Title: Development of a Low Thermal Expansion Nanocomposite Resin for MSLA 3D Printer

Authors: Muhammad A. Sufian, Rahul R. Sheley, Wasi Shadman, Ibrahim K. Tanim, Benicia Cooper, Jitendra Tate

DOI: 10.33599/nasampe/s.24.0229

Abstract: Masked Stereolithography (MSLA) is a 3D printing technique that uses an LCD screen and a UV LED light source operated digitally to selectively cure photosensitive resin, forming a three-dimensional object through successive layers cured upon one another. Using MSLA offers superior dimensional precision, efficient surface finish, and printing resolution limits of 30 µm to 140µm, allowing to obtain complex 3D geometries. Using this technique gives advantage of astonishing results in the resolution of 3d printer surface but many times lacks in obtaining desired material properties compared to other available techniques. To overcome this lacuna one of the methods is to create a thin layer coating of nickel plating over the resin which enhances the mechanical strengths, heat diffraction, and resistance to chemicals. In this scenario, the CTE of resin does not align with that of nickel metal. This results in internal stresses when exposed to the harsh environment of space causing the part failure. In this work, an attempt has been made by using epoxy as a base resin and introducing nanomaterial Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) to reduce the CTE. Out of all different loading levels of MWCNT 0.5 wt% loading showed maximum reduction in terms of CTE which is more than 25% compared to neat resin. Tensile strength and tensile modulus increased by more than 47% and 61%. While flexural modulus increased by 66% and percentage elongation showed a reduction by 38% compared to neat resin.

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Conference: SAMPE 2024

Publication Date: 2024/05/20

SKU: TP24-0000000229

Pages: 19

Price: $38.00