Improving the Thermal Stability of Somos™ 6110 Photopolymer Patterns

With the increased emphasis on functional testing and tooling applications using stereolithographic rapid prototyping (RP) techniques, the need for RP materials with improved thermal stability is becoming more pronounced. Glass transition temperature and Heat deflection temperature are two commonly used measures to determine the thermal stability of a polymeric material. This paper shows the effect of different postcuring techniques on the heat deflection temperature (HDT) of DuPont Somos™ 6110 photopolymer. In addition, the benefits of using heat transfer mediums which provide neutral buoyancy and thus minimize thermal distortions are discussed.