Comparison of Tensile Characteristics from Experiments and Simulations of ASTM D638 3D-Printed Specimens

Abstract

The increasing adoption of three-dimensional (3D) printing in engineering applications presents significant advantages, particularly in reducing production costs and lead times. However, the mechanical properties of widely used 3D-printed materials, such as PLA, PETG, and ABS, are greatly influenced by printing parameters, which subsequently affect structural reliability and design accuracy. This study investigates the tensile behavior of materials fabricated through Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), following ASTM D638 Type IV standards. The experimental results obtained from a Universal Testing Machine (UTM) reveal notable differences in mechanical performance among the tested materials. PLA demonstrated the highest tensile strength (49.16 ± 5.21 MPa) and stiffness (2.57 ± 1.27 GPa) but exhibited brittle fracture with limited elongation (0.37 ± 0.02%). PETG showed balanced performance, with comparable tensile strength (44.70 ± 2.62 MPa), moderate stiffness (2.23 ± 0.76 GPa), and the highest elongation (0.46 ± 0.08%), indicating a satisfactory strength–ductility synergy. In contrast, ABS displayed the lowest tensile strength (30.37 ± 2.73 MPa) and stiffness (1.80 ± 1.23 GPa); however, it maintainedadequate toughness with the highest elongation (0.52 ± 0.08%). Numerical simulations conducted using SolidWorks Simulation and ANSYS Workbench were compared to the experimental data. The simulation results followed similar trends, with deviations ranging from −7.7% to 2.8%, which are acceptable for engineering applications. PLA and ABS exhibited close agreement between experimental and simulation values, while PETG showed slightly larger discrepancies due to its ductile characteristics and sensitivity to printing parameters. Predictions from ANSYS were marginally closer to the experimental data than those from SolidWorks, reflecting higher accuracy in stress analysis. This study illustrates that integrating experimental testing with numerical simulations yields reliable predictions of tensile properties for FDM-printed polymers.