An Experimental Study Salvatore Brischetto and Roberto Torre Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy Article history Received: 27-02-2020 Revised: 06-04-2020 Accepted: 23-05-2020 Corresponding author: Salvatore Brischetto Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy Email: salvatore.brischetto@polito.it Abstract: In recent years, the 3D Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) technology, usually employed for the production of nonstructural objects, has been also used by the present authors for the production of small structural elements where the applied loads are moderate. A typical application could be the production of small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) where stresses are not excessive. In these cases, the FDM technique can use polymers such as Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) and PolyLacticAcid (PLA) . The present work is an extension of a past authors’ work where some sandwich configurations were proposed combining different materials (ABS or PLA) and different cores (homogeneous or honeycomb). In the present study, only PLA specimens embedding honeycomb cores are analyzed in order to understand if this selected lamination scheme could lead to an important weight reduction without significant decreases of mechanical properties. A capability analysis is performed on the geometrical parameters of the specimens (also comprising the weight) in order to investigate the stability of the printing process. A three-point bending test is conducted to evaluate the linear bending Young modulus and the ultimate bending stress. These mechanical properties are post-processed in order to conduct a capability analysis to propose the upper and lower specification limits to be used with confidence in appropriate structural analyses. Keywords: Fused Deposition Modeling, 3D Printing Process, Additive Manufacturing, Sandwich Specimens, Honeycomb Core, Three-Point Bending Tests, Capability Analysis Introduction Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies usually produce layer-by-layer elements, a possible classification of the different AM methods can be found in Levy et al.(2003) where several materials and manufacturing techniques were deeply discussed. Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology was patented in 1984 and its main feature is the addition of material using different procedures (e.g., based on powder or wire) in place of the subtraction of material from a raw part. The promising future of this technology was shown in Lu et al.(2015) where the great potential of AM was clearly indicated via the discussion of several possible applications. In Brischetto et al. (2017c; 2017d), the main investigated technologies were the Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and the Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) . These methodologies, combined with the Computer Aided Design (CAD), provide fundamental advantages. Numerical, analytical and experimental knowledges and models are mandatory to exploit the potential advantages given by 3D printing in the production of modern systems and structures for aerospace, mechanical, civil and biomedical engineering fields. The first author collaborated in a project where the SLS technology was employed for the production of a metallic multifunctional sandwich panel embedding atrabecular core; this configuration was used to replace the typical de-icing and anti-icing systems employed in modern aircrafts in order to obtain important advantagesin terms of performances and weights (Bici et al., 2018; Ferro et al., 2018; 2017b; 2017c) . In these studies, analytical, numerical and experimental simulations were opportunely combined as clearly discussed in Yang et al.(2015). The FDM technology is not usually employed for the production of structural elements because of the uncertainty in determining the mechan

FAQs

What problem does the study address in PLA FDM-printed sandwich specimens?

The study evaluates whether using a PLA lamination scheme embedding a honeycomb core can reduce weight without meaningfully lowering mechanical properties.

How are mechanical properties evaluated in the research?

Three-point bending tests are performed to obtain the linear bending Young modulus and the ultimate bending stress.

What role does capability analysis play in the paper?

Capability analysis is used to assess the stability of the printing process through geometric parameters (including weight) and to propose upper and lower specification limits for reliable structural analyses.

Sep 14, 2026

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