ANALYZING THE EFFECT OF ADDITION OF SS 316L NANOPARTICLES ON THE HARDNESS AND IMPACT STRENGTH OF 3D PRINTABLE PMMA RESIN

The mechanical properties of a 3D-printed object are significantly affected by both its material composition and preparation parameters. In this study, a 3D printable nanocomposite was prepared from PMMA and SS 316L nanoparticles. The central composite design (CCD) approach of Response Surface Methodology in Design Expert was used for the design of experimentation. A total of 15 sets of nanocomposite samples were prepared in different compositions and under different preparation conditions. Specimens of hardness and impact strength conforming to ASTM standards were fabricated from a resin 3D printer with employed combinations derived from systematic CCD of the mentioned factors. The maximum hardness of 87 SHD and impact strength of 18.2 J/m were obtained at the filler content of 1% (w/w) and stirring speed of 1100 rpm, while the lowest hardness of 81 SHD and impact strength of 14.2 J/m were obtained at the filler content of 0.5% (w/w) and stirring speed of 800 rpm. The optimal preparation conditions for the PMMA nanocomposite were determined to be 1.05133% (w/w) filler content, 1234 rpm stirring speed, and 30 minutes of sonication time. To validate these findings, the experimental values for Izod impact strength and hardness were determined at the optimized process parameters and found to align close to the predicted values, confirming the reliability of RSM model.