Thermal debinding techniques for additive manufacturing and related systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12077660-B2
Application number	US-202017097648-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 13, 2020
Priority date	Nov 15, 2019
Publication date	Sep 3, 2024
Grant date	Sep 3, 2024

Abstract

Techniques for debinding additively fabricated parts are described that do not require solvent debinding or catalytic debinding, and that may be performed using only thermal debinding in a furnace. As a result, in at least some cases debinding and sintering may take place sequentially within a single furnace. In some embodiments, the techniques may utilize particular materials as binders that allow for a thermal debinding process that does not negatively affect the parts.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A build material for additive fabrication, the build material comprising:
a rod or filament comprising at least one metal powder blended with a binder, the binder comprising:
a primary binder component having a melting point above 40° C. and below 140° C., and having a vapor pressure above 0.05 Torr at all temperatures between 50° ° C. and 160° C.; and
a secondary binder component including solid particles dispersed within the build material, wherein the solid particles of the secondary binder component have a higher melting point than the primary binder component.

2. The build material of claim 1 , wherein the primary binder component has a vol % within the binder of at least 30 vol % and less than 60 vol %.

3. The build material of claim 2 , wherein the primary binder component has a vol % within the binder of at least 40 vol % and less than 50 vol %.

4. The build material of claim 1 , wherein the primary binder component has a melting point above 50° C. and below 80° C.

5. The build material of claim 1 , wherein the primary binder component is a fatty alcohol.

6. The build material of claim 5 , wherein the primary binder component is octadecanol.

7. The build material of claim 1 , wherein the secondary binder component comprises polypropylene.

8. The build material of claim 1 , wherein the secondary binder component has a vol % within the binder of at least 40 vol % and less than 60 vol %.

9. The build material of claim 1 , wherein the secondary binder component comprises an ultrafine or microfine powder.

10. The build material of claim 9 , wherein the ultrafine or microfine powder has an average particle size between 1 μm and 50 μm.

11. The build material of claim 1 , wherein the secondary binder component is a first secondary binder component, and wherein the binder further comprises a second secondary binder component having a lower melting point than the melting point of the first secondary binder component.

12. The build material of claim 11 , wherein the first secondary binder component comprises polypropylene or polyimide and wherein the second secondary binder component comprises low-density polyethylene (LDPE).

Assignees

• Desktop Metal Inc

Inventors

• Reidy John
• Craven Christopher
• Tuncer Nihan
• Bose Animesh
• Barbati Alexander C
• Fulop Ricardo
• Kernan Brian D
• Schofalvi Karl-Heinz

Classifications

• B22F10/18

  by mixing binder with metal in filament form, e.g. fused filament fabrication [FFF] · CPC title

• B29K2505/00

  Use of metals, their alloys or their compounds, as filler · CPC title

• B29C64/165

  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

• B22F10/64

  by thermal means (control of energy beam parameters for post heating B22F10/364) · CPC title

• B29K2509/02

  Ceramics · CPC title