Perfluorinated Lacquer Coating for Clear 3D Print Post-Curing
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Solution Overview
Problem
3D printed matters, particularly transparent orthodontic appliances, face issues with surface damage, haze, and quality degradation due to uncured resin erosion during cleaning and incomplete curing from air-exposed post-curing processes, leading to weakened physical properties and discoloration.
Innovation Solution
A lacquer containing a perfluorinated acrylic resin and solvent is applied to clean and form a protective film on the 3D printed surface, preventing damage and contamination, ensuring complete curing and maintaining transparency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If solvent cleaning is used to remove uncured resin from the surface of 3D printed matter, then the uncured resin is removed, but the surface becomes coarse and irregular with haze
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a protective coating to the 3D printed matter before the post-curing process. This preliminary action protects the surface from oxidation and moisture during curing, preventing the formation of coarse and irregular surfaces that occur when cleaning with solvents. The coating is applied in advance to avoid the need for subsequent solvent cleaning that damages surface quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective coating acts as an intermediary layer between the uncured resin and the external environment (oxygen and moisture). This intermediary prevents harmful interactions during the post-curing process, allowing the resin to cure completely without surface degradation, thereby eliminating the need for solvent cleaning that would otherwise cause haze and surface irregularities.
2Ease of manufacture
If post curing is performed in air-exposed state, then the process is simple, but oxygen and moisture inactivate radicals and anions preventing complete curing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a thin film coating applied to the surface of the 3D printed matter. This flexible thin film creates a barrier against oxygen and moisture while allowing the piece to maintain its shape and be handled easily. The coating is thin enough to be practical but sufficient to prevent atmospheric contaminants from inactivating the curing radicals and anions, enabling complete curing without complex inert atmosphere equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective coating creates an inert environment around the uncured resin by blocking oxygen and moisture from the air. This allows the post-curing process to proceed as if in an inert atmosphere, preventing the inactivation of radicals and anions, while maintaining process simplicity by avoiding the need for actual inert gas chambers or vacuum equipment.
3Reliability
If light energy is increased to fully cure resin during printing, then curing completeness improves, but printing speed and precision decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs the complete curing process as a preliminary action after printing is finished, rather than attempting to achieve full curing during the printing process itself. This allows rapid printing with lower light energy to maintain speed, followed by a dedicated post-curing step where the piece is exposed to UV light for an extended period (several hours) to achieve complete curing of all resin layers.
Solution Approach 2:
The curing process is segmented into two distinct phases: during-print curing with lower light energy to maintain printing speed, and post-print curing with extended UV exposure to achieve complete curing. This segmentation allows each phase to be optimized independently - speed during printing, completeness after printing - resolving the contradiction between curing completeness and printing productivity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The lacquer effectively removes uncured resin, forms a protective film, and blocks moisture/oxygen penetration, preserving the 3D printed matter's transparency and durability, while allowing post-curing in a standard atmosphere without additional equipment.
Implementation Method 1
a perfluorinated acrylic resin that is coated, as a protective film, on the surface of the 3D printed matter
Implementation Method 2
blocks moisture/oxygen penetration, preserving the 3D printed matter's transparency and durability
Implementation Method 3
containing a solvent for cleaning a surface of a 3D printed matter and a perfluorinated acrylic resin
Implementation Method 4
a radical that is generated by a photoinitiator in the 3D printed matter by the generated radical
Implementation Method 5
selectively emitting light to photocuring resin (a resin composition)
Implementation Method 6
air-contained oxygen can inactivate a radical that is generated by a photoinitiator in the 3D printed matter
Implementation Method 7
air-contained moisture can inactivate anions that are generated by reacting with anions generated by the photoinitiator
Data Source
AI summary
Proposed is a lacquer for treating a 3D printing-created printed matter that is configured to contain a perfluorinated acrylic resin having a relatively high surface hardness and excellent water resistance and contamination resistance, as well as an excellent force of adhesion to a printing resin making up a 3D printed matter. While the 3D printed matter that is printed through a photocuring-type 3D printer is cleaned and rinsed, an uncured resin remaining on the 3D printed matter is removed, and at the same time, a protective film layer is formed on a surface of the 3D printed matter by being coated thereon. As a result, the surface of the 3D printed matter is protected from damage during a post curing process. Furthermore, the 3D printed matter, which is to be manufactured, is also effectively safeguarded against quality degradation that is caused by contamination through the surface thereof and subsequent discoloration.