The mechanical properties of components fabricated using fused deposition modelling has been widely studied since they depend to a great extent on the process. Filament separation, raster angle and printing orientation, which contribute to define the macro-structure of the part, have often a greater influence on the mechanical response of the part than the manufacturing parameters, such as nozzle temperature, build platform temperature, and extrusion flow rate. A deep comprehension of the structure - property relationship is essential to appropriately design components with complex shapes. In this paper, the fused deposition modelling process has been used to fabricate specimens with controlled structures in order to correlate them with their mechanical properties. The fracture resistance exhibited by specimens made of polylactic acid and manufactured with different raster angles has been determined. The raster angle allows to control the direction along which the orientation of the material is promoted (with respect to the loading direction in the tests). Keeping the manufacturing parameters constant, the thermomechanical history undergone by the material in the different points of the specimens is preserved and the effect of the macro-structure will be dominant. As expected the results showed that the fracture resistance depends on the deposition direction; however, interestingly, this is not replicated for the stiffness, which is not affected by the raster angle.