Electroless metallization of stereolithographic photocurable resins for 3D printing of functional microdevices

In the present paper the electroless metallization of 3D printed devices using stereolithography is investigated. Two different photocurable resins from a commercial supplier and a self-formulated one are used as starting materials for printing. A first metal layer of NiP or Cu, obtained by an optimized pretreatment and plating process, is subsequently applied on the parts. The possibility of obtaining multilayers through the successive electrodeposition of different metals on the electroless treated parts is demonstrated as well. From the applicative point of view, the use of 3D printing, coupled with electroless deposition of mono or multilayers, can be employed to manufacture functional microstructures for use in the fields of microrobotics, MEMS, metamaterials and others. For this reason the realization of a prototypical magnetic actuator is presented as an example of possible application.