Investigation on The Accuracy, Hardness, and Surface Roughness of Photopolymerization 3D Printing Technique Objects

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of process parameters on the properties of 3D printed thermosetting polymers (resin). Digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing technology was used for manufacturing the specimens. The process print orientation was evaluated since the test pieces were fabricated horizontally (0 degrees angle), 45 degrees angle, and vertically (90 degrees angle). The accuracy, hardness, and surface roughness properties of printed resin polymers have been studied. Two different colors of the resin material were investigated to inspect the impact of the color. The findings show that the existence of various orientations during the process has revealed anisotropic behavior for the 3D printed objects, where significant divergence could be observed concerning the surface roughness. Simultaneously, a slight difference was noticed in terms of the dimensional accuracy of various specimen shapes. Furthermore, a notable increment in the hardness of the post-processed specimens compared to the non-post processed ones. The results suggest that the structure of the horizontal print orientation (0 degrees angle) encourages improving/refine surface roughness.