Introduction To Rapidly Cured Epoxy Resins and Composites

Abstract

A key challenge for expanding applications of additive manufacturing, particularly three-dimensional printing, to meet the growing demand for thermosetting polymer and composite products is the long curing time. The long curing time and the high curing temperature can lead to high energy consumption and may require high investments in infrastructure (e.g., ovens/autoclaves) and regular maintenance programs; hence, rapidly cured epoxy resin materials are indispensable. Epoxy resin-based composite materials are cost-effective and equally associated with high strength, thermal insulation, and versatility. When rapidly cured, they can be embedded in various Industry 4.0 applications such as electric and electronic components, space, energy, transportation, and defense. Still, rapidly cured epoxy resin materials come with some technical challenges that may require additional investigation. This chapter will highly discuss strategies concerning synthesis, characterization, and modeling. Furthermore, it will shed light on some applications and key challenges associated with the fabrication of rapid-cure epoxy resins. © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.