Laser activated thermoset powder bed printing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11905411-B2
Application number	US-202117157637-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2021
Priority date	Jan 25, 2021
Publication date	Feb 20, 2024
Grant date	Feb 20, 2024

Abstract

A composition of matter includes macroparticles comprising particles of one or more continuous phase matrix materials and functionalized microparticles contained at least partially in the one or more matrix material. A method of manufacturing includes producing macroparticles comprising a continuous phase thermoset matrix material mixed with a thermal initiator, depositing a layer of the matrix material onto a powder bed, applying a focused heat source to the layer of matrix material to selectively cure portions of the layer, repeating the depositing and applying until a final shape is formed, and removing uncured powder from the final shape.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A composition of matter, comprising:
macroparticles comprising particles of one or more continuous phase matrix materials; and
functionalized microparticles embedded in the matrix material, the functionalized microparticles and macroparticles selected such that they form a linked particle network when a focused energy source is applied to the composition.

2. The composition of matter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more matrix materials comprises an initiator.

3. The composition of matter of claim 2 , wherein the initiator comprises one selected from the group comprising: a thermal initiator, thermal radical initiator, thermal cationic initiator, photo radical initiator, and photo anionic initiator.

4. The composition of matter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the one or matrix materials comprise an amine and the functionalized microparticles comprise amine functionalized particles.

5. The composition of matter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the one or more matrix materials comprises an epoxy and the functionalized particles comprises epoxy functionalized particles.

6. The composition of matter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the one or more matrix materials comprise an amine and the functionalized microparticles are functionalized graphene.

7. The composition of matter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the one or more matrix materials comprises an epoxy and the microparticle comprises functionalized graphene.

8. The composition of matter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the one or more matrix materials comprises a solid monomer and a thermal initiator.

9. The composition of matter as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the solid monomer comprises 95 wt % of an epoxy monomer and 5 wt % of a thermal initiator.

10. The composition of matter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the one or more matrix materials comprises two solids in combination, the combination selected from the group consisting of: solid amine and solid epoxy, solid silicone part A and part B, solid nylon part A and part B, and thermoplastic polyurethane part A and part B.

11. The composition of matter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the one or more matrix materials comprise an amine with amine-reacted fluorographene microparticles, and an epoxy.

12. The composition of matter as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the amine-reacted fluorographene has a wt % of one of either at least twenty percent or at least forty percent.

13. The composition of matter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the one or more matrix materials comprises an epoxy and the microparticles comprise functionalized epoxy reacted fluorographene.

14. The composition of matter as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the epoxy-reacted fluorographene has a wt % of one of either at least twenty percent or at least forty percent.

15. The composition of matter as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a particle filler.

16. The composition of matter as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the particle filler comprises at least one selected from the group comprising: clay, graphene, and fume silica.

17. The composition of matter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the functionalized microparticles comprise at least one selected from the group consisting of: clay, graphene, and fume silica.

18. A method of manufacturing, comprising:
producing macroparticles comprising a continuous phase thermoset matrix material having functionalized microparticles embedded in the matrix material, mixed with a thermal initiator;
depositing a layer of the matrix material onto a powder bed;
applying a focused heat source to the layer of matrix material to selectively cure portions of the layer;
repeating the depositing and applying until a final shape is formed; and
removing uncured powder from the final shape.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the one or matrix materials comprise an amine and the functionalized microparticles comprise amine functionalized particles.

20. The method as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the one or more matrix materials comprises an epoxy and the functionalized particles comprises epoxy functionalized particles.

21. The composition of matter as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the one or more matrix materials comprise an amine and the functionalized microparticles are functionalized graphene.

22. The composition of matter as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the one or more matrix materials comprises an epoxy and the microparticle comprises functionalized graphene.

23. The composition of matter as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the one or more matrix materials comprise an amine with amine-reacted fluorographene microparticles, and an epoxy.

24. The composition of matter as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the one or more matrix materials comprises an epoxy and the microparticles comprise functionalized epoxy reacted fluorographene.

25. The method as claimed in claim 18 , wherein producing a continuous phase thermoset matrix material comprises cryoscopic grinding a thermoset material to particles having a size of less than 100 microns.

26. The method as claimed in claim 18 , wherein producing a continuous phase thermoset matrix material comprises producing a solid thermoset powder having at least one flowability additive.

27. The method as claimed in claim 18 , wherein producing a continuous phase thermoset matrix material comprises producing a solid thermoset powder having at least one absorption additive.

28. The method as claimed in claim 18 , further comprising heating a temperature of the powder bed to higher than a crystallization temperature of the matrix material during the depositing and applying.

29. The method as claimed in claim 18 , further comprising lowering the temperature of the powder bed to lower than a crystallization temperature of the matrix material.

30. The method as claimed in claim 18 , further comprising cleaning the final shape with a solvent.

31. The method as claimed in claim 18 , further comprising performing a cure of the final shape.

32. The method as claimed in claim 18 , wherein applying a focused heat source comprises applying one of either a laser source or a soldering iron to the powder.

Assignees

• Palo Alto Res Ct Inc
• Xerox Corp

Inventors

• Benedict Michael
• Wei Junhua
• Iftime Gabriel

Classifications

• C08L79/02 Primary

  Polyamines · CPC title

• C08K3/042

  Graphene or derivatives, e.g. graphene oxides · CPC title

• C08K3/16

  Halogen-containing compounds · CPC title

• C08K3/346

  Clay · CPC title

• C08K3/36

  Silica · CPC title