Temperature- and degree of cure-dependent viscoelastic properties of photopolymer resins used in digital light processing

Abstract

AbstractIn the present paper, the degree of cure-dependent viscoelastic properties of a commercial photopolymer resin (Loctite$$^{\textregistered }$$ ® 3D 3830) used in digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing are investigated experimentally and described by suitable model equations. To do this, tests are carried out both on the liquid resin and printed specimens under various conditions. The experimental methods include photo-DSC, UV rheometry, and dynamic mechanical analysis. A commercial digital light processing (DLP) printer (Loctite$$^{\textregistered }$$ ® EQ PR10.1) is used for the printing of the samples. Model equations are proposed to describe the behavior of the material during and after the printing process. For the representation of the degree of cure depending on temperature and light intensity, the one-dimensional differential equation proposed in a previous paper is extended to capture a temperature-dependent threshold value. The change of the viscoelastic properties during crosslinking is captured macroscopically by time-temperature and time-cure superposition principles. The parameters of the model equations are identified using nonlinear optimization algorithms. A good representation of the experimental data is achieved by the proposed model equations. The findings of this paper help users in additive manufacturing of photopolymers to predict the material properties depending on the degree of cure and temperature of printed components.