Binder composition for additive manufacturing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11945943-B2
Application number	US-202016998527-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 20, 2020
Priority date	Aug 23, 2019
Publication date	Apr 2, 2024
Grant date	Apr 2, 2024

Abstract

Methods of additive manufacturing, binder compositions for additive manufacturing, and articles produced by and/or associated with methods of additive manufacturing are generally described.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of additive manufacturing a metal-based composite structure by binder jet printing, the method comprising:
depositing a first layer of metal powder;
depositing a binder composition on at least a portion of the first layer of metal powder, the binder composition comprising:
water,
an adhesion promoter that is a small molecule, the adhesion promoter comprising a thiol group, and
a low molecular weight polymer including an acrylic acid repeat unit, wherein the binder composition has a pH of greater than or equal to 4; and

drying and/or cross-linking at least the binder composition deposited on the first layer of the metal powder, thereby forming a metal-based composite structure.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the low molecular weight polymer has a weight average molecular weight of less than or equal to 40 kDa.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the thiol group is a first functional group, and wherein the adhesion promoter further comprises a second functional group.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the second functional group is a nucleophilic functional group or an electrophilic group.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the adhesion promoter further comprises a third functional group.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the third functional group is a nucleophilic group or an electrophilic group.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal powder comprises gold metal and/or a gold alloy.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adhesion promoter has a molecular weight of less than 1000 Da.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the low molecular weight polymer has a weight average molecular weight of less than or equal to 40 kDa.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adhesion promoter has a molecular weight of less than 500 Da.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adhesion promoter has a molecular weight of less than 300 Da.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adhesion promoter forms a covalent bond with the low molecular weight polymer.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the adhesion promoter forms a covalent bond with the metal powder.

14. A method of additive manufacturing a metal-based composite structure by binder jet printing, the method comprising:
depositing a first layer of metal powder;
depositing a binder composition on at least a portion of the first layer of metal powder, the binder composition comprising:
water,
an adhesion promoter that is a small molecule, wherein the adhesion promoter is or comprises cysteine, cystine, methionine, homocysteine, an amine thiol, dithiothreitol, mercaptoethanol, a thiocarboxylic acid, and/or a thiocarboxylate, and
a low molecular weight polymer including an acrylic acid repeat unit, wherein the binder composition has a pH of greater than or equal to 4; and

drying and/or cross-linking at least the binder composition deposited on the first layer of the metal powder, thereby forming a metal-based composite structure.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the adhesion promoter is cysteine, cystine, methionine, homocysteine, dithiothreitol, or mercaptoethanol.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the adhesion promoter is cysteine.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the metal powder comprises gold metal and/or a gold alloy.

Assignees

• Desktop Metal Inc

Inventors

• Renner Christopher Benjamin
• Rushkin Ilya L
• Nick Robert J
• Sachs Emanuel M

Classifications

• C08L33/02 Primary

  Homopolymers or copolymers of acids; Metal or ammonium salts thereof · CPC title

• B22F1/10

  Metallic powder containing lubricating or binding agents; Metallic powder containing organic material · CPC title

• B22F1/103

  containing an organic binding agent comprising a mixture of, or obtained by reaction of, two or more components other than a solvent or a lubricating agent · CPC title

• B22F10/00

  Additive manufacturing of workpieces or articles from metallic powder (apparatus or devices therefor B22F12/00) · CPC title

• B33Y10/00 Primary

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title