Stereolithography of (meth)acrylate-based photocurable resin: Thermal and mechanical properties

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM) has attracted a lot of attention in the industry and studies due to the ability to fabricate parts in different sizes and shapes along with economic costs. Among the different three-dimensional (3D) print ing methods, stereolithography (SLA) is becoming an important method. The objective of this work is to investigate the effect of different sub-build orienta tions of an acrylate-based 3D printing SLA rapid-prototyping photosensitive resin concerning UV and thermal post-curing on the thermal and mechanical properties. Key role of polymerization as a determining factor in the final mechanical and thermal properties was shown. The results indicate turning the mechanical properties of cured resin by different sub-build orientations. Furthermore, post-curing process was performed in order to complete the cur ing of unreacted monomers. The results show the important effect of thermal post-curing on the mechanical properties. In addition, a polymerization up to 98% for thermal curing at 80 C was achieved. In addition, the maximum ten sile strength for the maximum amount of polymerization was for sub-building orientation of 45°C, 0°C, and 90°C.