SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/eng-thermoset-crosslinking

Why can a cured thermoset not simply be melted and remolded?

Curing creates a permanently crosslinked network that cannot flow like a thermoplastic.

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  1. It was cooled too quickly
  2. Its polymer chains are crosslinked ✔
  3. Its melting point is just very high

Why: Crosslinks tie the polymer chains into a network. Strong heating tends to damage or char the material instead of returning it to a moldable melt.

Huh, didn't know that: Epoxy resins are common thermoset matrices in fiber-reinforced composites.

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The thermoset made one firm decision and stuck with it.
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References

Answer: Its polymer chains are crosslinked. Crosslinks tie the polymer chains into a network. Strong heating tends to damage or char the material instead of returning it to a moldable melt.

  1. OpenStax Additive Manufacturing Essentials: Polymer Materials openstax.org/books/additive-manufacturing-essentials/pages/3-1-polymer-materials
    Once hardened, thermosets cannot be reprocessed due to the crosslinking of polymer chains and their inability to flow.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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