Influence of Printing Angulation on the Flexural Strength of 3D Printed Resins: An In Vitro Study

Abstract

This study compared the flexural strength of various 3D printed resins fabricated at different building angles (0°, 45°, and 90°). Four groups of resins were tested: Varseo Smile Teeth (Bego GmbH & Co., Bremen, Germany), V-print C&B Temp (Voco GmbH, Cuxhaven, Germany), Bego Triniq (Bego GmbH & Co. KG, Bremen, Germany), and Sprintray Crown (SprintRay, Los Angeles, CA, USA). A digital light processing 3D printer (Asiga MAX UV, NSW, Sydney, Australia) was used to fabricate the samples at the specified build angles (0°, 45°, and 90°) in accordance with the ISO 4049:2019 standard. Flexural strength was measured using a universal testing machine (Instron 5567; Instron Ltd., Norwood, MA, USA), and fracture analysis was performed using a scanning electron microscope (Jeol JSM-6060LV, Tokyo, Japan). Statistical analysis was carried out using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS, version 26; IBM Corp., Chicago, IL, USA). Means and standard deviations were calculated for each group, and statistical differences were assessed using one-way ANOVA followed by the Bonferroni post hoc test (p < 0.05). All tested resins exhibited high flexural strength values. The maximum flexural strength was observed in the 0° printed samples (137.18 ± 18.92 MPa), while the lowest values were recorded for the 90° printed samples (116.75 ± 24.74 MPa). For V-print C&B Temp, the flexural strength at 90° (116.97 ± 34.87 MPa) was significantly lower compared to the 0° (156.56 ± 25.58 MPa) and 45° (130.46 ± 12.33 MPa) orientations. In contrast, Bego Triniq samples printed at 45° (148.91 ± 21.23 MPa) demonstrated significantly higher flexural strength than those printed at 0° (113.37 ± 31.93 MPa) or 90° (100.96 ± 16.66 MPa). Overall, the results indicate that the printing angle has a significant impact on the flexural strength of the materials, with some resins showing lower strength values at the 90° build angle.