Sustainable 3D printing resin developed from plant-based materials

Teams from the Political University of Catalonia – Barcelonatech (UPC) and the Catalonian Chemistry Institute have developed polymer resins derived from plant-based materials aimed at reducing the reliance on fossil fuel-based resins for 3D printing. Findings can be found in RSC Applied Polymers.

The 3D printing industry is increasingly seeking resins made with renewable resources to promote more sustainable additive manufacturing technologies. To address this challenge, UPC researchers and the Catalonia Chemistry Institute (ICIQ) have developed new 3D polymer resins from monomers obtained from several natural sources, including cornic acid. This is a compound found in foods such as corn and broccoli. In light-based 3D printing, the resin must be characterized by high industrially viable polymerization rates without liquids or solvents.

The study, led by UPC, was conducted in two stages. First, polymer resins were formulated using plant-based materials in a process led by Elaine Armerin, a researcher in materials and molecular engineering innovation. This is a biomaterial of the Regenerative Therapy (IMEM-BRT) group and is a professor at the Barcelonaist School of Engineering (EEBE). Second, ICIQ Knowledge and Technology Transfer (ICIQ-KTT) and Industrial Project Area printed resin under the supervision of researcher Fernando Bravo.

Sustainable 3D printing

Research in this field is essential to promote greener 3D printing technology. The polymer resins developed by the UPC and ICIQ teams are derived from natural sources such as satinic acid, maric acid, and tartaric acid. This requires only a single synthetic step to convert it to functional resin. These can be used with digital optical processing (DLP) or stereolithography (SLA) printers.

This work forms part of the Base-3D project led by CIM UPC. The purpose of this project is to promote the manufacturing technology of additives by promoting technology maturity and promoting its use in Catalonia’s industry, operational theatres, businesses and classrooms.

This is the second type of polymer resin developed by ICIQ and UPC within the Base-3D project via a Light3D cluster (Project Base3D:001-P-001646) led by Liitat Technological Center. The first was a biodegradable polymer that exhibited excellent performance in DLP printing.

Currently, the IMEM-BRT group is also studying soft biopolymers such as alginates, chitosan and gelatin as sustainable superabsorbent materials for application to desalinated cell soils, batteries, and polymer electrolytes.