5. Conclusion

In some cases, conventional "thermal" polymerization poses problems of production rate, quality (internal stresses, thermal degradation) and part size (availability of very large autoclaves, problems of heterogeneity due to thermal gradients, etc.); these problems can be more or less effectively resolved by radiation polymerization methods (photopolymerization, radiopolymerization, microwave polymerization, etc.). However, the latter are not a panacea; they too have their drawbacks, but fortunately complement each other in many respects. Each has a "niche" application in which it can establish itself without industrial problems.