Evaluation of post-curing and laser manufacturing parameters on the properties of SOMOS 7110 photosensitive resin used in stereolithography

The degree of cure of parts produced by stereolithography (SL) depends on laser power, manufacturing parameters, resin photosensitivity characteristics, and so on. Usually parts require a post-cure process, such as ultraviolet radiation and/or thermal treatment to improve their degree of cure, and thermal, mechanical and chemical properties. In this study, we evaluated the influence of line hatch spacing, an important manufacturing parameter, in relation to the calorimetric, dilatometric and hardness behavior of SL parts. The post-cure processes of ultraviolet radiation, microwave irradiation and conventional heating were also investigated. A higher degree of cure in green specimens was obtained with a line hatch spacing of 0.05 mm. However, the utilization of line hatch spacings of 0.15 and 0.10 mm induced an inhomogeneous curing process in relation to the internal and surface specimen structure, and remarkable cure shrinkage. The post-cure processes, especially the thermal treatment, improved the degree of cure of green specimens built using line hatch spacing of 0.10 mm, minimizing the anisotropy inherent to this rapid manufacturing method, which permits a better control over the dimensional behavior of SOMOS 7110 parts.