Epoxy acrylate modified by talc in three dimensional printing

In order to improve the mechanical and heat resistant properties of epoxy acrylate (EA), modified talc powder (mTAP) was added into EA. In this work, talc powder (TAP) was modified with 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (MPS). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and Malvern laser particle size meter (PSA) were used to characterize the effect of modification. Results showed that MPS was grafted on TAP surface. Then the modified talc powder (mTAP) was uniformly dispersed in blend resin. Specimens were made by a stereolithography apparatus (SLA) 3D-printer. The tensile strength, elongation at break, impact strength and volume shrinkage of specimens were investigated. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analyzer were used to study the dispersion state of mTAP, microstructure and heat resistance of the specimens. By analyses, it was revealed that the addition of 5 wt% mTAP had the best effect. Studies showed that addition of mTAP could effectively reduce the volume shrinkage and improve the mechanical properties of specimens.