Support material formulation and additive manufacturing processes employing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12233606-B2
Application number	US-202318520708-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 28, 2023
Priority date	Aug 14, 2015
Publication date	Feb 25, 2025
Grant date	Feb 25, 2025

Abstract

Novel support material formulations, characterized as providing a cured support material with improved dissolution rate, while maintaining sufficient mechanical strength, are disclosed. The formulations comprise a water-miscible non-curable polymer, a first water-miscible, curable material and a second, water-miscible material that is selected capable of interfering with intermolecular interactions between polymeric chains formed upon exposing the first water-miscible material to curing energy. Methods of fabricating a three-dimensional object, and a three-dimensional object fabricated thereby are also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of fabricating a three-dimensional model object, the method comprising dispensing a building material so as to sequentially form a plurality of layers in a configured pattern corresponding to the shape of the object, wherein said building material comprises a modeling material formulation and a support material formulation, and wherein said support material formulation comprises:
a non-curable water-miscible polymer, in an amount that ranges from 30 to 80 weight percent of the total weight of the formulation, said non-curable water-miscible polymer comprising an alkoxylated polyol;
a non-curable water-miscible non-polymeric material which comprises 1,2-propanediol;
a first water-miscible, curable material in an amount that ranges from 10 to 20 weight percent of the total weight of the formulation; and
at least one second water-miscible curable material in an amount that ranges from 5 to 15 weight percent of the total weight of the formulation,
wherein said first water-miscible curable material comprises a mono-functional poly(alkylene glycol) acrylate; and
wherein said second water-miscible curable material is represented by Formula I:

wherein:
Ra is selected from H, C(1-4) alkyl and a hydrophilic group;
k is an integer ranging from 2 to 10;
X is -NRc-, wherein Rc is hydrogen, alkyl, cycloalkyl or aryl; and
Y is a hydrogen bond-forming moiety that comprises at least one nitrogen and/or oxygen atom,
the support material formulation being devoid of a multi-functional curable material.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said second water-miscible curable material is an acrylamide substituted by said hydrogen bond-forming moiety.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein Y is selected from hydroxyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, amine, alkylamine, dialkylamine, carboxylate, hydrazine, carbamate, hydrazine, a nitrogen-containing heteralicyclic, and an oxygen-containing heteralicyclic.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein Ra is H, such that the second curable material is an acrylamide.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said water-miscible polymer comprises said alkoxylated polyol and a polyethylene glycol.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein a concentration of said second water-miscible curable material ranges from 5 to 10 weight percent of the total weight of the support material formulation.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said support material formulation further comprises an initiator, a surface active agent and/or an inhibitor.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of said first and second water-miscible curable materials is a UV-curable material.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, subsequent to said dispensing, exposing the building material to curing energy, to thereby obtain a printed objected comprised of a cured modeling material and a cured support material.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein said cured support material is characterized by a mechanical strength that is lower than a mechanical strength of a cured support material made of a comparable support material formulation that is absent said second water-miscible curable material and comprises substantially the same total concentration of curable materials as the formulation, by no more than 50% or by no more than 40%, or by no more than 30%.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising removing said cured support material, to thereby obtain the three-dimensional model object.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein said removing comprises contacting said cured support material with a cleaning solution.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein said cleaning solution comprises an alkali metal hydroxide.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein said cleaning solution further comprises an alkali metal silicate.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein said cleaning solution comprises an alkali metal silicate at a concentration that ranges from 1 to 3 weight percent of the total weight of the solution, and an alkali metal hydroxide at a concentration that ranges from 1 to 3 weight percent of the total weight of the solution.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein a concentration of said alkali metal hydroxide is 2 weight percent of the total weight of the solution and a concentration of said sodium metasilicate is 1 weight percent.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein said contacting is during a time period that is shorter by at least 20% than a time period required to remove a cured support material made of a comparable support material formulation that is absent said second water-miscible curable material.

18. The method of claim 12 , wherein said contacting is effected without replacing the cleaning composition.

Assignees

• Stratasys Ltd

Inventors

• Vidavsky Yuval
• Peri Dani
• Pokrass Mariana
• Levy Avraham
• Matzner Eynat

Classifications

• B29K2033/04

  Polymers of esters · CPC title

• C11D7/06

  Hydroxides · CPC title

• B29C64/35 Primary

  Cleaning · CPC title

• B33Y80/00

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title