Usability of a low-end 3D printer for prototyping of pressure-swirl atomizers

With recent advance in print resolution of stereo lithography (SLA) 3D printers, a cheap and fast prototyping method of many industrial components is available. This paper examines the limits of the low- end SLA printer with a pixel resolution of 35 μm for the prototyping of pressure-swirl atomizers. Several differently sized atomizers with exit orifice diameter in range from 0.3 to 1.2 mm were produced with all dimensions evenly scaled. The circularity of the exit orifices was inspected by an optical microscope. Atomizers were operated under the same Reynolds numbers, which were selected to cover a pressure range between 4 and 10 bar for the smallest atomizer. The generated spray was observed with a high-speed camera. The discharge coefficient, spray cone angle (SCA) and circumferential liquid distribution were compared. Even the atomizer with 0.46 mm exit orifice produced a decent spray, almost comparable to the machined version. The discharge coefficient was slightly dependent on the size of the atomizer up to the exit orifice of 0.6 mm with the indices to print inaccuracies.