Particle and Microplastic Release from Printed Photopolymers: Wear, Weathering, Measurement and Exposure Boundaries

Printed photopolymers can lose matter through abrasion, fracture, surface ageing and combined environmental-mechanical loading, but a measured mass loss or airborne particle signal does not by itself establish a microplastic-release rate. Direct VPP evidence shows measurable wear of SLA photopolymer denture teeth under controlled tribological loading [1] and task-resolved particle emission during vat-photopolymerisation processing, including sanding [2]. Broader polymer evidence shows that ultraviolet exposure and mechanical abrasion can interact to accelerate surface degradation and particle release [3]. ER-277 defines how those observations should be converted into a defensible release assessment for printed photopolymers. It separates article wear from manufacturing aerosol, distinguishes mass loss from particle number and size distribution, requires recovery-efficiency and blank controls, and treats weathering history, surface state and exposure compartment as part of the measured state. No universal microplastic emission factor, particle-size distribution or environmental exposure threshold is claimed.

ER-277 · Version v0.2.