Geometrical and feature of size design effect on direct stereolithography micro additively manufactured components

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a suitable technique for the production of components with different geometries and complexity that cannot be easily fabricated with traditional manufacturing techniques. However, considering the manufacturing restrictions can clarify the feasibility of the designs to be produced by AM.

In this context, this study investigates the capability and limitations, in terms of feature size and geometry, of the Vat Polymerization method by producing various micro components. In order to evaluate the AM machine capability, two test parts, one with hollow cylindrical and the other with hollow box shapes, with different size features have been designed.

Different batches of samples were printed to find out the limit for micro polymer components manufacturing with different geometries. The variability of the results in a single print and different batch was also evaluated. The smallest printed feature of size with hollow shape was 630 μm for both geometries and the features smaller than 355 μm were completely solid.