Systems and methods for additive manufacturing to produce carbon-carbon parts with improved properties and reduced manufacturing times

A system for manufacturing a Stage 1 carbon-carbon (CC) part, comprising:

• a thixotropic photogellable additive manufacturing ink comprising:
• (i) a resin comprising a cyanate ester resin, cyanurate resin, and a bisphenol F epoxy resin, wherein the cyanate ester resin is present at a level of from about 35% to about 45% by weight of the ink;
• (ii) a UV initiator;
• (iii) from about 20% to about 60% of carbon fibers selected from the group consisting of chopped fibers, milled fibers, a continuous fiber, and combinations thereof;
• and
• (iv) from about 1% to about 25% of a thixotropic agent;
• (v) wherein the thixotropic photogellable additive manufacturing ink has a gel point operable for interlayer consolidation;
• an additive manufacturing system comprising:
• (i) an electronic controller configured to determine and provide tool paths to provide an engineered characteristic to the Stage 1 CC part;
• (ii) a print nozzle component configured to extrude the thixotropic photogellable additive manufacturing ink in a plurality of deposited layers on a sacrificial support material in accordance with the tool paths, the tool paths being designed to cause the print nozzle component to deposit the thixotropic photogellable additive manufacturing ink in the plurality of deposited layers in a layer-by-layer printing operation, such that the carbon fibers are deposited in desired orientations within each of the deposited layers as the print nozzle component moves along the tool paths;
• and
• (iii) a UV light configured to direct UV illumination at the thixotropic photogellable additive manufacturing ink after the extrusion of the thixotropic photogellable additive manufacturing ink by the print nozzle component so as to initiate gelation of the resin upon the extrusion of the thixotropic photogellable additive manufacturing ink, to form a precursor part having an imparted or enhanced performance characteristic;
• (iv) wherein the system is configured to partially cure the thixotropic photogellable additive manufacturing ink during the deposit of the thixotropic photogellable additive manufacturing ink while allowing molecular diffusion across the layers of the deposited thixotropic photogellable additive manufacturing ink;
• and
• a pyrolysis subsystem configured to pyrolyze the precursor part printed using the AM system to create the Stage 1 CC part.