Voxel based method for predictive modelling of solidification and stress in digital light processing based additive manufacture.

A method for predicting the solidification and stress of a digital light processing 3D print process is presented, using a voxel-based, multi-layer model to predict the degree of polymerization of the material at every stage during the print. Additive manufacturing offers extremely short development cycles, making predictive modelling of the complex chemical and mechanical interactions of photo-polymerization during part construction unappealing compared to iterative work-flows. Accurate predictions of stress, and the impact of the print parameters and post-print process upon stress, become increasingly important for 3D printing micro-scale electrical and mechanical systems as we design resonators and conductive layers. The process uses a simple method of printed cantilevers to calibrate the stress from various print processes such as propagation of the polymerization front and polymerization gradient. The model is found to have good predictive value and is capable of stress and solidification prediction from a computer aided design file.