3D Microfabrication of Photosensitive Resin Reinforced with Ceramic Nanoparticles Using LCD Microstereolithography

A new liquid crystal display (LCD) microstereolithography process has been developed in order to fabricate microparts with superior mechanical properties (for e.g., micro gears). In this paper, we investigate the fabrication process of micro bevel gears using photosensitive resins reinforced with ceramic nanoparticles; these are made by uniformly mixing ceramic nanoparticles with photosensitive resins. A reduction in surplus growth is required for the improvement of the form accuracy of the micro bevel gears. The reduction in the surplus growth is accomplished as follows. First, the partially solidified resin is gently removed using the forced flow of the developed resin; this forced flow is controlled by the stage that moves along the Z-axis (Z-stage). Second, the exposure procedure for grayscale LCD masks is performed to reduce the surplus growth caused by a repetitive lamination procedure. Finally, the continuous lamination microstereolithography method using a grayscale LCD mask enables the production of highly precise microstructures such as micro bevel gears within a maximum error rate of 3.6%.