Effect of Material and Processing Lag Time on Radiant Energy Penetration and Modulus of 3D-Printed Indirect Bonding...

To investigate the effect of the time between 3D printing and post-print processing (lag time) on the modulus and radiant energy penetration of 3D-printed indirect bonding jig materials.

Three 3D-printed resins (Formlabs IBT Resin, SprintRay IDB 2, Pro3dure GR-18.1 IB) were tested for three lag times (0, 16 and 64 h; n = 10 per group). Radiant energy penetration was measured using a power meter, and Vickers hardness was assessed for composites cured through the samples. Mechanical properties were evaluated using uniaxial testing and three-point bending.

Both the resin type and lag time significantly affected radiant energy penetration and composite hardness. The effect of lag time varied by resin. Young's modulus from uniaxial testing showed significant changes only for the Pro3dure resin, while three-point bending indicated significant flexibility changes only for the SprintRay IDB 2 resin.

The resin type and the lag time before post-print processing influence important functional properties of 3D-printed indirect bonding jig materials, including radiant energy penetration and flexibility. These findings suggest that optimising lag time may enhance the performance of 3D-printed indirect bonding jig materials.