A Study on the Changes in Surface Properties According to Post-treatment of SLA 3D Printing Materials

In this study, a basic study was performed to systematically compare the changes in surface properties according to the post-processing method of the stereolithography (SLA) printing method, which is a photocuring 3D printing method, and to provide information on the post-processing method suitable for the application. Although it was possible to improve some of the transparency of the SLA-type output by regularly changing the irregular microstructure of the surface through polishing, it was difficult to secure sufficient transparency like glass. The change in contact angle characteristics due to grinding showed a tendency to slightly increase as the grinding time increased and the particle size of the sandpaper used was small, but the variation between samples was large and the average contact angle was 7790 degrees, showing no statistically significant difference. Surface treatment methods other than polishing were tried, and it was confirmed that it was possible to easily and simply improve the transparency by applying a commercially available vehicle scratch remover or silicone oil. In addition, a method for securing high transparency such as glass by using a scratch remover after sequential grinding while reducing the particle size of the sandpaper was proposed. Finally, even after surface treatment through polishing and various methods, it was difficult to secure a contact angle of 90 degrees or more.

Automated summary

In this study, the post-processing methods of the stereolithography (SLA) printing method were compared to assess their effects on the surface properties. It was found that polishing could improve transparency, although achieving glass-like transparency was challenging. The use of a commercially available vehicle scratch remover or silicone oil could effectively enhance transparency. A method combining sequential grinding with a scratch remover was proposed for achieving high transparency. However, it was difficult to achieve a contact angle of 90 degrees or more, even with various surface treatment methods.