Water soluble sacrificial resins peer reviewed research

Cerebral artery phantoms cast in PDMS from a water-soluble mold

A 2022 study published in Scientific Reports (Nature Portfolio), by Nilsson, Andersson et al. (Umeå University), used IM-HT-WS as a 3D-printed sacrificial mold to cast a full-scale (10×6×4 cm) patient-specific cerebral arterial phantom in transparent silicone (PDMS). The mold was printed on a sub-$200 desktop SLA/MSLA printer (405 nm, 50 µm layers), washed and post-cured with 3Dresyns Cleaning Fluid WS1 and Cleaning Fluid WS2 Bio, then dissolved in water after casting.

The authors reported about 4.4 ml of resin per mold at a cost under $2, a fabrication cost of $14–$70 per phantom, under 2 h of total labour, an internal volume within 13% of the original CTA model, and a mean equivalent radius of 0.997 ± 0.061 mm on 1 mm test channels. 3Dresyns (Resyner Technologies S.L.) is formally acknowledged in the publication.

Water-soluble resin in multi-material microfluidic chips

A 2023 study in Lab on a Chip (Quero, de Jesus & Fracassi da Silva, State University of Campinas) developed a multi-material digital-light-processing printer based on a vat-inclination system with embedded peristaltic pumps. IM-HT-WS was used as the water-soluble component, printed alongside flexible, rigid, fluorescent, phosphorescent and conductive resins to build complex multi-material objects and functional microfluidic devices.

The platform produced microchannels as narrow as 43 µm and a microfluidic chip with embedded electrodes for electrochemical detection. IM-HT-WS is named in the paper as the water-soluble resin used in the multi-material demonstrations.

Soluble cores for micro-injection-moulded hollow parts

A 2024 study in Progress in Additive Manufacturing (Farrugia, Vella & Rochman, University of Malta) tested soluble lost-cores for the micro-injection moulding of polymer parts with internal hollow features. Three soluble core materials were compared — two FFF filaments (Xioneer VXL130, AquaSys180) and one DLP resin, IM-HDT-WS, printed on an Asiga Max X27 — and then over-moulded with PMMA.

The DLP-printed IM-HDT-WS cores gave good dimensional accuracy. The authors ranked the FFF Xioneer VXL130 as the best overall candidate core and noted that the IM-HDT-WS post-cure was not fully optimised in their setup, measuring a glass-transition temperature about 10.5% below the datasheet value. The work is reported as an early feasibility study of the 3D-printing-plus-micro-injection-moulding process chain.

Patient-specific flow phantoms for MRI and Doppler ultrasound

A 2024 study in Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology (Soloukey et al., Erasmus MC Rotterdam) used IM-HDT-WS — a cyan-blue water-soluble resin, printed on an Envisiontec Vida HD — as the sacrificial form to create wall-less, patient-specific lumens inside a tissue-mimicking material.

They produced three phantoms — a slanted pipe, a Y-shaped bifurcating vessel and an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) derived from clinical brain angiography (DSA) data — and demonstrated 3D power-Doppler flow imaging together with MRI compatibility.

What each study used and reported

Mobile: scroll horizontally to view all columns; the first column stays visible. Results are reported by the study authors for their specific prints and protocols, not first-party performance claims, and depend on printer, parameters and water-release workflow.

Print the mold, not the part

Across these studies the resin is not part of the final object — it is printed as a sacrificial mold, core or mandrel and then removed with water. This indirect-AM route reaches geometries that direct printing cannot: wall-less lumens, enclosed channels and internal cavities that would otherwise be impossible to demould.

The trade-off is process. Water-release depends on printer light power, resin colour, cure depth, wall thickness and water chemistry, so a route that dissolves cleanly in one setup may swell in another. Lower-power printers and darker colours generally improve both resolution and solubility behaviour in this family.

Five water-removable routes

The family is organised by mechanical and thermal profile under the same water-removal logic. As a practical rule, the release mechanism progressively shifts from dissolution-dominated behaviour in the harder routes toward swelling-assisted release in the softer routes.

Mobile: scroll horizontally to view all columns; the first column stays visible. Water-solubility cannot be guaranteed as an unconditional outcome — depending on exposure, part thickness and chemistry a part may partially swell instead of dissolving. Each route has its own datasheet; follow the product link for full specifications. All five routes are €300 / 1000 g.

Manufacturer specifications

Values are indicative, measured on printed and post-processed specimens, and vary with printer, parameters, build orientation and post-curing.

Fast water solubility; very low shrinkage; metal- and organo-tin-free formulation; SLA / DLP / LCD; cleaned and post-cured with Cleaning Fluid WS1 Bio. €300 / 1000 g.

For full specifications of each route, open the product datasheet from the route table above. Each WS route has its own TDS.

Where they are used

• Water-soluble sacrificial molds, cores and mandrels
• Patient-specific silicone (PDMS) flow phantoms
• Multi-material microfluidic devices
• Lost-core micro-injection moulding
• Enclosed cavities, internal channels and undercuts
• Indirect additive manufacturing for casting and molding workflows

Pick the route that matches your geometry and process temperature

All five water-release routes, plus the broader sacrificial and indirect-manufacturing resources.

Are these biocompatible or finished medical devices?

No. They are supplied as professional manufacturing materials and are not marketed as finished products. In the cited studies the resin is sacrificial — printed as a mold or core and removed with water before the final part is used — so it does not remain in the finished object.

How is the printed water-soluble resin removed?

With water; alkaline water generally accelerates removal, and higher alkalinity usually means faster dissolution. Depending on printer light power, colour, cure depth, wall thickness and geometry, a part may partially swell instead of fully dissolving, so the release workflow should be validated for each part.

Which water-soluble sacrificial route should I choose?

By temperature and toughness: IM-HDT-WS (very high temperature), IM-UHR-WS (ultra rigid, high temperature), IM-UHT-WS (ultra tough, medium temperature), IM-HT-WS (hard & tough, low/medium temperature) and IM-SF-WS (soft, water-swellable). The release mechanism shifts from dissolution-dominated behaviour in the harder routes toward swelling-assisted release in the softer routes.

Have they been used in peer-reviewed research?

Yes — four peer-reviewed studies currently identified by 3Dresyns name these resins directly: IM-HT-WS in a Scientific Reports (Nature Portfolio) 2022 cerebral-phantom study and a Lab on a Chip 2023 multi-material microfluidics study; IM-HDT-WS in a Progress in Additive Manufacturing 2024 lost-core injection-moulding study and an Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology 2024 vascular-phantom study. More references are listed in the Press & Publications hub.

More 3Dresyns evidence

Browse the full catalogue of peer-reviewed publications, market analyses and reviews referencing 3Dresyns materials.