SBIR Phase I: Self-Reinforced Materials for Rapid-Prototyping of High-Integrity Components

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的重点是快速原型制作过程，涉及有机材料，由于树脂和聚合物的易加工性，这些材料是最先进的此类技术之一。不幸的是，有机聚合物通常不提供与诸如金属或陶瓷的材料竞争的机械性能，因此不能用于直接制造高完整性部件。该公司开发了独特的热塑性自增强聚合物（SRP），具有与金属和复合材料相媲美的卓越机械强度和刚度。合适的SRP配方的发展将使制造低密度，高完整性的组件的快速原型技术的各种相对低容量的应用，包括运载火箭，航天器，飞机，定制的商业产品等的重点将是SRP粉末，可以通过激光烧结技术加工成这样的组件的发展。该研究将需要对树脂组成进行初步优化（例如，分子量和分布、熔体流变学、添加剂等）和粉末特性（例如，粒度和分布、堆积密度等）从而能够在保持高机械性能的情况下进行有效烧结。最初的测试样品将在德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校制造，用于评估和验证拟议的创新。高性能聚合物粉末材料将通过具有成本效益的快速原型技术制造低密度、高完整性的组件，用于各种相对小批量的应用，包括运载火箭、航天器、飞机、定制商业产品等。虽然是颗粒而不是粉末形式，但也可用于通过更常规的挤出或注射成型技术以更大的体积制造类似的部件。

This Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase I project focuses on rapid prototyping processes involving organic materials that are among the most advanced of such techniques due to the ready processability of resins and polymers. Unfortunately, organic polymers typically do not offer mechanical performance competitive with materials such as metals or ceramics and, therefore, cannot be utilized to directly fabricate high-integrity components. The company has developed unique thermoplastic, self-reinforced polymers (SRPs) with exceptional mechanical strength and stiffness rivaling that of metals and composites. Development of suitable SRP formulations will enable fabrication of low-density, high-integrity components by rapid-prototyping techniques for a variety of relatively low-volume applications including launch vehicles, spacecraft, aircraft, custom commercial products, etc. The focus will be on the development of SRP powders that can be processed by laser sintering techniques into such components. The research will entail preliminary optimization of resin composition (e.g., molecular weight and distribution, melt rheology, additives, etc.) and powder characteristics (e.g., particle size and distribution, bulk density, etc.) to enable effective sintering with high retention of mechanical properties. Initial test coupons will be fabricated at the University of Texas at Austin for evaluation and verification of the proposed innovation.High-performance polymeric powder materials will enable fabrication of low-density, high-integrity components by cost-effective rapid-prototyping techniques for a variety of relatively low-volume applications including launch vehicles, spacecraft, aircraft, custom commercial products, etc. The same resin materials, albeit in pellet rather than powder form, can also be utilized to fabricate similar parts in higher volumes by more conventional extrusion or injection molding techniques.