Effect of polymerization degree on debinding induced cracking in three‐dimensional printed silica glass

Abstract In recent years, the digital light processing (DLP) technology has demonstrated tremendous potential in the field of silica glass manufacturing. However, the size of glass components produced is usually only a few millimeters due to the fact that large‐sized glass components are prone to cracking during the manufacturing process, especially induced by the thermal degradation of cured resin during the debinding process. This study elaborates in detail on the effect of polymerization degree on debinding induced cracking in 3D printed silica glasses. Specifically, green parts cured by a DLP 3D printer with photosensitive resin containing silica nanoparticles were manufactured under different silica particle loadings, light intensities, and exposure time. The results indicate that the polymerization degree decreases with increasing silica loading, while increases with increasing light intensities and exposure times. The higher polymerization degrees led to serious cracking. These findings are crucial for optimizing the quality and structural integrity of 3D printed silica glass components.