Experimental and Statistical Analysis of the Effects of Printing Parameters on Mechanical Properties in SLA-Based Additive Manufacturing for Automotive Applications

Year 2025, Volume: 9 Issue: 4, 576 - 587, 31.12.2025

Kubilay Han , Yasin Akın , Ahmet Burak Dönmez

https://doi.org/10.30939/ijastech..1787324

Abstract

In this study, the effects of printing parameters on the tensile and flexural strengths of Anycubic standard resin specimens produced by a stereolithography (SLA)-based 3D printer were investigated. Three main parameters were examined: layer thickness (0.05–0.1 mm), exposure time (2–3 s), and curing time (15–25 min). The Taguchi design of experiments was employed to analyze the influence of parameter combinations on mechanical performance, while analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the statistical significance of each factor. Tensile tests identified exposure time as the most statistically significant parameter influencing tensile strength of 35.29 MPa obtained at 3 s. Flexural tests indicated that layer thickness had the dominant effect, reaching 102.45 MPa at 0.05 mm. In both tests, the optimum performance was achieved under the same combination: 0.05 mm layer thickness, 3 s exposure time, and 25 min curing time. The findings are significant not only from an academic perspective but also for industrial applications, particularly in the automotive sector. The results provide guidance for producing prototypes that can withstand mechanical testing, ensure reliable manufacturing of complex geometries, and support quality control processes in line with ASTM standards. Furthermore, optimized parameters offer advantages in terms of cost reduction, material efficiency, and accelerated R&D processes, highlighting the potential of SLA-based additive manufacturing in automotive applications.

Keywords

Additive manufacturing , Automotive applications , Flexural strength , Stereolithography , Tensile strength , Taguchi methods

Ethical Statement

The authors must declare that there is no conflict of inter-est in the study.

Supporting Institution

Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit (BAPK) of Sakarya University of Applied Science

Project Number

222-2024

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