Reactive polymer processing: Techniques and trends

Thermosetting materials are expanding their market penetration owing to their excellent heat resistance and performance characteristics. Energy conservation considerations have also resulted in the development of processing techniques involving the simultaneous polymerization and shaping of the part. The processability of a reactive system is dependent on the thermal and deformation history which is experienced by the material. Despite this processing sensitivity, significant new developments have occurred in recent years including improvements in machinery design, process automation and control, novel processing technology such as RIM and pultrusion, and advances in material formulations. The processing of reactive systems will be considered with emphasis given to the recent developments concerning mathematical analysis and simulation of the process dynamics and the relationship between processing history and part properties.