Influence of process parameters on stereolithography part shrinkage

Abstract

Post-curing is one of the essential steps in the stereolithography (SL) process, as it affects the final dimensional accuracy of a rapid prototype produced by the SL method. The purpose of post-curing processes is to fully polymerize the uncured resin retained within the structure of the green-state prototype and hence, significantly improve its mechanical properties. However, under this process, the presence of shrinkage and distortion within the prototype form one of the major sources of error in the SL process. The amount of shrinkage encountered during the postcuring process was found to be governed by the process parameters adopted during the laser-fabrication process. In this paper, the relationships between post-cure shrinkage and the various process parameters used in the SL machine have been investigated. Through the use of an experimental statistical methods, the effects of each single and multi-parameter have been studied. © 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.