Manufacturing Technology 2026, 26(2):148-163 | DOI: 10.21062/mft.2026.020

3D Printing – Dimensional Accuracy and Stability of PLA and PETG Prints Using the FDM Technology

Alexandr Fales ORCID...1, Vít Černohlávek ORCID...1, Marcin Suszynski ORCID...2, Jan Štěrba ORCID...1, Patrik Balcar ORCID...1, Pavel Houška ORCID...1
1 Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, J. E. Purkyne University in Usti nad Labem. Pasteurova 3334/7, 400 01 Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic
2 Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Poznan University of Technology. Poland

This study examines the influence of FDM printing parameters on replica parts for an educational robotics kit, targeting functional compatibility without post-processing. A VEX Robotics 2×12 Beam (228‑2500‑026) was used as the reference part. Reference dimensions were obtained as mean values from 10 original VEX IQ parts. Replicas were printed from PLA and PETG on Original Prusa MK4 printers using four infill patterns and six infill densities (15–70%). For each material–pattern–density combination, 10 parts were produced, resulting in 480 printed samples. Width, length, and height were measured with a Mitutoyo MiSTAR 555 CNC CMM in accordance with ISO 10360-2. Results are expressed as mean deviations from reference dimensions, standard deviations, and expanded uncertainty of the mean. Maximum deviations reached 0.062, 0.092, and 0.032 mm for PLA, and 0.046, 0.090, and 0.028 mm for PETG. The results provide guidance for selecting non-solid infill settings that reduce material use and printing time while maintaining dimensional compatibility

Keywords: 3D printing, FDM, Dimensional accuracy, PLA, PETG
Grants and funding:

This article was supported by the SGS grant of J. E. Purkyne University in Usti nad Labem, project No. UJEP‑SGS‑2025‑48‑001‑1, and by the project DigiLab SMART III – Ustecký kraj, registration number CZ.02.01.02/00/22_009/0004316, implemented within the OP JAK programme

Received: December 10, 2025; Revised: March 25, 2026; Accepted: March 31, 2026; Prepublished online: April 20, 2026; Published: April 23, 2026  Show citation

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Fales A, Černohlávek V, Suszynski M, Štěrba J, Balcar P, Houška P. 3D Printing – Dimensional Accuracy and Stability of PLA and PETG Prints Using the FDM Technology. Manufacturing Technology. 2026;26(2):148-163. doi: 10.21062/mft.2026.020.
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