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32 TECHNOLOGY JUL/AUG 2026 FDM ASIA | www.fdmasia.com

Svitlana Lozova reinforcement are important for functional performance.
These findings are relevant to furniture connectors because
they show that FDM parameters should be optimised together
rather than selected independently.
Previous studies have also shown that FEM can be used
to guide FDM infill design and to describe the mechanical

response of printed parts with different infill configurations.
Gopsill et al. used finite element analysis results to influence
the infill design of FDM parts and emphasised that such models
can support internal structural design without necessarily
perspective of geometry and printing parameters. representing the exact stresses in the final printed structure.
Chen et al. showed that nozzle temperature, layer thickness, Mazlan et al. showed that infill density, wall perimeter
filling degree, and extrusion speed affect the dimensional and layer height strongly affect the mechanical response of
accuracy of FDM-printed furniture connectors. 3D-printed products.
Demirel et al. found that 3D-printed PLA dowels can achieve Aydin et al. treated infill density and infill pattern as

shear resistance comparable to or higher than conventional microstructural features and used homogenisation to determine
wooden and plastic dowels in L-type furniture joints. the corresponding macroscopic response.
Wang et al. used PETG reinforcement connectors for Karkalos et al. further showed that FEM models can be
mortise-and-tenon joints in solid wood chairs and reported used to predict the mechanical behaviour of FFF parts with
improved ultimate load compared with unreinforced joints. different infill densities when validated against experimental
These studies support the use of printed polymer elements results.
in selected furniture joints, but they also show that performance These findings support the use of simplified numerical

depends on material, geometry, printing parameters, and models when the aim is to compare connector configurations,
loading mode. identify contact-pressure regions and locate critical stress
The influence of FDM parameters has also been reported concentrations.
for furniture-related and load-bearing polymer parts. Wang FEM modelling is also commonly used in studies of
et al. showed that layer thickness, infill density and bed wooden furniture joints as a complement to experimental
temperature affect the compressive properties of polyamide testing, because it helps to better understand load transfer
6 furniture risers. and locate critical stress regions.
Antunović et al. demonstrated that layer height, infill Hu et al. used FEM in the analysis of mortise-and-tenon
density and perimeter count influence not only the mechanical joints considering tenon fit effects, while Hu and Guan

performance of PLA parts, but also material consumption developed a FEM model of a semi-rigid mortise-and-tenon
and printing time. joint considering glue-line effects and friction coefficient.
Parameter effects were also reported for PETG by Manavis Chen, Xia and Hu combined experimental and numerical
et al. and for carbon-fibre-reinforced PLA by Dawood and evaluation in the design of detachable corner joints for wooden
AlAmeen. furniture frames.
Silva et al. further showed the potential of hybrid FFF for In the present study, FEM was used in a similar way: not
polymer-metal parts, where material distribution and local as an independent failure criterion, but as a tool for interpreting