Three-dimensional object formation powder material, three-dimensional object formation material set, and three-dimensional object production method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10226918-B2
Application number	US-201514816370-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 3, 2015
Priority date	Aug 8, 2014
Publication date	Mar 12, 2019
Grant date	Mar 12, 2019

Abstract

Provided is a three-dimensional object formation powder material used for three-dimensional object formation of forming a three-dimensional object by stacking up a plurality of powder material layers each bound by a resin and having a predetermined shape. The three-dimensional object formation powder material contains particles in which a plurality of cores are fixed by a water-soluble resin.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A three-dimensional object formation powder material, comprising:
particles in which a plurality of cores are fixed by a water-soluble resin,
wherein the cores are transition metal particles, selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, iron, copper, silver, titanium, zirconium and alloys thereof,
wherein the three-dimensional object formation powder material has a number average particle diameter Dn of from 15 μm to 30 μm, and
wherein a ratio (Dv/Dn) of a volume average particle diameter Dv of the three-dimensional object formation powder material to the number average particle diameter Dn thereof is 1.4 or less.

2. The three-dimensional object formation powder material according to claim 1 , wherein the cores have a number average particle diameter of from 1 μm to 10 μm.

3. The three-dimensional object formation powder material according to claim 1 , wherein a content of the water-soluble resin is from 0.5% by volume to 15% by volume relative to the cores.

4. The three-dimensional object formation powder material according to claim 3 , wherein the water-soluble resin is a polyvinyl alcohol resin, a modified polyvinyl alcohol resin, a polyacrylic acid resin, a cellulose resin, starch, gelatin, polyethylene glycol, or any combination thereof.

5. The three-dimensional object formation powder material according to claim 1 , wherein the water-soluble resin has a degree of polymerization of from 100 to 2,000.

6. The three-dimensional object formation powder material according to claim 1 , wherein the three-dimensional object formation powder material is produced according to a spray granulation method.

7. The three-dimensional object formation powder material according to claim 1 , wherein
the cores comprise at least one selected from the group consisting of stainless steel and zirconium,
the water-soluble resin is a polyvinyl alcohol resin, a modified polyvinyl alcohol resin, a polyacrylic acid resin, a cellulose resin, starch, gelatin, polyethylene glycol, or any combination thereof, wherein the water-soluble resin has a degree of polymerization of from 200 to 1,700, and
a content of the water-soluble resin is from 0.5 to 15% by volume relative to the cores.

8. A three-dimensional object formation material set, comprising:
the three-dimensional object formation powder material according to claim 1 ; and
an aqueous liquid.

9. The three-dimensional object formation material set according to claim 8 , wherein the aqueous liquid comprises a cross-linking agent.

10. A three-dimensional object production method, comprising:
forming a three-dimensional object formation powder material layer over a supporting member with the three-dimensional object formation powder material according to claim 1 ; and
delivering an aqueous liquid to a predetermined region of the three-dimensional object formation powder material layer to form a hardened product of the three-dimensional object formation powder material layer.

11. The three-dimensional object production method according to claim 10 , wherein the aqueous liquid comprises a cross-linking agent.

12. The three-dimensional object production method according to claim 10 , further comprising:
sintering the hardened product obtained in the formation of a hardened product.

13. The three-dimensional object production method according to claim 10 , wherein the delivery of the aqueous liquid is performed according to an inkjet method.

14. A three-dimensional object produced according to the three-dimensional object production method according to claim 10 , wherein the three-dimensional object has a voidage of 15% or less.

Assignees

• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Norikane Yoshihiro
• Shitara Yasutada
• Kusahara Teruki
• Saito Takuya
• Yamaguchi Takeo

Classifications

• B33Y80/00 Primary

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B29C64/165

  using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• C09D189/00

  Coating compositions based on proteins; Coating compositions based on derivatives thereof (foodstuff preparations A23J3/00) · CPC title

• C09D101/286

  substituted with acid radicals (C09D101/282 takes precedence) · CPC title