Traditional Fused Filament Fabrication methods create a mechanically anisotropic
structure that is stronger in the deposition plane than across successive layers. A recently
developed pinning process deposits continuous pins in the structure that are orientated in the
build direction across multiple layers. Initial studies of this technique have demonstrated the
ability to increase inter-layer strength and toughness. The current study evaluated various z-pinning parameters for carbon fiber reinforced polylactic acid (CF-PLA) structures, including
infill percentage, pin length, and deposition pattern. Each of these was found to affect the ability
of the z-pin to mechanically bond with the existing lattice structure and had a resulting impact on
the mechanical strength and toughness. Initial studies showed an increase in ultimate tensile
strength in the Z-axis of around 3.5x. Upon expanding the pinning settings, further studies
showed increases of over 35% from the X and Z axis ultimate tensile strength and improved
mechanically isotropic behavior.Mechanical Engineerin
