About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 Annual International Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium (SFF Symp 2026)
|
| Symposium
|
2026 Annual International Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium (SFF Symp 2026)
|
| Presentation Title |
Optimizing Soft and Stretchable Elastomers for Vat Photopolymerization |
| Author(s) |
Ram Mahato, Daniel Andrew Rau |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Daniel Andrew Rau |
| Abstract Scope |
Soft and stretchable photopolymer resins for vat photopolymerization (VP) are needed for soft robotics, flexible electronics, and biomedical devices, but their development is limited by both poor mechanical performance and printing quality. To address these challenges, we optimize an acrylate-based elastomeric resin through the systematic incorporation of multifunctional thiols and silicone-based additives. Thiol incorporation reduces modulus from 34 to 8.0 kPa while increasing elongation at break from 300% to over 1040%. However, the thiol-modified resins are very sticky resulting in high recoating forces that cause warping and print failure. Adding silicone-based additives reduces peel stresses during recoating by up to 53% and improves print quality. The optimized formulation containing both thiols and silicone-based additives achieves dimensional fidelity errors as low as 3%. Together, the additives provide independent control over mechanical properties and adhesion behavior to enable the reliable VP printing of highly stretchable elastomers with high geometric fidelity. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Undecided |