Dynamic energy control in photopolymerization: Achieving uniform overcure and high dimensional accuracy for dental applications

The increasing adoption of photopolymerization-based resin composites in medical manufacturing has propelled the rapid and precise fabrication of complex geometries to the forefront of interdisciplinary research. Within orthodontics, dental aligner production faces dual challenges of geometric accuracy and mechanical performance, intensifying the demand for high-precision printing enabled by variable light intensity during continuous processes. This study introduces a graphics-driven adaptive control framework for continuous 3D printing that synchronizes dynamic energy compensation with Z-axis lift speed. The core novelty lies in achieving concurrent optimization of geometric accuracy (±0.05 mm), mechanical isotropy (anisotropy index = 1.08), and production throughput (300% speed increase), thereby resolving the critical trade-off between speed and dimensional uniformity in photopolymerization. Systematic validation using actual dental models demonstrated that the variable energy control algorithm maintains geometric accuracy within ±0.05 mm even with a 300% increase in axial printing speed. Furthermore, the continuous fabrication technique reduced the mechanical anisotropy index of tensile specimens to 1.08. Clinical data indicated that this technology shortened the single-model printing time from 73.8±1.2 min using conventional Digital Light Processing (DLP) to 3.72 ± 0.1 min, while simultaneously increasing the dimensional compliance rate of critical occlusal surfaces from 82% to 98% ( P <0.01). This breakthrough provides a theoretical framework for graphics-driven digital manufacturing of composites; its dynamic energy compensation mechanism holds significant reference value for fields such as real-time rendering and physical simulation. • GPU-driven energy compensation syncs light intensity with Z-axis speed. • Uniform overcure (0.14 ± 0.03 mm) across 2–6 mm/min vs 0.35±0.12 mm static. • Aligner printing time cut from 73.8±1.2 min to 3.72±0.1 min;±0.05 mm accuracy. • Anisotropy index 1.08 and occlusal compliance rose from 82% to 98% ( P <0.01).