Castor oil-based UV curable acrylate resins for digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing technology
Category
Sciences and Technology
Department
Material Science
Student Status
Graduate
Research Advisor
Dr. Ram Gupta
Document Type
Event
Location
Student Center Ballroom
Start Date
10-4-2025 2:00 PM
End Date
10-4-2025 4:00 PM
Description
Biobased resins are a promising sustainable alternative to traditional petroleum-based polymers in Digital Light Processing (DLP) 3D printing. This study focuses on developing a castor oil-based UV-curable acrylate resin that is renewable. Castor oil was chemically modified with methacrylic anhydride (MAA) via an esterification process to synthesize castor oil-based methacrylate ester (CO_MAA), enhancing its photopolymerization efficiency and crosslinking potential. To comprehensively evaluate the resin's properties, several characterization techniques such as FT-IR and NMR spectroscopy were conducted that confirmed the successful chemical modification. Furthermore, the viscosity measurements of the CO_MAA resins were investigated to gain insight into the printability of the synthesized photocurable resins. Indeed, the dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) of the UV-cured film of CO_MAA exhibits a glass transition temperature (Tg) of 10.44 oC. Moreover, the thermal properties of the UV-cured object were examined by TGA analysis, demonstrating that the resin can withstand high temperatures before degradation. Tensile testing showed the tensile strength of CO_MAA film is 1.8 MPa, confirming the material's elasticity and mechanical strength. Additionally, gel content and swelling behavior validated the resin's crosslinking efficiency and solvent resistance. The results indicate that this castor oil-derived resin exhibits excellent UV-curability, strong mechanical properties, and high-resolution printability, making it a promising material for DLP 3D printing applications.
Castor oil-based UV curable acrylate resins for digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing technology
Student Center Ballroom
Biobased resins are a promising sustainable alternative to traditional petroleum-based polymers in Digital Light Processing (DLP) 3D printing. This study focuses on developing a castor oil-based UV-curable acrylate resin that is renewable. Castor oil was chemically modified with methacrylic anhydride (MAA) via an esterification process to synthesize castor oil-based methacrylate ester (CO_MAA), enhancing its photopolymerization efficiency and crosslinking potential. To comprehensively evaluate the resin's properties, several characterization techniques such as FT-IR and NMR spectroscopy were conducted that confirmed the successful chemical modification. Furthermore, the viscosity measurements of the CO_MAA resins were investigated to gain insight into the printability of the synthesized photocurable resins. Indeed, the dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) of the UV-cured film of CO_MAA exhibits a glass transition temperature (Tg) of 10.44 oC. Moreover, the thermal properties of the UV-cured object were examined by TGA analysis, demonstrating that the resin can withstand high temperatures before degradation. Tensile testing showed the tensile strength of CO_MAA film is 1.8 MPa, confirming the material's elasticity and mechanical strength. Additionally, gel content and swelling behavior validated the resin's crosslinking efficiency and solvent resistance. The results indicate that this castor oil-derived resin exhibits excellent UV-curability, strong mechanical properties, and high-resolution printability, making it a promising material for DLP 3D printing applications.
