Oligomers
Oligomers are short chains of repeating units—bigger than simple monomers but smaller than high-molecular-weight polymers. In coatings/adhesives/inks/3D-printing and dental resins, they’re usually multifunctional (meth)acrylates that copolymerize (UV or peroxide cure) to build crosslinked networks that set hardness, cure speed, shrinkage, and chemical resistance.
Adhesives & sealants
Acrylic/methacrylate adhesives rely on oligomers to control fixture time, gap-fill, toughness, and heat/chemical resistance.
Coatings & printing inks
Radiation-curable coatings and inks need fast cure, low VOC, and tunable hardness/flexibility. These oligomers act as reactive diluents/crosslinkers that set viscosity, cure speed, Tg, and chemical/abrasion resistance.
3D-printing &
Photolithography Resins
Precision resins need predictable viscosity, conversion, shrinkage, and mechanical profile (rigid vs. tough).