# An Analysis of the Displacements in 3D-Printed PLA Acoustic Guitars

## TL;DR

This paper studies how 3D printing direction affects the vibrations of PLA acoustic guitar tops, showing that printing angles can control vibrational behavior.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates that vibrational response in 3D-printed PLA guitar tops can be controlled by adjusting printing direction angles.

## Key findings

- Vibrational response in reduced-scale PLA guitar tops can be modified by varying printing direction angles.
- Finite element tests and experiments confirm that printing direction influences displacement patterns.
- Specific guitar designs can be tailored to meet desired vibrational characteristics through printing parameters.

## Abstract

This study focuses on the analysis of the displacements generated in 3D-printed acoustic guitar tops. Specifically, the influence of 3D printing direction parameters on the vibrational behavior of a guitar top designed for polylactic acid (PLA) by analyzing five points of the top surface at a reduced scale. For this purpose, finite element tests and laboratory experiments have been carried out to support the study. After analyzing the results, it can be affirmed that the vibrational response in reduced-scale top plates can be modified and controlled by varying the printing direction angle in additive manufacturing, providing relevant information about the displacement in the vibrational response of PLA acoustic guitars. Furthermore, this work shows that the behavior of a specific acoustic guitar design can be characterized according to a specific need.