Photopolymers are not new and have been in some form of prototyping service for at least a couple of decades. And historically, photopolymers have not enjoyed a reputation of acceptable direct casting. With a proliferation of rapid prototyping systems evolving into the jewelry industry at prices much more accessible to smaller shops, direct casting of cured photopolymer resins has become an issue of high importance. This paper will explore the process of developing a technique for direct casting of a specific photopolymer. In consultation with the developer of this resin and the director of the University of Oregon's CAMCOR Polymer Characterization Facility, and using practical casting tests with photomacrographic documentation, the goal of this project is to achieve optimized direct casting results from this polymer.

Author(s): Gary Dawson