Phase-separating resins for light-based three-dimensional printing of oxide glasses

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Additive Manufacturing
• Glass Science

Background:

• Silica-based glasses offer design flexibility through additive manufacturing.
• Scaling up 3D printing processes for glasses is essential for wider adoption.
• Current methods face challenges in achieving high-aspect-ratio features and manufacturing yields.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and investigate phase-separating resins for light-based 3D printing of oxide glasses.
• To enhance manufacturing yields and enable high-aspect-ratio features in 3D printed glasses.
• To understand the influence of resin composition on printed glass properties.

Main Methods:

• Digital Light Processing (DLP) 3D printing of phase-separating resins.
• Characterization of microstructure using electron microscopy.
• Evaluation of mechanical properties through compression tests.
• Analysis of printing experiments and calcination behavior.

Main Results:

• Resin composition significantly impacts the microstructure and mechanical properties of printed parts.
• Optimized resins enable high-aspect-ratio features and improved manufacturing yields.
• Delamination resistance and calcination behavior are directly related to resin chemistry and microstructure.

Conclusions:

• Phase-separating resins are effective for 3D printing silica-based glasses with enhanced properties.
• The study provides guidelines for improving the reliability and yield of DLP glass printing.
• This work advances the scalable manufacturing of complex, high-performance oxide glass components.