Poly—(aryl-ether-ketone) (PAEK) composition with a low content of volatile compounds and use of same in a sintering method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11015071-B2
Application number	US-201716097728-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 2, 2017
Priority date	May 9, 2016
Publication date	May 25, 2021
Grant date	May 25, 2021

Abstract

Provided is a composition suitable for a process of building a three-dimensional object layer-by-layer by electromagnetic radiation-generated sintering, including at least one poly(aryl-ether-ketone) (PAEK), where the composition has an aromatic ether content of from 0 and 0.4% by mass, based on the total mass of the composition, and an aluminium mass content of lower than 1000 ppm. The composition may be used in process for building an object comprising sintering the composition with electromagnetic radiation. The present invention also includes a three-dimensional object obtained by such a process. A process for preparing the composition is also provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A composition suitable for a process of building a three-dimensional object layer-by-layer by electromagnetic radiation-generated sintering, comprising at least one poly(aryl-ether-ketone) (PAEK), wherein the composition has an aromatic ether content of from 0 and 0.4% by mass, based on the total mass of the composition, and the composition has an aluminum mass content of lower than 1000 ppm.

2. The composition of claim 1 , which comprises at least 60% by mass, based on the total mass of the composition, of the poly(aryl-ether-ketone) (PAEK).

3. The composition of claim 1 , which comprises at least 70% by mass, based on the total mass of the composition, of the poly(aryl-ether-ketone) (PAEK).

4. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the poly(aryl-ether-ketone) (PAEK) is a polyether-ketone-ketone (PEKK).

5. The composition of claim 4 , which comprises at least 60% by mass, based on the total mass of the composition, of the polyether-ketone-ketone (PEKK).

6. The composition of claim 4 , which comprises at least 70% by mass, based on the total mass of the composition, of the polyether-ketone-ketone (PEKK).

7. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the aromatic ether is (1,4-phenoxybenzoyl) benzene.

8. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the content of the aromatic ether is 0 to 0.2% by mass, based on the total mass of the composition.

9. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the content of the aromatic ether content is 0 to 0.1% by mass, based on the total mass of the composition.

10. The composition of claim 1 , which has an aluminium mass content of lower than 600 ppm.

11. The composition of claim 1 , which has an aluminium mass content of 10 to 250 ppm.

12. The composition of claim 1 , which has an aluminium mass content of 5 to 100 ppm.

13. The composition of claim 1 , which is in the form of a powder.

14. The composition of claim 13 , which generates no vapor when subjected to sintering with electromagnetic radiation.

15. A process for building an object comprising sintering the composition of claim 1 with electromagnetic radiation.

16. The process of claim 15 , wherein the sintering is conducted layer-by-layer.

17. The process of claim 15 , wherein the object is three-dimensional.

18. A three-dimensional object obtained by sintering the composition of claim 1 electromagnetic radiation.

19. A process for preparing the composition of claim 1 , comprising:
contacting at least one aromatic acid chloride and at least one aromatic ether in the presence of a Lewis acid in a solvent that dissolves water at a concentration lower than 0.05% by mass at 25° C., at a temperature of from −5 to +25° C. under stirring,
polymerizing the aromatic acid chloride and the aromatic ether at a temperature of from 50 to 120° C. to produce the poly(aryl-ether-ketone) (PAEK),
contacting the reaction mixture with water under stirring,
washing the poly(aryl-ether-ketone) (PAEK) and separating the liquors, and
drying the poly(aryl-ether-ketone) (PAEK).

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the poly(aryl-ether-ketone) (PAEK) is dried at a temperature 20° C. above the glass transition temperature Tg.

21. The process of claim 19 , wherein washing the poly(aryl-ether-ketone) (PAEK) and separating the liquors comprises:
carrying out a first washing with a water/alcohol mixture and separating the liquors, wherein the water/alcohol mixture comprises from 60% to 95% by mass of the alcohol, and
carrying out at least one further washing with water or acidic water and separating the liquors.

22. The process of claim 21 , wherein the alcohol comprises at least one of methanol, ethanol or isopropanol.

Assignees

• Arkema France

Inventors

• Brule Benoît
• Amstutz Jérôme
• Le Guillaume
• Jouanneau Julien

Classifications

• B33Y70/10

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

• C08G65/46

  Post-polymerisation treatment, e.g. recovery, purification, drying · CPC title

• C08G65/4093

  characterised by the process or apparatus used · CPC title

• C09D11/102 Primary

  containing macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions other than those only involving unsaturated carbon-to-carbon bonds · CPC title

• B29C64/153

  using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting · CPC title