Date
4-2018
Project Type
URC Presentation
College or School
CEPS
Class Year
Junior
Department
Physics
Major
Physics
Faculty Research Advisor
Elena Long
Abstract
In recent years, 3-D printers have become invaluable tools in physics laboratories because they allow for rapid prototyping and the development of parts with complex geometries that can be difficult or impossible to machine. However, 3-D printing is still a new technology, and many of its applications have yet to be explored.
This work is part of an ongoing project to 3-D print with the fluoroplastics PCTFE and FEP. These materials are ideal for many applications that require cryogenic cooling and high levels of radiation—applications for which “traditional” 3-D printing materials are not well-suited.
I have developed a method for preparing these fluoroplastics for 3-D printing. Milestones include designing a device that processes the plastics into the small pellets used to create 3-D printer filament and creating 3-D printable FEP filament. Future work will focus on adapting these procedures for PCTFE and producing the first 3-D prints with fluoroplastics.
Once this technology has been refined, it will be used to manufacture PCTFE components for use in the UNH Nuclear Physics Group’s Tensor Polarization Project.
Recommended Citation
McGuire, Kellie, "Preparing Fluoroplastics for 3D Printing" (2018). Undergraduate Research Conference (URC) Student Presentations. 415.
https://scholars.unh.edu/urc/415