Digital Light Processing (DLP) 3D printing is a powerful additive manufacturing technique that uses a digital light projector to cure photopolymer resins layer by layer. This process allows for high-resolution prints with smooth surfaces, making it a preferred choice for applications in dentistry, jewelry, engineering, and prototyping. As industries move toward customization and on-demand production, DLP stands out as a viable solution for reducing waste and improving production efficiency. Currently, the materials produced by DLP printing are predominantly thermosetting polymers based on acrylate and epoxy-resins. These materials offer excellent mechanical properties, chemical resistance, and durability. However, a major drawback of traditional thermosets is their inability to be reprocessed or recycled after curing, contributing to the accumulation of plastic waste once their life cycle ends. Therefore, it becomes clear that alternative biobased and recyclable resins, are of high interest. We have developed unsaturated polyester resins, of high biobased content, and studied their properties and printability with a digital light processing (DLP) 3D printer. To this end, monomers from renewable resources were utilized for the synthesis of the polyesters, including itaconic acid, sebacic acid and 1,3-propanediol. The produced resins were evaluated regarding their photopolymerization and physicochemical properties and the materials produced via 3D printing were characterized for their thermomechanical properties. To facilitate mechanical recycling of the printed parts, dynamic disulfide bonds were introduced into the structure of the prepared polyesters. The reprocessability and properties of the materials after thermal reprocessing were also evaluated. Keywords: DLP 3D printing, biobased polymers, itaconic acid, recyclable thermosetsAcknowledgmentsThe research work was supported by the Olle Engkvists Stiftelse (Fellowship Registration Number: C-2023-2369).
WWSC is a joint research center between KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Chalmers University of Technology and Linköping University. The base is a donation from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. The Swedish industry is supporting WWSC via the platform Treesearch.
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