Synthesis and high-speed 3D printing of sustainable polymers

3D printing has been identified as a central concept within the fourth industrial revolution as it enables the design of previously “impossible” structures, enhances digital traceability, and allows local manufacturing of plastic parts.

Recently, the production speed of 3D printing has increased dramatically, and the new high-speed printing technique “CLIP” is expected to revolutionize polymer manufacturing in the near future.

Unfortunately, CLIP can currently only print low viscosity resins by photopolymerization, limiting the choice of starting materials to toxic fossil-based monomers that cannot be recycled. In this project I will synthesize bio-based monomers for printing plastic parts with CLIP.

The chemical structure of the monomers is designed to facilitate recycling of the material, and the resins will be dual cured to achieve physical and thermal properties superior to conventional alternatives.

The chemical structure of the printed parts will be carefully studied to elucidate the structure-property relationship of the polymer.

To realize this goal, the project has been divided into 3 phases spanning 1-year each during which the monomers will be synthesized (phase 1), printed using CLIP (phase 2), and recycled (phase 3).

It is clear that 3D printing will be an important tool for industrial production of plastics, and I am confident this technology may also facilitate the transition towards sustainable plastics, provided sustainable starting materials are available.