Techniques for casting from additively fabricated molds and related systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10647028-B2
Application number	US-201815981265-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 16, 2018
Priority date	May 17, 2017
Publication date	May 12, 2020
Grant date	May 12, 2020

Abstract

According to some aspects, a method is provided of casting an object from a mold, the method comprising obtaining a mold comprising a hollow shell of rigid material, the material comprising a thermoset polymer having a plurality of pores formed therein, providing a metal and/or ceramic slurry into an interior of the mold, exposing at least part of the mold to a low pressure environment so that a net flow of gas is produced from the interior of the mold into the low pressure environment. According to some aspects, a method of forming a porous mold is provided. According to some aspects, a photocurable liquid composition is provided, comprising a liquid photopolymer resin, particles of a solid material, in an amount between 30% and 60% by volume of the composition, and a water-soluble liquid.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A photocurable liquid composition, comprising:
a liquid photopolymer resin;
particles of a solid material, in an amount between 30% and 60% by volume of the composition; and
a liquid immiscible in the liquid photopolymer resin,
wherein the liquid that is immiscible in the liquid photopolymer resin and the particles of the solid material are individually well dispersed within the composition.

2. The composition of claim 1 , comprising the liquid photopolymer resin in an amount between 40% and 50% by volume of the composition.

3. The composition of claim 1 , comprising the particles of the solid material in an amount between 40% and 50% by volume of the composition.

4. The composition of claim 1 , comprising:
the liquid photopolymer resin in an amount between 43% and 47% by volume of the composition; and
the particles of the solid material in an amount between 43% and 47% by volume of the composition.

5. The composition of claim 1 , comprising the liquid that is immiscible in the liquid photopolymer resin in an amount between 5% and 15% by volume of the composition.

6. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the particles of the solid material comprise particles of NaHCO 3 .

7. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the particles of the solid material comprise particles of a water-soluble salt.

8. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the liquid that is immiscible in the liquid photopolymer resin comprises polyethylene glycol.

9. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the liquid that is immiscible in the liquid photopolymer resin comprises propylene glycol.

10. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the liquid photopolymer resin comprises di-functional monomers.

11. The composition of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of fibers.

12. The composition of claim 1 , further comprising particles of a gas-permeable polymer.

Assignees

• Formlabs Inc

Inventors

• Mccarthy Alex
• Lobovsky Maxim
• Galese Martin

Classifications

• B29C33/565

  Consisting of shell-like structures supported by backing material · CPC title

• B29C39/26

  Moulds or cores · CPC title

• B29C33/52

  soluble or fusible {(in particular used in injection moulding B29C45/4457)} · CPC title

• B29C33/3842 Primary

  Manufacturing moulds, e.g. shaping the mould surface by machining · CPC title

• B29C33/0011

  thin-walled moulds · CPC title