Development of translucent and strong three dimensional printing models

Purpose - The aim is to investigate the feasibility of increasing the transparency of the samples or models which were fabricated by three dimensional printing technology and study the properties of such developed system. Design/methodology/approach - Polymethyl methacrylate powders were mixed with maltodextrin binders and used as raw materials for 3DP machine to fabricate samples. The samples were then divided into two groups either infiltrating with heat-cured acrylate infiltrant or subjected to binder elimination prior to infiltration. As-fabricated and two types of infiltrated samples were characterized to compare the influence of post-processing on properties such as shrinkage, light transmittance and flexural properties including modulus, strength and strain at break. Findings - It was observed that the combination of binder elimination and resin infiltration showed the greatest increase in flexural properties and transmittance percentage. approaching the values of polymethyl methacrylate sheet and stereolithography samples. Infiltration without binder elimination increased the transmittance of samples slightly in comparison to as-fabricated samples. This is related to the level of porosity in the samples and the difference in refractive index of different compositions within the samples namely PMMA, binder and infiltrant. Research limitations/implications - Additional step of binder elimination prior to infiltration is needed and this may take time to complete. Practical implications - The technique presented can be used to fabricate a translucent and strong 3DP models. Originality/value - This study demonstrates the factors that are needed to consider increasing the transparency and even strength of 3DP models.