Effect of print orientations, layer thicknesses, and weathering on the mechanical properties, failure mechanism, and service life of 3D‐printed photocured resin parts

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AbstractThis study investigates the effects of print orientation, layer thickness, and weathering on the mechanical properties, failure mechanisms, and service life of stereolithography (SLA) 3D‐printed photocured resin parts. Samples were printed with various orientations (0°, 22.5°, 45°, 67.5°, and 90°) and layer thicknesses (0.025 mm, 0.05 mm, and 0.1 mm), then subjected to accelerated aging at 60°C, 0.7 W/m2 ultraviolet (UV) light, and 100% humidity for 500 and 1008 h. Mechanical properties were evaluated through tensile, flexural, and compression tests, with fractography conducted on failed surfaces. Service life was estimated by assessing strength retention under simulated environmental stressors. Results showed that a 0.025 mm layer thickness at a 0° orientation yielded high tensile and flexural strengths of 44.66 and 86.88 MPa, respectively. The highest compressive strength of 76.9 MPa was achieved at 90° orientation. After 500 and 1008 h of weathering, tensile, flexural, and compressive strengths declined by 19%, 26%, 25%, 37%, and 22%, 31%, respectively. Additionally, the weathering effect transformed the elongation at break from elastic to brittle, and fractography showed an increase in voids and failures. Service life predictions indicated that the 0.025 mm thickness had the longest durability. Future work can extend this research to other photocured resins and composites to evaluate their performance in real‐world environments.Highlights 3D printing and weathering parameters on the part quality were investigated. Tensile, flexural, and compression tests were used to assess parts strength. Fractography was conducted to ascertain the failure mechanism of the printed parts. Service life models were developed based on mechanical strength retention.