Experimental Analysis of the Effect of Compressive Force Resulting from the Initial Distance on the Improvement of Dimensional Accuracy, using Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene Membranes with Different Thicknesses in Digital Light Processing Method

The additive manufacturing method, as the newest way of producing parts in medicinal and industrial fields, has made significant advancements in recent years. Among the existing methods, digital light processing (DLP) using flexible membranes is one of the most extensively utilized polymer-based approaches. Dimensional accuracy along the vertical and plane axis of the printed parts is one of the key issues in manufacturing polymer parts, both layer by layer and layerless. In this article, utilizing the system designed and manufactured in this faculty's laboratory, as well as three flexible fluorinated ethylene propylene membranes of varying thicknesses and Provision and Anycubic resins, the influence of the calibration technique and initial distance on the dimensional accuracy of printed parts in the DLP method have been investigated experimentally. By assessing the compressive forces caused by the initial distance, it was discovered that the compressive force increases when the initial distance was determined in membranes with thicknesses of 100, 150, and 200 microns in both resins, resulting in a 17.5% - 34.1% decrease of the part's thickness is caused by the fact that by positioning it at the appropriate initial distance, the resulting error can be greatly reduced. Furthermore, for both of the resins stated, reducing the thickness of the flexible membrane has a direct link with increasing the dimensional accuracy in the printed parts.