The Influence of Polishing and Artificial Aging on BioMed Amber® Resin's Mechanical Properties

Currently, 3D print is becoming more common in all branches of medicine, including dentistry. Some novel resins, such as BioMed Amber (Formlabs), are used and incorporated to more advanced techniques. The aims of the study were to check whether or not polishing and/or artificial aging influences the properties of the 3D-printed resin. A total of 240 specimens of BioMed Resin were printed. Two shapes (rectangular and dumbbell) were prepared. Of each shape, 120 specimens were divided into four groups each (with no influence, after polishing only, after artificial aging only, and after both polishing and artificial aging). Artificial aging took place in water at the temperature of 37 degrees C for 90 days. For testing, the universal testing machine (Z10-X700, AML Instruments, Lincoln, UK) was used. The axial compression was performed with the speed of 1mm/min. The tensile modulus was measured with the constant speed of 5 mm/min. The highest resistance to compression and tensile test were observed in the specimens that were neither polished nor aged (0.88 +/- 0.03 and 2.88 +/- 0.26, respectively). The lowest resistance to compression was observed in the specimens that were not polished, but aged (0.70 +/- 0.02). The lowest results of the tensile test were observed when specimens were both polished and aged (2.05 +/- 0.28). Both polishing and artificial aging weakened the mechanical properties of the BioMed Amber resin. The compressive modulus changed much with or without polishing. The tensile modulus differed in specimens that were either polished or aged. The application of both did not change the properties when compared to the polished or aged probes only.