A study in a tape casting based stereolithography apparatus: Role of layer thickness and casting shear rate

Stereolithography process is predominated by vat based printers, which require the use of low viscosity materials. In this study, a configuration derived from tape casting is used, which allows for printing viscous materials. The role of layer thickness and casting shear rate on the dimensional control, surface roughness, and microstructure texture of printed objects were investigated. This included an examination of the thixotropic and flow behaviors of a highly concentrated alumina suspension. The results showed that the adhesion between layers improved using a high energy dose with thicker layers, but the lateral resolution was reduced. The surface roughness improved using thinner layers with low energy dose at fixed cure depth to layer thickness ratio. The applied shear rates showed no effect on dimensional control.