Resin casting involves using a mold to shape solidifying resin, which can be cured through mixing separate liquids or heating and cooling. This process creates irreversible chemical changes, resulting in new compounds called polymers. Resin casting is used in dentistry, car restoration, and other custom item production.
Resin Casting is the process of using a mold or similar means to form a solidifying resin into the desired shape. The resin must then be left alone until solid. This process can be commonly employed in pattern making or in situations where a custom or one-of-a-kind item is needed, such as in dentistry or classic car restoration.
Many modern applications involve mixing separate liquids that solidify slowly when combined, allowing for a limited amount of time the substance can be poured into a mold before it hardens. This process is referred to as “curing” and can also be accomplished by heating and then cooling the resin or irradiating it. All curing methods are intended to be irreversible and the process results in a chemical change within the resin, usually the conversion of monomers to polymers.
The resin casting process may share traits with the casting of other materials, but several characteristics distinguish the processes. Unlike metals or some petroleum-based plastics, resin castings cannot simply be heated and remelted, although that doesn’t mean they are immune to melting. In most resin castings, monomers — individual molecules or atoms capable of combining with similar monomers — are formed into entirely new compounds called polymers.
Castings made with curing chemicals include separate liquids that harden when combined. This format can allow for simple and repeatable part production with very few tools. Most polymer reactions require little or no external heat, making them well suited to home workshops or small-scale production.
Dental composite is a form of resin casting commonly used in modern dentistry to repair cavities. The chemicals involved can be separate monomers that react to form a polymer when combined, or the cure can be initiated by a chemical in the mixture sensitive to light or heat. In the latter case, once the dental composite is in place and properly formed, heat or a specific wavelength of light is applied. The chemical reaction can also encourage adhesion of the composite to the tooth, and some modern composites can create a finished surface comparable in strength and durability to the tooth’s original enamel.
Resin molding can be accomplished in several ways. In car modeling or restoration, a mold can be hand carved or cast from an existing object to be copied. The casting of dental composite resin takes place in the patient’s mouth, where the dentist manipulates the resin into the desired shape before it is cured. To create a cylindrical object, such as a drum or tube, resin can be spun inside a hollow tube which then acts as a mold. Sheets of cured resin can also be made using movable tapes or chemical baths, with the resin cured on the surface.
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