INDUSTRIAL PHOTOCHEMISTRY .21. CHEMICAL, TRANSPORT AND REFRACTIVE-INDEX EFFECTS IN SPACE-RESOLVED LASER PHOTOPOLYMERIZATION

Stereophotolithography involves surface-resolved photopolymerization induced by laser. The basic principle is to create objects by a layer-by-layer system. In order to optimize the process, we show how we can change heat and mass transfer during the photopolymerization reactions. After a theoretical approach to the basic phenomena, a comparison between the experimental and expected results demonstrates that more elaborate modelling is required. Monte Carlo modelling shows the strong influence of the change in refractive index during the photopolymerization reaction on the space resolution, which induces some important limitations. In some cases, solutions are proposed.