Application of lignocellulosic composite (Taiwan incense-cedar) for digital light processing (DLP) in 3D printing

Abstract

ABSTRACT Adding wood fiber to the 3D printing material can make the 3D-printed product have the characteristics of natural dyeing and material. Because wood fiber is mostly waste and cheap, it can reduce material cost. For environmental sustainability, it is a very promising filling material. Currently, there are 3D printing consumables using wood fiber on the market, most of which are made by drawing wires with polylactic acid (PLA). Due to the low accuracy and yield of frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) printing using filaments, it cannot be extended to mass production industrial use, and natural pellets cause the problem of nozzle clogging. In contrast, if fiber is mixed with polyurethane acrylate (PUA), it can be printed by DLP and cured through the photocuring reaction. This method has no clogging problem and has high printing accuracy, enabling industrialized mass production that requires high yield and accuracy. Therefore, in this study, Taiwan incense-cedar (high economic and ecological value tree species) was applied to commercial PUA materials for DLP 3D printing. Mix wood fiber with different ratios and commercial PUA, conduct printing and performance tests, and then compare the mechanical properties and finished product effects with commercial PLA printed products that add wood fiber.