US20250333558
2025-10-30
Chemistry; metallurgy
C08F283/085
A method for manufacturing dual-cured polymer components involves using a liquid photopolymerizable material, which undergoes additive manufacturing to form a green state component. This component is then post-cured using both UV and thermal methods. The photopolymerizable material consists of an oligomer with a glass transition temperature above 100°C, a monomer, and a photoinitiator. Through thermal curing in a nitrogen environment at temperatures exceeding the glass transition of the oligomer, the final dual-cured component achieves a heat deflection temperature between 100°C and 250°C, with an elongation at break ranging from 5% to 20%.
The disclosure pertains to photopolymer materials, specifically focusing on producing dual-cured components from photopolymerizable compositions. Additive manufacturing (AM), commonly known as 3D printing, is employed to create parts through sequential material deposition and solidification. Vat photopolymerization processes like stereolithography (SLA) and digital light processing (DLP) are used, where liquid photopolymers are cured by light sources such as UV radiation. The present method addresses issues in AM by introducing dual-curing techniques to enhance the properties of manufactured parts.
The disclosed photopolymer composition includes an oligomer with a glass transition temperature greater than 100°C, soluble in a monomer, along with a photoinitiator. After dual-curing, the composition exhibits a heat deflection temperature between 100°C and 250°C, with an elongation at break of 5% to 20%. Variations may involve different oligomers like UV-curable polyphenylene ethers (PPE), polycarbonates, or bismaleimide, with molecular weights between 1,000 g/mol and 10,000 g/mol. The monomer may include styrene derivatives or (meth)acrylates, and the composition ranges from 20 wt% to 80 wt% for both oligomers and monomers.
The manufacturing process begins with creating a green state component from the liquid photopolymerizable material using additive manufacturing techniques such as vat photopolymerization. The component is initially cured by UV light to form a solid structure. Subsequently, dual post-curing is performed by further UV curing followed by thermal curing in a nitrogen environment at temperatures exceeding the oligomer's glass transition temperature. This process completes polymer cross-linking and enhances the component's physical and mechanical properties.
The dual-cured component exhibits improved properties due to the dual-curing process. It has a heat deflection temperature between about 100°C and 250°C and an elongation at break between about 5% and 20%. The composition involves specific weight percentages for its components: oligomers make up about 20 wt% to 80 wt%, monomers also range from about 20 wt% to 80 wt%, while the photoinitiator is present in amounts ranging from about 0.5 wt% to 5 wt%. These materials are selected based on their ability to meet the necessary thermal and mechanical requirements.