NIST and PAMA Release Standardized Resin for 3D Printing Quality Control

A Common Benchmark for Resin Quality

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Photopolymer Additive Manufacturing Alliance (PAMA) have released Reference Material 8047, a standardized photoactive resin that lets different labs measure light penetration depth and exposure energy the same way.

Commercial scaling of photopolymer 3D printing has been slowed by discrepancies in how labs measure the so-called "working curve" -- the depth at which resin cures enough for layers to bond without over-exposure. RM 8047 provides a uniform benchmarking baseline, with each unit containing a 20 gram bottle of carefully formulated resin and an official reference sheet.

Over 30 cross-sector stakeholders participated in the interlaboratory study behind the material, accelerating peer-reviewed research and safety protocols. The material is available for purchase directly from NIST.

This kind of standardization has been missing from a segment where accuracy, quality control, and reproducibility have varied significantly between facilities.