A self-peeling vat for improved release capabilities during DLP materials processing

• Main Authors: Pedersen, David Bue, Zhang, Yang, Nielsen, Jakob Skov, Hansen, Hans NØrgaard
• Other Authors: Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Progress in Additive Manufacturing (Pro-AM 2016)
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: Flexible Membrane; Vat
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/84378; http://hdl.handle.net/10220/41772
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This paper describe research to increase the competitiveness of vat polymerisation by increasing the manufacturing rate while lowering the normal forces that induce part stress during the lift procedure of vat based systems. This is achieved through introducing a polymerisation vat that allows for an eased release of the manufactured part from the vat by means of a flexible membrane system. A membrane of fluorinated ethylene polymer will through elastic deformation automatically peel off the part as the part is lifted during layer changes. Peeling has been qualified by means of a truncated inverted cone as test geometry. As the cross-sectional diameter of the cone increase throughout the build-job, the geometry will release from the glass based build platform at the point where the peeling force exceed the adhesion force between platform and part. At failure point the lateral surface area of the top and bottom of the truncated cone is used as a measure of the performance of the vat with respect to release-capability. This has been tested at increasing manufacturing rates. The new self-peeling vat outperformed industrial state-of-the-art vats by 814% percent.