Hot lithography vat photopolymerisation 3D printing: Vat temperature vs. mixture design

In the vat photopolymerisation 3D printing technique, the properties of the printed parts are highly dependent on the degree of conversion of the monomers. The mechanisms and advantages of vat photopolymerisation at elevated temperatures, or so called “hot lithography”, were investigated in this paper. Two types of photoresins, commercially used as highly accurate castable resins, with different structural and diluent monomers, were employed in this study. Samples were printed at 25 °C, 40 °C, and 55 °C. The results show that hot lithography can significantly enhance the mechanical and dimensional properties of the printed parts and is more effective when there is a diluent with a network T_g close to the print temperature. When processed at 55 °C, Mixture A, which contains a diluent with a network T_g = 53 °C, was more readily impacted by heat compared to Mixture B, whose diluent had a network T_g = 105. As a result, a higher degree of conversion, followed by an increased T_g of the diluents, and improvements in the tensile strength and dimensional stability of the printed parts were observed, which enhanced the outcomes of the prints for the intended application in investment casting of complex components used in the aero and energy sectors. In conclusion, the effectiveness of the hot lithography process is contained by a correlation between the process temperature and the characteristics of the monomers in the mixture.