Improving Stereolithography Part Accuracy for Industrial Applications

Abstract

High dimensional accuracy and part stability are significant elements of the end product in rapid prototyping technology (RPT) processes whether it is a component or a tool. However, in most cases, models built in acrylic-based resin in the stereolithography (SL) process have not been of the desired quality and this has led to the use of more expensive resins that have a longer build time. An experimental investigation has been carried out to determine statistically the optimum build parameters to be used in the Taguchi method, to improve the SLA product quality. The two new hatch styles developed in this study have resulted in an overall improvement of the part accuracy, and a new layer thickness for part building in stereolithography has been proposed.