Vacuum-Compatible Fluidic and Pneumatic Components Made from Photopolymers: Leakage, Outgassing, Seals and Cycling

Photopolymer components can operate in vacuum systems only when bulk outgassing, permeation, trapped volumes, surface desorption and assembly leakage are separated experimentally. Recent work has demonstrated high- and ultra-high-vacuum use of selected stereolithography materials after controlled baking, but these results are formulation- and geometry-specific and do not qualify arbitrary resins or fluidic components. This review develops a qualification architecture for printed manifolds, adapters, valves and pneumatic/vacuum components. Material screening combines pump-down and residual-gas analysis with bake compatibility; component verification adds leak testing, seal compression, dimensional retention and repeated pressure/vacuum cycling. Printed threads and sealing surfaces are treated as interfaces whose roughness and creep can dominate the assembly. The central conclusion is that low material outgassing does not prove a leak-tight component, while a leak-tight room-temperature assembly does not prove low outgassing or cyclic stability. Vacuum compatibility belongs to the complete printed material-interface- assembly state.

ER-283 · Version 0.3.