Polymeric photoinitiators for 3d printing applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016167301-A1
Application number	US-201514967055-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 11, 2015
Priority date	Dec 12, 2014
Publication date	Jun 16, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The use life of windows (e.g., PDMS windows) for 3D SLA printers can be been extended by the incorporation of more polar photoinitiators and higher molecular weight photoinitiators into the resin. The degradation of the window, usually seen as cloudiness, has been shown to be from polymerization of the resin within the window material, and by using either polar or high molecular weight photoinitiators that are much less soluble in the window material, the degradation from polymerization in the window can be greatly reduced, thus extending the life of the window material. The extension of use life for the window when using the photoinitiators described herein can even occur when the resin has significant solubility in the window material, which also allows use of nonpolar resins that often have advantages over polar resins (viscosity and water uptake).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system for making a three-dimensional object by solidifying a resin material, comprising:
a transparent window; a build platform positioned above the transparent window and configured to move away from the transparent window as a solidifying region is defined between the build platform and the transparent window; a light source configured to emit light through the window and toward the solidifying region; and a resin container configured to supply the resin material to the solidifying region, the resin material comprising:
a polymerizable component including one or more monomers that have at least one polymerizable functional group, and
a photoiniator component that is activatable upon exposure to light having a wavelength between 200 nm and 800 nm, the photoiniator component including at least one polar component, the polar component including one or more polar groups that lower the solubility of the photoiniator component in the transparent window,
wherein, in use, a portion of the resin material in the solidifying region solidifies upon exposure to the light from the light source, and the solidified portion of the resin material is moved away from the transparent window along with the build platform.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the photoiniator component has a molecular weight greater than 450 g/mol.

3 . The system of any of claim 1 , wherein the one or more monomers of the polymerizable component are nonpolar.

4 . The system of any of claim 1 , wherein a solubility of the polymerizable component in the transparent window is greater than the solubility of the photoiniator component in the transparent window.

5 . The system of any of claim 1 , wherein the photoiniator component includes diphenyl(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)phosphine oxide (TPO).

6 . The system of any of claim 1 , wherein the photoiniator component is substantially activatable only upon exposure to light having a wavelength between 200 nm and 480 nm.

7 . The system of any of claim 1 , wherein the photoiniator component is substantially activatable only upon exposure to light having a wavelength between 350 nm and 410 nm.

8 . The system of any of claim 1 , wherein the build platform is configured to move in a horizontal plane parallel to the transparent window.

9 . The system of any of claim 1 , wherein the transparent window is made from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).

10 . The system of any of claim 1 , wherein the solidified portion of the resin material and the build platform are configured to, in use, move vertically away from an uncured layer of the resin material disposed at an upper surface of the transparent window.

11 . A system for making a three-dimensional object by solidifying a resin material, comprising:
a transparent window; a build platform positioned above the transparent window and configured to move away from the transparent window as a solidifying region is defined between the build platform and the transparent window; a light source configured to emit light through the window and toward the solidifying region; and a resin container configured to supply the resin material to the solidifying region, the resin material comprising:
a polymerizable component including one or more monomers that have at least one polymerizable functional group, and
a photoiniator that is activatable upon exposure to light having a wavelength between 200 nm and 800 nm, the photoiniator comprises at least one component having a molecular weight greater than 300 g/mol,
wherein, in use, a portion of the resin material in the solidifying region solidifies upon exposure to the light from the light source, and the solidified portion of the resin material is moved away from the transparent window along with the build platform.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the at least one photoiniator component has a molecular weight greater than 450 g/mol.

13 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the at least one photoiniator component has a molecular weight greater than 500 g/mol.

14 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the at least one photoiniator component has a molecular weight greater than around 1000 g/mol.

15 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the at least one photoiniator component has a molecular weight greater than 1500 g/mol.

16 . The system of any of claim 11 , wherein the photoiniator includes at least one polar component, the polar component including one or more polar groups that lower the solubility of the photoiniator component in the transparent window.

17 . The system of any of claim 11 , wherein the one or more monomers of the polymerizable component are nonpolar.

18 . The system of any of claim 11 , wherein a solubility of the polymerizable component in the transparent window is greater than the solubility of the photoiniator in the transparent window.

19 . The system of any of claim 11 , wherein the photoiniator includes polymeric diphenyl(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)phosphine oxide (TPO).

20 . The system of any of claim 11 , wherein the photoiniator is substantially activatable only upon exposure to light having a wavelength between 200 nm and 480 nm.

21 . The system of any of claim 11 , wherein the photoiniator is substantially activatable only upon exposure to light having a wavelength between 350 nm and 410 nm.

22 . The system of any of claim 11 , wherein the build platform is configured to move in a horizontal plane parallel to the transparent window.

23 . The system of any of claim 11 , wherein the transparent window is made from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).

24 . The system of any of claim 11 , wherein the solidified portion of the resin material and the build platform are configured to, in use, move vertically away from an uncured layer of the resin material disposed at an upper surface of the transparent window.

25 . A resin for use in a system for making a three-dimensional object, the resin comprising:
a polymerizable component including one or more monomers that have at least one polymerizable functional group; and a photoiniator component that is activatable upon exposure to light having a wavelength between 200 nm and 800 nm, the photoiniator component including at least one polar component, wherein the resin is configured to solidify upon exposure to light from a light source of the system for making the three-dimensional object.

26 . The resin of claim 25 , wherein the photoiniator component has a molecular weight greater than 450 g/mol.

27 . The resin of any of claim 25 , wherein the one or more monomers of the polymerizable component are nonpolar.

28 . The resin of any of claim 25 , wherein a solubility of the polymerizable component in a transparent window of the system for making the three-dimensional object is greater than the solubility of the photoiniator component in the transparent window.

29 . The resin of any of claim 25 , wherein the photoiniator component includes diphenyl(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)phosphine oxide (TPO).

30 . The resin of any of claim 25 , wherein the photoiniator component is substantially activatable only upon exposure to light having a wavelength between 200 nm and 480 nm.

31 . The resin of any of claim 25 , wherein the photoiniator component is substantially activatable only upon expos

Assignees

• Autodesk Inc

Inventors

• Cole Michael
• Cramer Neil
• Davenport Amelia

Classifications

• B29C64/129

  characterised by the energy source therefor, e.g. by global irradiation combined with a mask · CPC title

• C08F222/10

  Esters · CPC title

• B33Y30/00

  Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor · CPC title

• B29K2105/0005

  containing compounding ingredients (releasing, lubricating or separating agents B29C33/56, fibers B29K2105/08, B29K2105/12; fillers B29K2105/16, recycled material B29K2105/26) · CPC title

• B29K2105/0002

  monomers or prepolymers · CPC title