Comparative Study of the Influence of Bio-Resin Color on the Dimension, Flatness and Straightness of the Part in the 3D Printing Process

• Main Authors: Aurel Tulcan, Mircea Dorin Vasilescu, Liliana Tulcan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-04-01
• Series: Polymers
• Subjects: DLP printing; 3D measurement; surface deviations; flatness; straightness; analysis of variance
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/9/1412

This paper aims to determine whether the color of based-plant resin called, by the manufacturer, eco-resin has an influence on the dimensions and geometric accuracy of the 3D-printed part. The analysis of flatness, straightness and dimensions deviations was carried out with high-precision measurement systems, and according to current standards regarding linear dimensions and geometrical tolerances. A coordinate measuring machine with contact probes was used to measure the printed part’s physical characteristics, and analysis of variance and response surface design methods were used for the data analysis. The printing experiment was carried out for each color. After that, the measurement of the printed parts and the study of the data were performed. The first finding is that for black and clear eco-resin, there are problems with the printing of the supports. Based on standard data for the range of nominal lengths of the part for linear dimensions, flatness and straightness, the measurement results can be included in different tolerance classes within standard value limits. The best value of the printed structure was obtained for clear eco-resin. The paper demonstrates that the impact of the color of the eco-resin is more important than the supports density for all the studied features. Based on 3D measurements, the optimal values for each of the eco-resin colors regarding the flatness, straightness and linear dimensions deviations of the 3D printed part were also determined.