SBIR Phase I: Additive Manufacturing of Silicone Elastomers and Thermosets Using Freeform Reversible Embedding

SBIR 第一阶段：使用自由形式可逆嵌入增材制造有机硅弹性体和热固性材料

• 批准号: 2052214
• 负责人: Thomas Hinton
• 金额: $ 24.96万
• 依托单位: FLUIDFORM, INC.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-05-01 至 2022-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2052214&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Additive; Manufacturing; Silicone

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to radically expand the types of polymers that can be 3D printed. Thermosets such as silicones, epoxies, and urethanes are used across manufacturing because they have excellent chemical, physical, and mechanical properties, and they can be readily molded. The proposed technology will enable 3D printing of existing industrial thermosets without modifications using standard 3D printing technologies available in the market. The technology addresses an unmet need for industries including consumer electronics, automotive, aerospace, and medical device by enabling additive manufacturing of qualified thermoset materials for new applications such as improving the fit and comfort of wearable electronic devices, lightweighting mechanical components, and integrating sensors into flexible medical devices. This effort directly supports advancing national health and defense capabilities through new additive manufacturing capabilities.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I is focused on 3D printing a wide range of previously unprintable or difficult-to-print thermally-cured, thermoset materials. The impact will be unlocking a method of 3D printing thermosets without geometric limits while maintaining dimensional accuracy across features as small as 50 µm, addressing unmet additive manufacturing needs within consumer electronics, automotive, aerospace, and medical device industries. While there are current 3D printers that can utilize photopolymerization to print specific resins, most engineering thermosets (e.g. silicones, epoxies, and urethanes) remain unprintable. This project will implement a scientific framework to understand polymer-solvent interactions during freeform reversible embedding of suspended hydrogels (FRESH) printing of thermoset inks within yield-stress support baths. In this process, liquid thermoset inks are extruded within a support bath where they are cured over time, making solubility, chemistry, and rheology critical success factors. Platinum-cured silicone is proposed as the initial candidate thermoset; the project will establish which block copolymers and solvents possess the right combination of solubility parameters to self-assemble into microgels that can be compacted to form the yield-stress support bath. FRESH printing process parameters will be optimized to achieve critical dimensional accuracy, resolution, fidelity, and mechanical properties of the printed parts.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是从根本上扩大可以进行3D打印的聚合物类型。有机硅、环氧树脂和聚氨酯等热固性材料广泛应用于制造行业，因为它们具有优异的化学、物理和机械性能，而且易于成型。拟议的技术将使现有的工业热固性塑料无需修改即可使用市场上提供的标准3D打印技术进行3D打印。该技术解决了消费电子、汽车、航空航天和医疗设备等行业尚未满足的需求，使合格的热固性材料能够用于新应用，如提高可穿戴电子设备的适配性和舒适性，减轻机械部件的重量，以及将传感器集成到灵活的医疗设备中。这项工作通过新的添加剂制造能力直接支持提升国家健康和国防能力。这项小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段专注于3D打印，包括以前无法打印或难以打印的热固化热固性材料。其影响将是开启一种无几何限制的3D打印热固性的方法，同时保持小至50微米的特征的尺寸精度，满足消费电子、汽车、航空航天和医疗设备行业未满足的添加剂制造需求。虽然目前有3D打印机可以利用光聚合来打印特定的树脂，但大多数工程热固性材料(例如有机硅、环氧树脂和氨纶)仍然无法打印。该项目将实施一个科学框架，以了解热固性油墨在屈服应力支撑浴中的悬浮水凝胶(新鲜)印刷的自由形式可逆嵌入过程中聚合物与溶剂的相互作用。在这一过程中，液体热固性油墨在支撑浴中挤压，在那里随着时间的推移进行固化，使溶解性、化学和流变学成为成功的关键因素。铂固化有机硅被建议作为最初的候选热固性树脂；该项目将确定哪些嵌段共聚物和溶剂具有合适的溶解度参数组合，以自组装成微凝胶，并可压实形成屈服应力支撑浴。全新的印刷工艺参数将进行优化，以达到印刷部件的关键尺寸精度、分辨率、保真度和机械性能。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。