  In this work we propose a phase field model based on a Caginalp system with
mechanical effects to study the underlying physical and chemical processes
behind stereolithography, which is an additive manufacturing (3D printing)
technique that builds objects in a layer-by-layer fashion by using an
ultraviolet laser to solidify liquid polymer resins. Existence of weak
solutions is established by demonstrating the convergence of a numerical scheme
based on a first order scalar auxiliary variable temporal discretization and a
finite element spatial discretization. We further establish uniqueness and
regularity of solutions, as well as optimal error estimates for the Caginalp
system that are supported by numerical simulations. We also present some
qualitative two-dimensional simulations of the stereolithography processes
captured by the model.
