Material sets

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11001050-B2
Application number	US-201616073585-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 20, 2016
Priority date	Apr 20, 2016
Publication date	May 11, 2021
Grant date	May 11, 2021

Abstract

The present disclosure is drawn to material sets for 3-dimensional printing, 3-dimensional printing systems, and 3-dimensional printed parts. A material set can include a thermoplastic polymer powder having an average particle size from 20 μm to 100 μm, an x-ray contrast ink including a jettable x-ray contrast agent, and a fusing ink. The fusing ink can include a fusing agent capable of absorbing electromagnetic radiation to produce heat.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A material set, comprising:
a thermoplastic polymer powder having an average particle size from 20 μm to 100 μm;
an x-ray contrast ink comprising a jettable x-ray contrast agent; and
a fusing ink comprising a fusing agent capable of absorbing electromagnetic radiation to produce heat;
wherein the thermoplastic polymer powder comprises a nylon, a thermoplastic elastomer, a urethane, a polycarbonate, or a polystyrene.

2. The material set of claim 1 , wherein the jettable x-ray contrast agent comprises aluminum, iron, chromium, titanium, palladium, gold, nickel, zinc, tin, copper, silver, lead, bismuth, indium, gallium, tungsten, barium, iodine, calcium, or a combination thereof.

3. The material set of claim 1 , wherein the jettable x-ray contrast agent is thermally stable at temperatures up to 170° C.

4. The material set of claim 1 , wherein the jettable x-ray contrast agent is a particulate contrast agent having an average particle size from 10 nm to 200 nm.

5. A 3-dimensional printing system including the material set of claim 1 , comprising:
a powder bed comprising the thermoplastic polymer powder;
an inkjet printer comprising:
a first inkjet pen in communication with a reservoir of the x-ray contrast ink to print the x-ray contrast ink onto the powder bed, and
a second inkjet pen in communication with a reservoir of the fusing ink to print the fusing ink onto the powder bed; and

a fusing lamp to expose the powder bed to electromagnetic radiation sufficient to fuse thermoplastic polymer powder that has been printed with the x-ray contrast ink, the fusing ink, or both.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the jettable x-ray contrast agent is thermally stable at temperatures up to 170° C.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the fusing agent comprises carbon black, a near-infrared absorbing dye, a near-infrared absorbing pigment, a tungsten bronze, a molybdenum bronze, metal nanoparticles, a conjugated polymer, or combinations thereof.

8. The material set of claim 1 , wherein the x-ray contrast ink and the fusing ink are separate agents in separate printheads.

9. The material set of claim 1 , wherein the fusing agent comprises carbon black, a near-infrared absorbing dye, a near-infrared absorbing pigment, a tungsten bronze, a molybdenum bronze, metal nanoparticles, a conjugated polymer, or combinations thereof.

10. A material set, comprising:
a thermoplastic polymer powder having an average particle size from 20 μm to 100 μm;
an x-ray contrast ink comprising a jettable x-ray contrast agent; and
a fusing ink comprising a fusing agent capable of absorbing electromagnetic radiation to produce heat;
wherein the fusing agent comprises carbon black, a near-infrared absorbing dye, a near-infrared absorbing pigment, a tungsten bronze, a molybdenum bronze, metal nanoparticles, a conjugated polymer, or combinations thereof.

11. The material set of claim 10 , wherein the thermoplastic polymer powder comprises a nylon, a thermoplastic elastomer, a urethane, a polycarbonate, or a polystyrene.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Chaffins Sterling
• Dekam Kevin P
• Roop Cassady S
• Mchuron-Guss Bret

Classifications

• B33Y70/10

  Composites of different types of material, e.g. mixtures of ceramics and polymers or mixtures of metals and biomaterials · CPC title

• B29C64/165 Primary

  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

• B33Y80/00 Primary

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B29K2995/0018

  having particular optical properties, e.g. fluorescent or phosphorescent · CPC title

• Y10T428/24802

  Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond [e.g., artwork, printing, retouched photograph, etc.] · CPC title