Frontal Photopolymerisation in Additive Manufacturing: Ignition, Propagation, Heat Feedback, Stability and Geometric Control

Frontal photopolymerisation replaces spatially repeated exposure with a self-propagating reaction zone sustained by reaction heat. That promise creates a qualification problem: ignition, propagation speed, peak temperature and heat loss are coupled, so a front that appears fast can also be compositionally nonuniform or geometrically unstable. This review separates ignition from sustained propagation, identifies the minimum thermal and conversion measurements needed to establish a stable front, and defines failure modes including quench, acceleration, fingering and overrun. The evidence base spans frontal-polymerisation fundamentals, phototriggered frontal systems and additive-manufacturing demonstrations.

ER-301 · Version 0.5.