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By some measures, the development of photopolymers may account for two-thirds or more of the total research effort expended on rapid prototyping materials. This, in spite of the fact that stereolithography's share of the market, as measured by the number of systems sold, has been declining in recent years. Of course, some of this activity is because additional RP technologies that use photopolymers, such as Objet's PolyJetTM technology and 3D's InVisionTM, have become commercially available, but mainly it's due to the fact that chemistry is a very malleable science. You can do a lot of different jobs by manipulating molecules compared to changing the physical form of a material, and this is leading to a wealth of potential applications for photopolymers.
  A new stereolithography photopolymer from DSM Somos is a good illustration of the way these materials are widening their range. NanoFormTM 15120 is a composite material exhibiting many properties similar to fused deposition modeling (FDM) and glass-filled polyamide selective laser sintering (SLS) materials, according to the company. Mechanical performance includes a modulus of > 5,000 MPa, and an elevated temperature performance (HDT) of > 132 °C. These properties permit the use of stereolithography, with its potentially higher accuracy, in applications which might previously only been suitable for FDM or SLS.DSM says this is the first composite stereolithography material to incorporate nano-particle technology which contributes to dimensional stability, low shrinkage, and low coefficient of thermal linear expansion. It is processed in an identical manner to unreinforced liquid SL resins, requiring no mixing or other special handling. NanoFormTM 15120 is currently undergoing beta testing in Europe and the US and is scheduled for full commercial release in the first quarter of 2004.
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