Manufacturing Technology 2026, 26(1):43-52 | DOI: 10.21062/mft.2026.007

Effect of Accelerated Aging on the Mechanical Properties of FFF-Manufactured Polymers

Marcel Kohutiar ORCID...1, Martin Bednařík ORCID...2, Ivan Labaj ORCID...3, Róbert Janík ORCID...3, Jan Hanzlík ORCID...2, Michal Krbata ORCID...1, Jakub Zatloukal2
1 Faculty of Special Technology, Alexander Dubcek University of Trenčín, Ku Kyselke 469, 911 06 Trenčín, Slovakia
2 Faculty of Technology, Department of Production Engineering, Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Vavrečkova 5669, 760 01 Zlín, Czech Republic
3 Faculty of Industrial Technologies in Puchov, Alexander Dubcek University of Trenčín, Ivana Krasku 491/30 020 01 Púchov, Slovakia

This study examines the effect of accelerated weathering on the mechanical and viscoelastic properties of thermoplastics produced by fused filament fabrication (FFF). Three polymers, acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA), polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG), and polylactic acid (PLA), were subjected to alternating UV radiation and condensation cycles in a QUV chamber simulating environmental exposure. Tensile testing and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) were used to evaluate the changes in strength, stiffness, and glass-transition behavior. The results revealed distinct responses depending on the polymer structure. ASA maintained its ductility and even showed improved strength, confirming high UV resistance. PETG exhibited a moderate decrease in strength with negligible change in elongation, indicating partial photo-oxidation but stable viscoelastic behavior. PLA demonstrated the most significant stiffening and a noticeable upward shift of the glass-transition temperature due to crystallization and physical aging. Overall, short-term QUV exposure acted as a conditioning process, enhancing the thermal and structural stability of the tested FFF-printed polymers.

Keywords: Fused filament fabrication, Accelerated weathering, Dynamic mechanical analysis, Tensile strength, Thermoplastics
Grants and funding:

This research was supported by the Visegrad Fund Fellowship Program, project ID #62510024. The authors gratefully acknowledge the support provided

