Sound Continuous Production of Thermosets

Existing manufacturing technologies for thermoset components are limited by long cycle times, simple structures, limited material, and poor controllability, making it difficult to realize complex structures with functionally graded properties. Herein, a sound continuous production (SCP) technology is proposed for the rapid manufacture of thermosets by accelerating the gelation through the mechanical, physical, and chemical effects of ultrasound. SCP is shown to enable the continuous production of homogeneous and heterogeneous thermosets. Its combination with a robotic arm allows for 360° omnidirectional continuous production, which is demonstrated by the successful construction of lateral and vertical-oriented spiral structures via unsupported fabrication. Multiscale filaments with diameters ranging from 150 µm to 2 cm are manufactured and are shown capable of producing functionally graded materials with mechanical property gradients of up to five. The direct fabrication via SCP of a set of functional composites is demonstrated and a novel fabrication technique for multilayer carbon fiber-reinforced plastic laminates is presented. This method can bring technological innovation to the rapid manufacture of thermosets for several emerging fields.