Abstract
It is confirmed that there exists dimensional changes due to swelling both in photo-solidified polymer models currently being built and after building due to swelling. In order to decrease this dimensional changes, it is effective to heighten molecule joint force by reinforcing the hardening of photo-solidified polymer models. In case of rapid prototyping, the hardening depth based on the setup of the laser currently being built mainly determines the degree of hardening. Depending on the kind of polymer, ultraviolet ray irradiation may be required after building. Experiments were conducted on the hardening depth of models made by SL5170 epoxy photo-solidified polymer and the effects of post-curing processing. The results confirmed that increasing the degree of hardening by setting the hardening depth deeply during building and performing post-curing processing after building is effective against dimensional changes.
