photopolymer

noun

pho·​to·​poly·​mer ˌfō-tō-ˈpä-lə-mər How to pronounce photopolymer (audio)
: a photosensitive plastic used especially in the manufacture of printing plates

Examples of photopolymer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The resins are photopolymers that are cured by ultraviolet light-emitting diodes after each layer is printed. Phillip W. Barth, IEEE Spectrum, 25 Mar. 2024 An engineer named Chuck Hull pioneered the first 3D printer in 1983, making trinkets out of photopolymer that eventually led him to patent the process a year later. Jennifer Walter, Discover Magazine, 5 Sep. 2019 The web passes between the two rollers at the center of the image, where the photopolymer coating is molded by a rubber stamp-like device and then quickly cured by a high-intensity UV light. Discover Magazine, 29 June 2010 The web shown here is attached to a plastic substrate and coated with a UV-curable photopolymer. Discover Magazine, 29 June 2010 To start, a chamber of liquid photopolymer plastic is heated, and a build plate rises from the plastic as an ultraviolet laser scans mirrors to produce each thin layer. WIRED, 28 Aug. 2022 The team placed a commercial elastomeric photopolymer against an aluminum sheet and projected various images onto the sample using a standard off-the-shelf projector. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 2 Aug. 2022 These use glass incorporating a transparent photopolymer film which is able to create an apparently three-dimensional image when struck by light generated by compact laser units. Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 29 Nov. 2021 Origin's system uses UV light, heat, and force to cure liquid photopolymer resins into production ready parts. Patrick Kennedy, Star Tribune, 9 Dec. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1932, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of photopolymer was in 1932

Dictionary Entries Near photopolymer

Cite this Entry

“Photopolymer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/photopolymer. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.

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