Break-away support material for additive manufacturing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016122541-A1
Application number	US-201414532485-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 4, 2014
Priority date	Nov 4, 2014
Publication date	May 5, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A support material for use in an additive manufacturing system to print a support structure for a three-dimensional part. The support material includes a base resin that is substantially miscible with a part material used to print the three-dimensional part, and has a glass transition temperature within about 10° C. of a glass transition temperature of the part material. The support material also includes a dispersed resin that is substantially immiscible with the base resin, where the base resin and the dispersed resin are each thermally stable for use in the additive manufacturing system in coordination with the part material.

First claim

1 . A support material for use in an additive manufacturing system to print a support structure for a three-dimensional part printed from a part material, the support material comprising:
a base resin comprising one or more first thermoplastic polymers, wherein the base resin is substantially miscible with the part material and has a glass transition temperature within about 10° C. of a glass transition temperature of the part material; and a dispersed resin comprising one or more second thermoplastic polymers, wherein the dispersed resin is substantially immiscible with the base resin; wherein the base resin and the dispersed resin each have a thermal stability such that less than 10% by weight of either of the base resin or the dispersed resin thermally degrades when the support material is exposed to 350° C. for a 5-minute duration; and wherein the support material is configured for use in the additive manufacturing system for printing the support structure from the support material in coordination with printing of the three-dimensional part from the part material.

2 . The support material of claim 1 , wherein the one or more first thermoplastic polymers of the base resin comprise a polyarylethersulfone.

3 . The support material of claim 2 , wherein the polyarylethersulfone comprises a polyethersulfone.

4 . The support material of claim 2 , wherein the one or more second thermoplastic polymers of the dispersed resin comprises a polysulfone or a blend of a polyphenyleneoxide and a polystyrene.

5 . The support material of claim 1 , wherein the one or more first thermoplastic polymers of the base resin comprise a polysulfone, and wherein the one or more second thermoplastic polymers of the dispersed resin comprise a polyetherimide.

6 . The support material of claim 1 , wherein the base resin constitutes from about 85% to about 95% by weight of the base resin and the dispersed resin.

7 . The support material of claim 1 , wherein the glass transition temperature of the base resin ranges from about 205° C. to about 225° C.

8 . A support material for use in an additive manufacturing system to print a support structure for a three-dimensional part printed from a part material that includes a polyetherimide, the support material comprising:
85% to about 95% by weight a first polyarylethersulfone having a glass transition temperature ranging from about 205° C. to about 225° C., wherein the first polyarylethersulfone is substantially miscible with the part material; and a second polyarylethersulfone that is substantially immiscible with first polyarylethersulfone and the part material; wherein the support material is configured for use in the additive manufacturing system for printing the support structure from the support material in coordination with printing of the three-dimensional part from the part material.

9 . The support material of claim 8 , wherein the first polyarylethersulfone comprises a polyethersulfone.

10 . The support material of claim 8 , wherein the second polyarylethersulfone comprises a polysulfone.

11 . The support material of claim 8 , wherein the support material is substantially free of polymers that thermally degrade by more than 5% by weight when exposed to 350° C. for a 5-minute duration and to 200° C. for a 50-hour duration.

12 . The support material of claim 8 , wherein the second polyarylethersulfone constitutes from about 5% by weight to about 15% by weight of the support material.

13 . The support material of claim 8 , wherein the support material is configured for use in the additive manufacturing system as a filament that is configured to be melted in and extruded from a print head retained by the additive manufacturing system.

14 . A method for printing a three-dimensional part with an additive manufacturing system, the method comprising:
providing a part material having a first glass transition temperature; providing a support material having a base resin and a dispersed resin that is substantially immiscible with the base resin, wherein at least one of the base resin and the dispersed resin is substantially miscible with the part material and has a second glass transition temperature within about 10° C. of first glass transition temperature of the part material; heating a chamber of the additive manufacturing system to at least 185° C.; melting the support material with a melt processing temperature greater than about 350° C.; forming layers of a support structure from the molten support material in the heated chamber; forming layers of the three-dimensional part from the part material in coordination with forming the support structure layers in the heated chamber; removing the three-dimensional part and the support structure from the chamber, wherein less than 10% by weight of the support material of the removed support structure is thermally degraded; and separating the removed support structure from the removed three-dimensional part.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the base resin comprises a first polyarylethersulfone and the dispersed resin comprises a second polyarylethersulfone.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the first polyarylethersulfone comprises a polyethersulfone and the second polyarylethersulfone comprises a polysulfone.

17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the base resin constitutes from about 85% by weight to about 95% by weight of the base resin and dispersed resin.

18 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the part material comprises a polyetherimide.

19 . The method of claim 15 , wherein less than 5% by weight of the support material of the removed support structure is thermally degraded.

20 . The method of claim 15 , wherein less than 1% by weight of the support material of the removed support structure is thermally degraded.

Assignees

• Stratasys Inc

Inventors

• Jaker Vittorio L
• Rodgers Luke M B

Classifications

• B29C64/307

  Handling of material to be used in additive manufacturing · CPC title

• G03G15/224

  Machines for forming tactile or three dimensional images by electrographic means, e.g. braille, 3d printing · CPC title

• B29C64/40 Primary

  Structures for supporting 3D objects during manufacture and intended to be sacrificed after completion thereof · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• C08L81/06 Primary

  Polysulfones; Polyethersulfones · CPC title