A resin, method of resin infusion, and parts formed thereby are disclosed.
The method is particularly useful in greatly strengthening appearance
prototypes such as those formed on powder bed three-dimensional printers
to make them suitable for handling and testing in a host of environments.
The method comprises heating the liquid resin to lower its viscosity,
infusing a porous form with the heated resin and curing the infused resin
to form the part. The liquid resin is typically heated from about
35.degree. C. to about 80.degree. C. and most preferably is under vacuum
with the porous form submerged therein to facilitate infusion. Excess
resin is removed from the porous form and reusable for subsequent
infusion. The resin-infused form is then cured, typically by heating in
the range of 100.degree. C. to 200.degree. C. Resulting parts may be very
hard and have very high compressive strengths, even exceeding 30,000 psi.