Formulation of UV Curable Resins Utilized in Vat Photo Polymerization for the Additive Manufacturing of Gun Propulsion Charge in 3D Printers (Update)

Abstract

Formulating resins specifically for UV laser stereolithography (SLA) is a promising material development process in the additive manufacturing (AM) of enhanced gun propulsion charges due to the ability to fabricate complex geometries with high-dimensional resolution. Free radical initiated polymerization (FRP) incorporated into new and evolving SLA 3D printers is an ideal process for generating gun charges, but it requires formulators to pay specific attention to the monomer/oligomer selection, light source output, photoinitiator system, and additives to stabilize the liquid formulation and the resulting final polymer. Furthermore, formulations must have high energy density with acceptable mechanical properties in order to enhance the propellant performance, often represented in terms of impetus, or force exerted on the projectile. In this work, custom energetic SLA resins for propellants have been formulated, characterized, and processed on a Formlabs 1+ printer.