Abstract
Fused filament fabrication (FFF, often called FDM) is widely used in polymer additive manufacturing; however, it suffers from mechanical anisotropy and weak bonding in the Z direction. This work examines how the infill pattern influences the tensile response of PLA parts at fixed printing conditions. Dog-bone specimens (PLA, four patterns: grid, honeycomb, rectilinear, adaptive cubic) were printed and tested in tension (n = 3 per pattern). Grid yielded the highest ultimate tensile strength, whereas honeycomb produced the largest Young’s modulus; rectilinear was intermediate and adaptive cubic was trailed in both metrics. X-ray diffraction of printed PLA showed a broad halo at 16–20° (2θ) with weak α-form reflections, consistent with largely amorphous microstructure after FFF. Together, the results indicate that, at constant material and nominal infill, pattern selection alone can shift the strength–stiffness balance, with grid favoring strength and honeycomb favoring stiffness.