RESISTÊNCIA À TRAÇÃO DO NYLON 6 IMPRESSO E USINADO

3D printing, especially the FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) process, has stood out in the industry for allowing the manufacture of parts with complex geometries, reducing production time and costs where low production quantities are required. Nylon 6, a polymer with excellent mechanical properties, is widely used in the industry in parts predominantly obtained by machining. This study evaluated the tensile strength of printed bodies by varying the infill pattern and density to analyze the influence of each of these parameters on tensile strength and to support decisions on the feasibility of replacing machined nylon parts with printed nylon, reducing setup times and manufacturing costs. Nylon 6 samples were manufactured by 3D printing and machining. The samples were printed with infill densities of 10%, 40%, 70%, and 100% with line, triangular, and octet infill patterns with dimensions according to ISO 527-2:2012. It was observed that the octet pattern demonstrated greater structural stability in samples with densities below 100%, presenting fewer structural accommodations. Increasing the infill density raised the tensile strength of the printed samples, reaching a tensile strength limit of 26.36 MPa in the triangular pattern with 100% infill density, compared to 58.59 MPa obtained in the machined sample. The results indicate that although 3D printed parts do not achieve the same strength as machined parts, FDM printing can be a viable alternative for applications where the required tensile strength is less than 50% of the capacity of machined parts, being especially useful for prototypes and small production runs.