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Evaluation of Sla Biocompatible Resins Properties for Use as Dielectric Layers in 3D Printed Capacitive Force Sensors

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Abstract:

Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies have enabled the fabrication of customizable, low-cost capacitive sensors for a wide range of applications, including robotics, automation, and bioelectronics. Although various AM techniques have been explored, structural inconsistencies often remain a challenge, limiting the performance and reproducibility of printed dielectric layers. Stereolithography (SLA), offers higher resolution and denser prints, yet the use of commercial photopolymer resins as dielectric materials remains underexplored. This study investigates two commercial SLA-compatible resins, a flexible medical-grade elastic resin and a dental-grade resin, as potential dielectric layers for capacitive force sensors. Both resins are biocompatible for short-term use or skin contact, making them suitable also for medical applications. The elastic 50A-V1 resin exhibited a Young’s modulus of E = 5.0 ± 0.2 MPa up to approximately 60% strain, whereas the Dental Clear V2 resin showed a significantly higher modulus of E = 1020 ± 80 MPa under the same conditions. Therefore, the elastic resin was subsequently chosen as the dielectric material to fabricate a proof-of-concept capacitive force sensor, which exhibited a final capacitance of 1.13 ± 0.03 pF within a force range of 10 to 400 N. The findings serve as a preliminary step towards the development of fully 3D-printed capacitive force sensors for integration into soft robotic and smart biomedical systems.

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Info:

Periodical:

Key Engineering Materials (Volume 1047)

Pages:

65-71

Online since:

April 2026

Authors:

Alessandro Epicoco, Tiziano Fapanni, Stefano Pandini, Paola Serena Ginestra, Elisabetta Ceretti, Emilio Sardini, Miriam Seiti*

Keywords:

3D Printed Capacitive Force Sensor, Electromechanical Properties, Flexible Resin, SLA

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Creative Commons CC BY 4.0

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* - Corresponding Author

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