Cleaning fluids for use in additive manufacturing apparatuses and methods for monitoring status and performance of the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12097709-B2
Application number	US-202017612452-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 22, 2020
Priority date	May 23, 2019
Publication date	Sep 24, 2024
Grant date	Sep 24, 2024

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to additive manufacturing apparatuses, cleaning stations incorporated therein, and methods of cleaning using the cleaning stations.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of cleaning a print head comprising:
applying a cleaning fluid comprising from 70 wt % to 99.9 wt % water and 0.1 wt % to 30 wt % of one or more organic solvents selected from the group consisting of dimethyl formamide (DMF), N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc), 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone((DMI), 1,3-dimethyl-3,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2(1H)-pyrimidinone (DMPU), ethylene glycol, diethyl glycol, dipropylene glycol dimethyl ether, cyrene, dimethyl isosorbide, and propylene glycol to a surface of the print head having precipitant from a binder fluid comprising polyvinyl alcohol or a derivative thereof thereon, the print head being formed as at least a portion of an actuator assembly of an additive manufacturing apparatus; and
removing used cleaning fluid from the surface of the print head after the cleaning fluid at least partially dissolves the precipitant from the surface.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cleaning fluid comprises from 0.5 wt % to 10 wt % of the one or more organic solvents.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the organic solvent comprises DMF, NMP, DMSO, dipropylene glycol dimethyl ether, cyrene, dimethyl isosorbide, ethylene glycol, and combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cleaning fluid has a viscosity of less than 10 cP at 25° C.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cleaning fluid has a boiling point that is greater than or equal to 100° C. at 1 atm.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the density of the cleaning fluid is from 0.900 to 1.400 g/cm 3 .

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
passing at least a portion of the cleaning fluid through the print head having the precipitant from a binder fluid comprising polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), polyacrylic acid (PAA), or derivatives thereof therein.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
removing the used cleaning fluid from the print head after the cleaning fluid at least partially dissolves the precipitant from within the print head.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Alberts William C
• Bromberg Vadim
• Chan Kwok Pong
• Estes Robert Edgar
• Mayer Jacob
• Mook Joshua Tyler
• Mekker Janet
• Murphy William Cosmo
• Natarajan Arunkumar
• Thompson Mary Kathryn
• Yang Xi
• Sands Travis

Classifications

• B22F10/38

  to achieve specific product aspects, e.g. surface smoothness, density, porosity or hollow structures · CPC title

• B22F12/90

  Means for process control, e.g. cameras or sensors · CPC title

• B22F10/70

  Recycling · CPC title

• B22F10/14

  by jetting of binder onto a bed of metal powder · CPC title

• C09D11/30

  Inkjet printing inks · CPC title