Stereolithographic 3D Printing with Renewable Acrylates

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Additive Manufacturing
• Sustainable Chemistry

Background:

• Efficient biobased economies require accessible, cost-competitive renewable materials for manufacturing.
• Additive manufacturing (AM) offers a versatile platform for creating complex structures from various materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the rapid prototyping of sustainable resins using stereolithography (SLA).
• To formulate and characterize biobased resins for 3D printing applications.

Main Methods:

• Formulation of biobased acrylate resins by mixing monomers, oligomers, photoinitiator, and optical absorber.
• Rheological characterization of resin viscosity as a function of shear rate using a rheometer.
• Stereolithographic 3D printing of complex prototypes using the developed biobased resins.
• Post-treatment including alcohol rinsing and UV irradiation for complete curing.

Main Results:

• Successful rapid prototyping of complex shapes with high accuracy using biobased resins.
• Demonstration of controlled resin viscosity through monomer-to-oligomer ratio.
• Scanning electron microscopy confirmed high feature resolution and excellent surface finishing of printed prototypes.

Conclusions:

• Sustainable biobased resins can be effectively utilized in stereolithographic additive manufacturing.
• The developed formulation and printing process are suitable for producing high-quality prototypes.
• This approach contributes to the development of an efficient biobased economy through renewable material application.