Method for formfree printing a three-dimensional object in layers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11673315-B2
Application number	US-202217856306-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 1, 2022
Priority date	Nov 11, 2016
Publication date	Jun 13, 2023
Grant date	Jun 13, 2023

Abstract

A method of formfree printing a three-dimensional object in layers with at least one printing material includes outputting printing material in at least one printing material string in string-shape via at least one printing head; receiving, via a printing platen, at least one printing material string output by the at least one printing head; providing a rod-shaped heating device movably arranged over the printing platen; controlling the rod-shaped heating device, via a heat controller, to emit a heat irradiation directed to the printing platen to heat the at least one printing material string to a reaction temperature to trigger a chemical reaction of the at least one printing material of the at least one printing material string; providing at least one motor coupled to the rod-shaped heating device to move it over the printing platen; and controlling the at least one motor, via a motor controller, to move the rod-shaped heating device over the printing platen to harden the at least one printing material string printed on the printing platen.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of formfree printing a three-dimensional object in layers with at least one printing material, the method comprising:
outputting printing material in at least one printing material string in string-shape via at least one printing head;
receiving, via a printing platen, at least one printing material string output by the at least one printing head;
providing a rod-shaped heating device movably arranged over the printing platen, wherein the rod-shaped heating device has a length of the same or higher than the width of the printing platen;
controlling the rod-shaped heating device, via a heat controller, to emit a heat irradiation directed to the printing platen to heat the at least one printing material string to a reaction temperature to trigger a chemical reaction of the at least one printing material of the at least one printing material string;
providing at least one motor coupled to the rod-shaped heating device to move it over the printing platen; and
controlling the at least one motor, via a motor controller, to move the rod-shaped heating device over the printing platen to harden the at least one printing material string printed on the printing platen.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one printing material may comprise one or more reactive liquid materials, which may be injected in the printing device and cure/react upon heating to form a printed object or at least one printed layer of an object.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one printing material may be a resin, which is configured to be cured by UV light; silicone rubbers, and/or thermoplastics, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate, nylon, polyetherimide (PEI) resin.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the at least one printing material comprises a 3D-printable silicone rubber composition.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the 3D-printable silicone rubber composition comprises:
an organopolysiloxane containing at least 2 alkenyl groups bonded to silicon atom per molecule, in an amount of from 35 to 85% by weight, based on the total weight of the composition;
an organopolysiloxane containing at least 3 silicon-bonded hydrogen atom per molecule, in an amount of from 0.1 to 4% by weight, based on the total weight of the composition;
a platinum based catalyst, in a quantity of platinum atom that provides of from 0.1 to 500 weight-ppm (parts per million) of platinum atom in the catalyst (C) based on the total weight of reactive organopolysiloxanes (A) and (B);
an inhibitor selected from the group consisting of acetylenic alcohols and their derivatives, in an amount of from 10 to 50,000 weight-ppm in the 3D-printable elastomer composition;
a silica filler, in an amount of from 10 to 40% by weight, based on the total weight of the composition; and
optional additives, in an amount of from 0 to 10% by weight based on the total weight of the composition, alternatively 0.1 to 10% by weight based on the total weight of the composition.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein controlling the rod-shaped heating device to emit the heat irradiation comprises emitting light having a wavelength in the range from about 780 nm to about 12 μm from the rod-shaped heating device.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rod-shaped heating device comprises a rod-shaped infrared lamp.

8. The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising supplying the printing material to a reservoir and then supplying the printing material to the printing head from the reservoir.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the supplying the printing material to the reservoir comprises supplying to the reservoir a first pre-printing liquid from a first pre-reservoir and a second pre-printing liquid from a second pre-reservoir.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the controlling the at least one motor to move the rod-shaped heating device over the printing platen comprises controlling the at least one motor to move the rod-shaped heating device linearly over the printing platen.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the supplying the printing material to the reservoir comprises dosing, via a dosage controller, an amount of material that is supplied to the reservoir.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the supplying to the reservoir the first pre-printing liquid from the first pre-reservoir and the second pre-printing liquid from the second pre-reservoir comprises dosing, via a dosage controller, an amount of first pre-printing liquid from the first pre-reservoir and an additional amount of the second pre-printing liquid from the second pre-reservoir.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the controlling the at least one motor to move the rod-shaped heating device over the printing platen comprises controlling the at least one motor to move the rod-shaped heating device parallel to a surface of the printing platen to emit the heat irradiation homogenously so that the irradiated heat is along substantially the entire width of the printing platen.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the controlling the at least one motor to move the rod-shaped heating device over the printing platen comprises controlling the at least one motor to move the rod-shaped heating device over the printing platen at least once each time after a respective layer of the at least one printing material string has been printed on the printing platen.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rod-shaped device comprises a heating region and wherein the controlling the rod-shaped heating device to emit a heat irradiation directed to the printing platen comprises controlling the rod-shaped heating device to emit the heat irradiation homogenously along the heating region, wherein the heating region has a length of the same or higher than the width of the printing platen so that the heat is irradiated on substantially the entire width of the printing platen.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the controlling the at least one motor to move the rod-shaped heating device over the printing platen comprises controlling the at least one motor to move the rod-shaped heating device linearly over the printing platen only along a length direction of the printing platen to irradiate the entire surface of the printing platen.

17. A method of formfree printing a three-dimensional object in layers, the method comprising:
outputting onto a printing platen a printing material in a printing material string that is string-shaped;
emitting heat irradiation homogeneously toward the printing platen from a rod-shaped heating lamp that is movably arranged over the printing platen to heat the printing material string to a reaction temperature to trigger a chemical reaction of the printing material of the printing material string, wherein the length of the rod-shaped lamp is greater than or substantially equal to the entire width of the platen and the width of the rod-shaped lamp is smaller than the entire length of the platen; and
moving the rod-shaped heating lamp over the length of the printing platen to harden the printing material string printed on the printing platen.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the emitting heat irradiation comprises emitting light from the rod-shaped heating lamp having a wavelength in the range from about 780 nm to about 12 μm.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the rod-shaped heating lamp comprises a rod-shaped infrared lamp.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the moving the rod-shaped heating lamp over the length of the printing platen comprises mo

Assignees

• Dow Silicones Corp
• Innovatiq Gmbh Co Kg

Inventors

• Wolf Hans Peter
• Backer Michael
• Baumann Stephan
• Bautz Florian

Classifications

• C08L79/08

  Polyimides; Polyester-imides; Polyamide-imides; Polyamide acids or similar polyimide precursors · CPC title

• B29C64/106 Primary

  using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material · CPC title

• C08G77/12

  containing silicon bound to hydrogen · CPC title

• B33Y30/00

  Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor · CPC title

• C08G77/20

  containing silicon bound to unsaturated aliphatic groups · CPC title