Disclosed herein are methods of farming orthodontic appliances without the use of a separating later between the orthodontic appliance and a dental model. Also disclosed herein are dental models having non-adhesive surfaces useful in the formation of orthodontic appliances, as well as curable compositions, kits and cured polymer products useful in the formation of the dental models.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a polymer, polymers and metal-polymer composites produced by the method. The method comprises providing one or more polymerisable monomers and providing a substrate comprising an activated metal surface, the activated metal surface comprising one or more compounds capable of initiating polymerisation of the one or more polymerisable monomers. The method comprises contacting the activated metal surface and the one or more polymerisable monomers to polymerise the one or more polymerisable monomers, thereby producing the polymer.

In one aspect, inks for use with a three-dimensional (3D) printing system are described herein. In some embodiments, an ink described herein comprise 10-70 wt. % or 20-40 wt. % of a cyclopolymerizable monomer, based on the total weight of the ink. The cyclopolymerizable monomer comprises an acrylate moiety and an ethenyl or ethynyl moiety, and the α-carbon of the acrylate moiety and the α-carbon of the ethenyl or ethynyl moiety may have a 1,5-, 1,6-, 1,7-, or 1,8-relationship. Additionally, an ink described herein can have a viscosity of 1600 centipoise (cP) or less at 30° C., or of 500 cP or less at 30° C. and can be used to print a desired 3D article having mechanical properties similar to those of articles formed from thermoplastic materials.

Provided is a method of forming a three-dimensional object, which may include the steps of: (a) providing a carrier and an optically transparent member having a build surface, the carrier and the build surface defining a build region therebetween; (b) filling the build region with a polymerizable liquid that comprises a reactive blocked monomer and/or prepolymer comprising a self-polymerizing monomer and/or prepolymer blocked with a light-polymerizable blocking group; (c) irradiating the build region with light through said optically transparent member to form a solid polymer scaffold from the reactive blocked monomer and/or prepolymer and also advancing the carrier away from the build surface to form a three-dimensional intermediate; and then (d) heating and/or microwave irradiating, the three-dimensional intermediate sufficiently to degrade the scaffold and regenerate the monomer and/or prepolymer in de-blocked form, which monomer and/or prepolymer in turn self-polymerize, to form said three-dimensional object.

A system for forming a structural member which includes a first collimated light source and a reservoir containing a volume of photo-monomer resin wherein the first collimated light source is positioned spaced apart from the photo-monomer resin. The system further includes a first face sheet structure defining at least one bore which extends through the first face sheet structure wherein a portion of the first face sheet structure is positioned under a surface of the volume of photo-monomer resin such that photo-monomer resin is positioned within the bore.

A microfluidic device for particle analysis, such as immunophenotyping, includes a plurality of microfluidic channels for the passage of a particle-laden fluid flow, a plurality of dedicated impedance sensors for generating impedance signals relative to each microfluidic sensor. The impedance sensors are CODES Coulter sensors, each having a distinct coded sequence for generating mutually orthogonal signals. The system uses a multi-frequency excitation signal for driving the Coulter sensors, such that the Coulter sensors generate multi-frequency impedance signals. The system outputs the multi-frequency signals of the plurality of impedance sensors as a single multi-frequency multiplexed signal, which is subsequently separated into a plurality of single-frequency multiplexed signals, which are then demodulated into single-frequency component signals corresponding to each of the Coulter sensors.

The disclosure provides methods and compositions for 3D printing using thermochromic additives. Thermochromic dyes change absorptivity with heat to selectively attenuate light transmission and control cure depth during 3D printing photopolymerization.

A functional polymeric cutting edge structure and methods for manufacturing cutting edge structures using polymeric materials are provided. A razor blade for use in a razor cartridge or a blade box for assembly in a razor cartridge frame may be formed using the present invention.

An arrangement for melting at least one solid precursor product for polymer production includes a housing for receiving the solid precursor product by way of an opening, and a melting device arranged in the housing. The melting device is disposed so that the solid precursor product can be fed thereto to be melted. A preferably switchable discharge device is connected to an opening of the housing and can be connected to an injection unit.

A melting device includes a container capable of melting a material supplied in a free-flowing state and storing the material in a liquid state. The container includes a first storage section for storing the material in the free-flowing state, a second storage section for storing the material in the liquid state, and a dividing section provided between the first storage section and the second storage section and configured to hold back the material, when the material is in a non-molten or free-flowing state and to allow passage of the material from the first storage section into the second storage section, when the material is in a molten or liquid state.