A web-based platform for automated vat photopolymerization additive manufacturing process

Vat photopolymerization (VP) has been adopted rapidly and widely due to its ability to print 3D objects with high resolution and accuracy, and its high speed of fabrication over a wide range of materials. However, commercial VP printers have limited functionality and are designed primarily for local use. In this research, a generic web-based VP (WBVP) platform was built to provide enhanced functionality and remote access. A novel adaptive controller for printer parameters was developed to reduce the impact of pulling force problem in bottom-up VP 3D printing as well as speed up the manufacturing problem, new geometric and energy calibration algorithms were developed to alleviate shape distortion and uneven heating problems due to curvature of the lens, and a novel web interface was created to allow either one user to control multiple machines and or multiple users to control a single machine to make parts in real-time. The developed platform produced 3D parts with higher resolution and quality in less processing time as compared with a commercially available VP machine.