Hello, everyone! Rencently, I have done some experiments with PEGDA using Form 1+. The specific content is shown below. Preparing materials
Photoresin was based on poly(ethylene glycol))diacrylate (PEG-DA) (MW 250) (Sigma Aldrich) mixed with a photoinitiator. The photoinitiator used in this study was Irgacure-819 (BASF Corporation). Irgacure photoinitiator was diserelved in PEG-DA at concentration of 0.2% wt/vol. All these steps were done in the dark to avoid spontaneous reaction with ambient light.
Without replacing the resin tank and the build plate, I tried to print some models. The results are shown below.
You can see that the surface quality and accuracy are so poor. Even worse, the channels ( diameter is 1mm ) are not printed out. The designed models are shown in the figures below.
In that paper the resin is cured with 385nm LEDs and not a 405nm laser like in the Form 1+. On the second page you will see they mention that curing with 405nm requires pigments.
I actually worked in a lab next to the lab that published that paper. A few years ago I asked Dr. Folch if we could use our Form 2 for 3D printed microfluidics, and he told me that it’s not a good choice because of the laser wavelength.
Thank you for your enthusiastic answer and what you replied is very crucial. Whereas sometimes I think that there probably exist some biocompatible materials, which can be cured with a 405nm laser without pigments. Just like PEGDA(250) , which can be cured with 385nm LEDs without pigments. Once I find some polymers and their absorption peaks coincide with the emission spectrum of the light source of 405nm laser, this may come true.