Received: November 10, 2025; Revised: November 10, 2025; Accepted: February 16, 2026; Prepublished online: March 20, 2026; Published: March 21, 2026  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Kohutiar M, Bednařík M, Labaj I, Janík R, Hanzlík J, Krbata M, Zatloukal J. Effect of Accelerated Aging on the Mechanical Properties of FFF-Manufactured Polymers. Manufacturing Technology. 2026;26(1):43-52. doi: 10.21062/mft.2026.007.
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. PERNICA, J., VODÁK, M., ©AROCKÝ, R., ©USTR, M., DOSTÁL, P., ČERNÝ, M., DOBROCKÝ, D. (2022). Mechanical Properties of Recycled Polymer Materials in Additive Manufacturing. In: Manufacturing Technology, Vol. 22, No. 2, pp. 200-203. DOI: 10.21062/mft.2022.017. Go to original source...
    2. ALEXOPOULOU, V. E., CHRISTODOULOU, I. T., MARKOPOULOS, A. P. (2024). Investigation of Printing Speed Impact on the Printing Accuracy of Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) ABS Artefacts. In: Manufacturing Technology, Vol. 24, No. 3, pp. 333-337. DOI: 10.21062/mft.2024.042. Go to original source...
    3. JOSKA, Z., ANDRÉS, L., DRA®AN, T., MAŇAS, K., POKORNÝ, Z., SEDLÁK, J. (2021). Influence of the Shape of the Filling on the Mechanical Properties of Samples Made by 3D Printing. In: Manufacturing Technology, Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 200-206. DOI: 10.21062/mft.2021.024. Go to original source...
    4. SEDLÁK, J., JO©KA, Z., JANSKÝ, J., ZOUHAR, J., KOLOMY, ©., SLANÝ, M., SVÁSTA, A., JIROU©EK, J. (2023). Analysis of the Mechanical Properties of 3D-Printed Plastic Samples Subjected to Selected Degradation Effects. In: Materials, Vol. 16, No. 8, pp. 3268. DOI: 10.3390/ma16083268. Go to original source...
    5. ANISKEVICH, A., BULDERBERGA, O., STANKEVICS, L. (2023). Moisture Sorption and Degradation of Polymer Filaments Used in 3D Printing. In: Polymers, Vol. 15, pp. 2600. DOI: 10.3390/polym15122600. Go to original source...
    6. BANJO, A. D., AGRAWAL, V., AUAD, M. L., CELESTINE, A. D. N. (2022). Moisture-Induced Changes in the Mechanical Behavior of 3D Printed Polymers. In: Composites Part C: Open Access, Vol. 7, pp. 100243. Go to original source...
    7. AFSHAR, A., WOOD, R. (2020). Development of Weather-Resistant 3D Printed Structures by Multi-Material Additive Manufacturing. In: Journal of Composites Science, Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 94. DOI: 10.3390/jcs4030094. Go to original source...
    8. AMZA, C. G., ZAPCIU, A., BACIU, F., VASILE, M. I., POPESCU, D. (2021). Aging of 3D Printed Polymers under Sterilizing UV-C Radiation. In: Polymers, Vol. 13, pp. 4467. DOI: 10.3390/polym13244467. Go to original source...
    9. JUBINVILLE, D., MEKONNEN, T. H. (2025). Enhanced Performance 3-D Printed PLA Parts through a Photo-Initiator-Mediated UV-Curing. In: Advanced Materials Technologies, Vol. 10, No. 14, pp. 2500124. DOI: 10.1002/admt.202500124. Go to original source...
    10. ISO 527-2:2012. Plastics - Determination of tensile properties - Part 2: Test conditions for moulding and extrusion plastics. International Organization for Standardization, Geneva, Switzerland.
    11. ISO 4892-3:2016. Plastics - Methods of exposure to laboratory light sources - Part 3: Fluorescent UV lamps. International Organization for Standardization, Geneva, Switzerland.
    12. KOHUTIAR, M., KRBATA, M., JANÍK, R., FEKIAČ, J. J., KAKO©OVÁ, L., ESCHEROVÁ, J. (2025). Effect of DCSBD Plasma Treatment on the Mechanical Properties of Polymer Films. In: Manufacturing Technology, Vol. 25, pp. 37-44. Go to original source...
    13. ASTM D4065. (2020). Standard Practice for Determining and Reporting Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Plastics. American Society for Testing Materials, West Conshohocken, PA, USA.
    14. KUMAR, S. R., SRIDHAR, S., VENKATRAMAN, R., VENKATESAN, M. (2021). Polymer Additive Manufacturing of ASA Structure: Influence of Printing Parameters on Mechanical Properties. In: Materials Today: Proceedings, Vol. 39, No. 4, pp. 1316-1319. DOI: 10.1016/j.matpr.2020.04.500. Go to original source...
    15. AMZA, C. G., ZAPCIU, A., PETRESCU, H., POPESCU, D., BACIU, F. (2021). Accelerated Aging Effect on Mechanical Properties of Common 3D Printing Polymers. In: Polymers, Vol. 13, No. 23, pp. 4132. DOI: 10.3390/polym13234132. Go to original source...
    16. CZECHOWSKI, L., KEDZIORA, S., MUSEYIBOV, E., SCHLIENZ, M., SZATKOWSKI, P., SZATKOWSKA, M., GRALEWSKI, J. (2022). Influence of UV Ageing on Properties of Printed PLA Containing Graphene Nanopowder. In: Materials, Vol. 15, pp. 8135. DOI: 10.3390/ma15228135. Go to original source...
    17. JIRKŮ, P., MULLER, M., MISHRA, R. K., SVOBODOVÁ, J. (2025). Effect of Recycling and UV Ageing on the Properties of PLA-Based Materials Used in Additive Manufacturing. In: Polymers, Vol. 17, pp. 1862. DOI: 10.3390/polym17131862. Go to original source...
    18. AFSHAR, A., AL-OBAIDI, M., KHOSRAVANI, M. R. (2020). Development of Weather-Resistant 3D Printed Structures by Multi-Material Additive Manufacturing. In: Journal of Composites Science, Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 94. DOI: 10.3390/jcs4030094. Go to original source...
    19. YOST, S. F., SMITH, J. C., PESTER, C. W., VOGT, B. D. (2025). Physical Aging and Evolution of Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol. In: RSC Applied Polymers, Vol. 3, No. 4, pp. 934-947. DOI: 10.1039/D5LP00045A. Go to original source...
    20. KOHUTIAR, M., STUDENÝ, Z., KRBATA, M., JUS, M., MIKU©, P., KOVAŘÍKOVÁ, I. (2025). Frequency Dependence of Glass Transition Temperature of Thermoplastics in DMA Analysis. In: Manufacturing Technology, Vol. 25, No. 3, pp. 341-347. DOI: 10.21062/mft.2025.043. Go to original source...
    21. KOHUTIAR, M., JANÍK, R., KRBATA, M., FEKIAČ, J. J., KAKO©OVÁ, L., MIKU©, P. (2025). Dyna-mic Mechanical Analysis of PLA Produced by FFF Additive Manufacturing Technology after DCSBD Plasma Treatment. In: Manufacturing Technology, Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 202-208. DOI: 10.21062/mft.2025.019. Go to original source...
    22. KOHUTIAR, M., PAJTÁ©OVÁ, M., JANÍK, R., PAPUČOVÁ, I., PAGÁČOVÁ, J., PECU©OVÁ, B., LABAJ, I. (2018). Study of Selected Thermoplastics Using Dynamic Mechanical Analysis. In: MATEC Web of Conferences, Vol. 157, pp. 07002. DOI: 10.1051/matecconf/201815707002. Go to original source...
    23. KOHUTIAR, M., JANÍK, R., KRBATA, M., BARTOSOVA, L., JUS, M., TIMÁROVÁ, Ą. (2023). Study of the Effect of Pretreatment of 3D Printed PLA Filament Modified by Plasma Discharge and Changes in Its Dynamic-Mechanical Properties. In: Manufacturing Technology, Vol. 23, No. 4, pp. 461-467. DOI: 10.21062/mft.2023.050. Go to original source...

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0), which permits non-comercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content