Nowadays, 3D printing has become an easily accessible technology, and printers can be purchased without major problems and are also within the price range of modeling enthusiasts and DIY enthusiasts. Today, 3D printing is not just a form of visualizing ideas and concepts, but a way to build fully usable parts and accessories.

3D printing can be used e.g. in the design and manufacture of different types of handles for transport machines, as structural elements of Automated Guided Vehicles transporting goods in the production hall or as a frame for a drone transporting small objects. There are many applications of elements made using the FDM method, not only in transport.

Unfortunately, in most cases, no construction and strength calculations of the printed part are performed, only the constructor's intuition and experience are used, which in turn results in the need to make further prototypes. This approach increases the consumption of material and energy, which is incompatible with currently accepted ecological standards.

The article presents the results of bending tests of elements made by 3D printing. Different types and degrees of filling as well as different values of the thickness of the outer walls were taken into account in the tests. The aim of the research was to determine the influence of the above-mentioned parameters on the stiffness of the obtained elements. This allows the design of machine parts with the lowest possible mass at a given stiffness level. Finally, the obtained results were used in the numerical modeling process.