Development and validation of a low-cost UV curing system for Direct Ink Write 3D printers

Existing Direct Ink Write 3D printers use three axis robotic drives with high-cost extrusion system and no inbuilt curing system to cure the polymer inks. This article focusses on the development of a low-cost photopolymer ultraviolet (UV) light curing system for Direct Ink Write 3D printers and optimizing the print parameters. An UV light-emitting diode (LED) light curing setup consisting of UV LED strips, UV LED holder, and a nozzle shield is designed and fabricated. The photocuring of the polymer ink is with the help of low-cost UV LED strips emitting UV light in the wavelength of 405 nm. The effect of nozzle type, stand-off distance and printing speed on the layer height and layer width were calculated. The gel content was determined by Soxhlet extraction and the maximum gel content was achieved in 120 s. The setup was also able to fabricate complex shapes like hollow cone and a hollow bend pipe without any supports which validates the effectiveness of the curing system.