Development of material release mechanism for stereolithography-based 3D printing systems

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

3D Currax Solutions Inc. is a company located in Kelowna, BC. They are developing a mass-production 3D printer with a large printing area using a stereolithography (SLA) technique which is the most promising techniques due to its rapid fabrication ability, printing accuracy, and surface quality. The 3D printer under development at 3D Currax Solutions projects the UV light from the bottom onto the build plate so that the resin between the bottom of the resin container and the build plate is polymerized. To print the next layer, the build plate is moved up to bring another layer of resin. The problem is the adhesion between the layer of polymerized resin and the bottom of the resin container and how to separate them easily when the build plate is moved up to print the next layer. The excessive release force results in the fracture of the designed pattern and an increase in the size of the printed object. In this proposed research, Dr. Kim's group will employ their strong background in 3D printing, surface modification of polymers, sensors and actuators, and advanced control techniques - along with the engineers from 3D Currax Solutions - to solve the object release problem of the resins in large-scale SLA printing.