METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HIGH-TEMPERATURE POST-CURING OF UV-CURED PHOTOPOLYMERS

摘要

Methods, systems and apparatuses are disclosed for making and post-processing a 3-D printed object for laminate-forming tooling, and components made using post-processed 3-D printed laminate-forming tooling.

主权项

1. A method for post-processing a 3-D printed object comprising the steps of:
preparing a 3-D printed precursor made from a material comprising a polymer and a UV-curable additive; curing the 3-D printed precursor with UV radiation to obtain a UV-cured precursor; exposing the UV-cured precursor to a basic solution having a pH of from about 11 to about 14 for a predetermined amount of time; exposing the UV-cured precursor to a predetermined post-UV-curing regimen, said post-UV-curing regimen comprising progressively increasing a temperature from about room temperature to a predetermined maximum temperature for a predetermined amount of time, and progressively decreasing the temperature from the predetermined maximum temperature to about room temperature over a predetermined time to obtain a product; and maintaining the UV-cured precursor in an inert environment during the post-UV-curing regimen.