Investigation of Epoxy-Acrylate Soybean Oil as A Bio-Enhancer for 3D Printing Application

In this study, a standard crude oil-based commercial resin containing urethane acrylate and acrylic mon-omers was combined with a biobased monomer, namely epoxy-acrylate soybean oil (EASO), at ratios varying from 10 to 50 wt.% and 3D printed, using a stereolithographic apparatus. The printed samples exhibited good quality and complete integration between the layers. Besides, the addition of increasing EASO loadings decreased the stiffness and mechanical strength of the samples (which exhibited mechanical properties similar to other commercially available photosensitive systems), while increasing their ductility and wettability. Therefore, the addition of EASO may significantly contribute to the exploitation of greener materials, which well matches today's circular economy concept