Environmental aging influence on mechanical properties of additive manufactured polyamide parts: A statistical approach

This study explores the influence of environmental factors and printing orientation on the aging of additive manufactured polyamide 12 (PA12). A multifactorial experimental design was employed to age specimens under controlled conditions. Analysis of variance revealed that temperature, irradiance, relative humidity, and time significantly impact the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and Young's modulus (Y) of PA12. Applying multiple linear regression methods produced predictive models with R2 values of 0.9075 for the UTS and 0.5226 for the Y, indicating substantial explanatory power for the specimen's UTS. These models enhance understanding of PA12 aging, aiding in the design of more durable mechanical parts for applications exposed to environmental conditions, such as footwear, automotive components, and medical devices. As next steps, future research could empirically deploy these developed predictive models and explore longer time scales to further elucidate the long-term aging behavior of additively manufactured PA12. Explore the impact of environmental conditions and printing orientation on the aging of 3D-printed polyamide 12 in this study. Unveil significant influences of temperature, irradiance, relative humidity, time, build orientation, and vapor polishing on material strength and modulus. Two accurate predictive models, explaining up to 90.75% of ultimate strength variability, offer insights for designing more sustainable additive manufactured components. image