Three-dimensional printing kits

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12448538-B2
Application number	US-202118289817-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 2, 2021
Priority date	Jun 2, 2021
Publication date	Oct 21, 2025
Grant date	Oct 21, 2025

Abstract

A three-dimensional printing kit can include a polymer build material and a fusing agent. The polymer build material can include from about 80 wt % to about 100 wt % polymeric particles. The fusing agent can include an aqueous liquid vehicle, an electromagnetic radiation absorber to absorb radiation energy and convert the radiation energy to heat, and an endothermic decomposition compound that can undergo thermal decomposition at a temperature ranging from about 60° C. to about 400° C.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A three-dimensional printing kit comprising:
a polymer build material including from about 80 wt % to 100 wt % polymeric particles; and
a fusing agent including:
an aqueous liquid vehicle,
an electromagnetic radiation absorber to absorb radiation energy and convert the radiation energy to heat, and
an endothermic decomposition compound that undergoes thermal decomposition at a temperature ranging from about 60° C. to about 400° C.

2. The three-dimensional printing kit of claim 1 , wherein the polymer build material includes at least one of polyamide-6, polyamide-8, polyamide-9, polyamide-11, polyamide-12, polyamide-6,6, polyamide-6,12, polyamide-8,12, polyamide thermoplastic elastomer, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene, polyacrylate, polyacetal, polypropylene, polycarbonate, polyester, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, thermoplastic polyurethane, engineering plastic, polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polymer blends thereof, amorphous polymers thereof, core-shell polymers thereof, and copolymers thereof.

3. The three-dimensional printing kit of claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic radiation absorber includes at least one of a metal dithiolene complex, carbon black, a near-infrared absorbing dye, a near-infrared absorbing pigment, metal nanoparticles, a conjugated polymer, or a combination thereof.

4. The three-dimensional printing kit of claim 1 , wherein the endothermic decomposition compound includes at least one of urea, ammonium nitrate, ammonium chloride, calcium carbonate, copper (II) sulfate, copper (II) sulfate pentahydrate, or an admixture thereof.

5. The three-dimensional printing kit of claim 1 , wherein the endothermic decomposition compound is present at from about 1 wt % to about 50 wt %.

6. The three-dimensional printing kit of claim 1 , further comprising a second fluid agent, wherein the second fluid agent is selected from a detailing agent, an endothermic fluid agent, or the combination thereof;
wherein the detailing agent comprises a detailing compound, wherein the detailing compound reduces a temperature of powder bed material onto which the detailing agent is applied;
wherein the endothermic fluid agent comprises an endothermic decomposition agent and an aqueous liquid vehicle and allows for a structural change in a three-dimensional object formed where the endothermic fluid agent is applied.

7. A method of three-dimensional printing comprising:
iteratively applying a polymer build material as individual layers to a powder bed, wherein the polymer build material includes from about 80 wt % to 100 wt % polymeric particles;
based on a three-dimensional object model, selectively applying a fusing agent onto individual layers of the polymer build material, the fusing agent including:
an aqueous liquid vehicle,
an electromagnetic radiation absorber that absorbs radiation energy, and
an endothermic compound that undergoes thermal decomposition at a temperature ranging from about 60° C. to about 400° C.; and

exposing the powder bed to electromagnetic energy to selectively heat and fuse portions of individual layers of the polymer build material together in contact with the fusing agent to form a three dimensional object, wherein the endothermic decomposition compound causes a structural modification of the three-dimensional object in response to the heat.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the endothermic decomposition compound includes at least one of urea, ammonium nitrate, ammonium chloride, calcium carbonate, copper (II) sulfate, copper (II) sulfate pentahydrate, or an admixture thereof.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the polymeric particles include at least one of a polyamide, a polypropylene, or a combination thereof, and wherein the structural modification includes a modification in high/low hydrogen bonding polymer phases.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the polymeric particles include a polyamide thermoplastic elastomer, and wherein the structural modification includes at least one of an increase in radius of gyration, lamellar spacing, long period structure of disordered phases, or a combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the fused three-dimensional object has an increase in elasticity of from about 1.1 times to about 4 times greater than a comparative three-dimensional object formed from the polymer build material and the electromagnetic radiation absorber which excludes the endothermic decomposition compound.

12. The method of claim 7 , further comprising selectively jetting a detailing agent onto individual build material layers laterally at a border between a first area where the individual layers of the polymer build material is contacted by the fusing agent and a second area where the individual layers of the polymer build material is not contacted by the fusing agent.

13. A system for three-dimensional printing comprising;
a polymer build material including from about 80 wt % to 100 wt % polymeric particles;
a printhead fluidly coupled to or fluidly coupleable to the fusing agent to selectively and iteratively eject a fusing agent onto successive placed individual layers of the build material, the fusing agent including an aqueous liquid vehicle, an electromagnetic radiation absorber to absorb radiation energy and convert the radiation energy to heat, and an endothermic decomposition compound that undergoes thermal decomposition at a temperature ranging from about 60° C. to about 400° C.; and
an electromagnetic energy source positioned or positionable to expose the individual layers of the build material to radiation energy to selectively fuse the polymeric particles in contact with the electromagnetic radiation absorber to iteratively form a three-dimensional object and cause a structural modification of the three-dimensional object in response to the heat due to the presence of the endothermic decomposition compound.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the polymer build material includes at least one of a polyamide, polypropylene, a polyamide thermoplastic elastomer, or a combination thereof.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the endothermic decomposition compound includes at least one of urea, urea, ammonium nitrate, ammonium chloride, calcium carbonate, copper (II) sulfate, copper (II) sulfate pentahydrate, or an admixture thereof.

Assignees

• Peridot Print Llc

Inventors

• Discekici Emre Hiro
• Long Greg Scott
• Schissler Dennis J
• Woodruff Shannon Reuben

Classifications

• C08K5/21

  Urea; Derivatives thereof, e.g. biuret · CPC title

• C08K3/04

  Carbon · CPC title

• B29K2105/251

  Particles, powder or granules (expandable particles B29K2105/046) · CPC title

• B29K2077/00

  Use of {PA, i.e.} polyamides, e.g. polyesteramides {or derivatives thereof}, as moulding material · CPC title

• B29K2023/12

  PP, i.e. polypropylene · CPC title