Typical resins for UV-assisted additive manufacturing (AM) are prepared from petroleum-based materials and therefore do not contribute to the growing AM industry trend of converting to sustainable bio-based materials. To satisfy society and industry’s demand for sustainability, renewable feedstocks must be explored; unfortunately, there are not many options that are applicable to photopolymerization. Nevertheless, some vegetable oils can be modified to be suitable for UV-assisted AM technologies. In this work, extended study, through FTIR and photorheology measurements, of the UV-curing of epoxidized acrylate from soybean oil (AESO)-based formulations has been performed to better understand the photopolymerization process. The study demonstrates that the addition of appropriate functional comonomers like trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA) and the adjusting of the concentration of photoinitiator from 1% to 7% decrease the needed UV-irradiation time by up to 25%. Under optimized conditions, the optimal curing time was about 4 s, leading to a double bond conversion rate (DBC%) up to 80% and higher crosslinking density determined by the Flory–Rehner empirical approach. Thermal and mechanical properties were also investigated via TGA and DMA measurements that showed significant improvements of mechanical performances for all formulations. The properties were improved further upon the addition of the reactive diluents. After the thorough investigations, the prepared vegetable oil-based resin ink formulations containing reactive diluents were deemed suitable inks for UV-assisted AM, giving their appropriate viscosity. The validation was done by printing different objects with complex structures using a laser based stereolithography apparatus (SLA) printer.

Herein we introduce a plant oil-based elastomer system for 3D-printable soft robotics, offering high flexibility and resolution. Systems with varied mechanical properties in printed parts enable fast, delicate movements and the shape memory effect.

The environmental degradation of biodegradable polyester parts prepared via fused filament fabrication (FFF) from poly(butylene succinate) (PBS)/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and PBS/poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) blends (5/5 and 7/3 w/w) was systematically studied in static artificial seawater over six months. In contrast to typical thin-film degradation studies, bulk specimens provide realistic insights into the degradation behavior of thicker polymer products encountered in practical marine applications. 3D-printed dumbbell specimens fabricated with concentric and rectilinear infill patterns were investigated to tackle this issue and respond to emerging additive manufacturing trends. Changes in mechanical performance were significant, with the PBS/PHB (5/5) blend showing a pronounced 3.3-fold reduction in ultimate strength and a 2.5-fold reduction in elastic modulus. A three-stage sorption model was applied, quantifying water diffusion, hydrolytic degradation, and leaching of polymer components. Morphological examinations using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy revealed crystalline salt deposits forming preferentially at interlayer interfaces, contributing to accelerated structural deterioration. Differential scanning calorimetry further showed shifts in crystallization temperature and crystallinity, underscoring alterations in polymer structure due to degradation. These results demonstrate that bulk part dimensions and 3D printing parameters critically influence degradation pathways, emphasizing the necessity of bulk-scale studies to predict real-world degradation behavior in marine environments accurately.