Three-dimensional printing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12358052-B2
Application number	US-201817045542-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2018
Priority date	Sep 18, 2018
Publication date	Jul 15, 2025
Grant date	Jul 15, 2025

Abstract

Examples of a three-dimensional (3D) printing kit include a particulate build material and a binder fluid. The particular build material includes from about 80 wt % to 100 wt % uncoated metal particles based on a total weight of the particulate build material. In some examples, the binder fluid includes water, polymer particles in an amount ranging from about 1 wt % to about 40 wt % based on a total weight of the binder fluid, and a poly(carbodiimide) adhesion promoter in an amount ranging from about 0.05 wt % to about 5 wt % based on the total weight of the binder fluid. In some other examples, the binder fluid includes water and the polymer particles, and the 3D printing kit further includes an adhesion promoter fluid which includes water and the poly(carbodiimide) adhesion promoter.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A three-dimensional printing kit, comprising:
a particulate build material consisting of uncoated metal particles and up to 0.2 wt % of a flow aid based on a total weight of the particulate build material; and
a binder fluid including:
water;
latex particles in an amount ranging from about 15 wt % to about 40 wt % based on a total weight of the binder fluid, the latex particles being co-polymer particles dispersed in the water with the co-polymer particles having i) a hydrophilic component including carboxylic functional groups and ii) a hydrophobic component; and
a poly(carbodiimide) adhesion promoter in an amount ranging from about 0.05 wt % to about 5 wt % based on the total weight of the binder fluid, wherein the poly(carbodiimide) adhesion promoter is an aqueous dispersion including a water miscible polymer containing multiple carbodiimide functional groups to react with the carboxylic functional groups of the hydrophilic component of the co-polymer particles, wherein the water miscible polymer is present in the aqueous dispersion in an amount ranging from 40% active to about 50% active, based on the total weight of the aqueous dispersion.

2. The three-dimensional printing kit as defined in claim 1 wherein the latex particles have a glass transition temperature higher than 60° C. and an average particle size of 1 nm or more.

3. The three-dimensional printing kit as defined in claim 1 wherein the uncoated metal particles are selected from the group consisting of aluminum, aluminum alloys, titanium, titanium alloys, copper, copper alloys, cobalt, cobalt alloys, chromium, chromium alloys, nickel, nickel alloys, vanadium, vanadium alloys, tin, tin alloys, tungsten, tungsten alloys, tungsten carbide, tantalum, tantalum alloys, molybdenum, molybdenum alloys, magnesium, magnesium alloys, gold, gold alloys, silver, silver alloys, zirconium, zirconium alloys, ferrous alloys, stainless steel, steel, and an admixture thereof.

4. The three-dimensional printing kit as defined in claim 1 wherein the binder fluid is devoid of a colorant.

5. The three-dimensional printing kit as defined in claim 1 wherein the particulate build material is devoid of a polymer resin.

6. A method of three-dimensional printing, comprising:
iteratively applying individual build material layers of a particulate build material which consists of uncoated metal particles and up to 0.2 wt % of a flow aid based on a total weight of the particulate build material;
based on a 3D object model, selectively applying a binder fluid including water, latex particles in an amount ranging from about 15 wt % to about 40 wt % based on a total weight of the binder fluid, the latex particles being co-polymer particles dispersed in the water with the co-polymer particles having i) a hydrophilic component including carboxylic functional groups and ii) a hydrophobic component, and a poly(carbodiimide) adhesion promoter in an amount ranging from about 0.05 wt % to about 5 wt % based on the total weight of the binder fluid to individual build material layers to define individually patterned layers of a 3D intermediate object, wherein the poly(carbodiimide) adhesion promoter is an aqueous dispersion including a water miscible polymer containing multiple carbodiimide functional groups to react with the carboxylic functional groups of the hydrophilic component of the co-polymer particles, wherein the water miscible polymer is present in the aqueous dispersion in an amount ranging from 40% active to about 50% active, based on the total weight of the aqueous dispersion; and
heating all of the individually patterned layers to form a crosslinked network among the metal particles in patterned portions of all of the individually patterned layers, thereby forming a 3D intermediate object.

7. The method as defined in claim 6 wherein:
the heating occurs at a temperature ranging from about 100° C. to about 250° C.; and
the method further comprises:
separating the 3D intermediate object from non-patterned particulate build material; and
heating the 3D intermediate object at higher temperatures to remove the crosslinked network therefrom and sinter the metal particles thereof.

8. The three-dimensional printing kit as defined in claim 1 wherein the particulate build material has a D50 particle size ranging from 0.5 μm to 200 μm.

9. The three-dimensional printing kit as defined in claim 2 wherein the latex particles have a particle size ranging from about 50 nm to about 250 nm and a weight average molecular weight ranging from about 100,000 Mw to about 1,000,000 Mw.

10. The three-dimensional printing kit as defined in claim 1 wherein:
the hydrophilic component of the co-polymer particles is an acidic monomer selected from the group consisting of maleic anhydride, vinylsulfonate, N-vinylsuccinamidic acid, methacrylic acid, sulfoethyl methacrylic acid, sulfopropyl acrylic acid, styrene sulfonic acid, sulfoethylacrylic acid, 2-methacryloyloxymethane-1-sulfonic acid, 3-methacryoyloxypropane-1-sulfonic acid, 3-(vinyloxy) propane-1-sulfonic acid, ethylenesulfonic acid, vinyl sulfuric acid, 4-vinylphenyl sulfuric acid, ethylene phosphonic acid, vinyl phosphoric acid, vinyl benzoic acid, 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid, and combinations thereof; and
the hydrophobic component of the co-polymer particles is selected from the group consisting of C4 to C8 alkyl acrylates, C4 to C8 methacrylates, styrene, substituted methyl styrenes, polyol acrylates, polyol methacrylates, vinyl monomers, vinyl esters, ethylene, maleate esters, fumarate esters, itaconate esters, and combinations thereof.

11. The three-dimensional printing kit as defined in claim 1 wherein the hydrophilic component of the co-polymer particles includes methacrylic acid, and wherein the hydrophobic component of the co-polymer particles includes methyl methacrylate, styrene, and butyl acrylate.

12. The three-dimensional printing kit as defined in claim 11 wherein the co-polymer particles have a glass transition temperature (T g ) of 90° C.

13. The three-dimensional printing kit as defined in claim 1 wherein the poly(carbodiimide) adhesion promoter is a hydrophilic aqueous poly(carbodiimide).

Assignees

• Peridot Print Llc

Inventors

• Chen Tienteh

Classifications

• B22F10/66

  by mechanical means · CPC title

• B33Y70/10

  Composites of different types of material, e.g. mixtures of ceramics and polymers or mixtures of metals and biomaterials · CPC title

• B33Y40/20

  Post-treatment, e.g. curing, coating or polishing · 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

• B33Y10/00 Primary

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title