IMPACT OF UV POST PROCESSING ON SIMPLE 3D PRINTED PARTS USING MASKED STEREOLITHOGRAPHY

The main subject of this paper are the measurements done after the post-processing of 3D printed parts made using masked stereolithography (MSLA) 3D printing technology, after they have been previously detached from the construction platform and cleaned with isopropyl alcohol. This 3D printing technology requires resin, which mainly uses photopolymers, which are a type of plastic containing photoinitiators. This resin is hardened using a UV LED system and lenses to create the 3D part, layer by layer. The type of resin used can greatly influence the dimensional accuracy of the printed parts. Essential to this technology is the LCD screen that works like a mask, blocking the parts of the resin that doesn't need to be cured by UV light. This screen has a fixed resolution, a fixed pixel size, which affects the dimensional accuracy of the layers. Also, the post-processing time with additional UV light can affect the final dimensions of the printed parts and their resistance, too short exposure time having a negative effect, the parts are still soft, and too long exposure time, also having a negative effect, making the parts brittle. © 2024, Cefin Publishing House. All rights reserved.