3d printing method utilizing thermoplastic silicone composition

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018281276-A1
Application number	US-201615758862-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 9, 2016
Priority date	Sep 10, 2015
Publication date	Oct 4, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of forming a three-dimensional (3D) article is disclosed. The method comprises I) printing a first thermo-plastic silicone composition with a 3D printer to form an at least partially solidified layer. The method further comprises II) printing a second thermoplastic silicone composition on the at least partially solidified layer with the 3D printer to form a subsequent at least partially solidified layer. Optionally, step II) may be repeated with independently selected thermoplastic silicone composition(s) for any additional layer(s) to form the 3D article. The first and second thermoplastic silicone compositions are the same as or different from one another.

First claim

1 . A method of forming a three-dimensional (3D) article, said method comprising:
I) printing a first thermoplastic silicone composition with a 3D printer to form an at least partially solidified layer; II) printing a second thermoplastic silicone composition on the at least partially solidified layer with the 3D printer to form a subsequent at least partially solidified layer; and III) optionally, repeating step II) with independently selected thermoplastic silicone composition(s) for any additional layer(s) to form the 3D article;
wherein the first and second thermoplastic silicone compositions are the same as or different from one another.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second thermoplastic silicone compositions are the same.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first and/or second thermoplastic silicone compositions comprises a thermoplastic silicone polymer composition, a silicone hot melt composition, or a thermoplastic silicone vulcanizate composition.

4 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein the first and/or second thermoplastic silicone compositions comprises the silicone hot melt composition, wherein the silicone hot melt composition is noncurable, and wherein the silicone hot melt composition comprises: i) a silicone fluid and/or an organopolysiloxane; ii) a silicone resin and/or an organopolysiloxane; or iii) both i) and ii).

5 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein the first and/or second thermoplastic silicone compositions comprises the silicone hot melt composition, wherein the silicone hot melt composition is curable, and wherein the silicone hot melt composition comprises a moisture-curable composition.

6 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein the first and/or second thermoplastic silicone compositions comprises the thermoplastic silicone vulcanizate composition, and wherein the thermoplastic silicone vulcanizate composition comprises (A) a thermoplastic polymer and (B) a silicone elastomer dispersed in the thermoplastic polymer (A).

7 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein:
i) the thermoplastic polymer (A) is organic and is selected from a polyurethane, a polyurea, a polyamide, a polyimide, a polyketone, a polyester, a polyether, a polyoxide, a polyamine, a polysilylene, a polyetherimide, a polyetherketone, a polyacrylate, a polysulfide, a polythiophene, a polyphosphazene, a polyphenylene, a polyoxazole, a polythiazole, a polyimidazole, a polybenzoxazine, a polybenzothiazole, a polycarborane, a polysulfone, a polyanhydride, a polysulfonamide, a polycarbohydrate, a polycarbonate, a polyacetal, a polyolefin, a polyvinyl, a polyvinylidiene, a polyvinylchloride, a polyaromatic, a polydiene, a polydiyne, a polypeptide, a polyamide-polyether, a styrenic block copolymer, an ionomer, poly(ethylene-vinyl acetate), an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, and copolymers thereof; ii) the silicone elastomer (B) comprises the vulcanized product of (B1) an organopolysiloxane having an average of at least two silicon-bonded alkenyl groups per molecule; (B2) an organosilicon compound having an average of at least two silicon-bonded hydrogen atoms per molecule; and (C) a hydrosilylation catalyst; wherein the thermoplastic silicone vulcanizate composition is re-processable; or iii) both i) and ii).

8 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein: i) the thermoplastic polymer (A) is a polyurethane; ii) the organopolysiloxane (B1) comprises a substantially linear diorganopolysiloxane; or both i) and ii).

9 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein the first and/or second thermoplastic silicone compositions comprises a thermoplastic silicone polymer composition, and wherein the thermoplastic silicone polymer composition comprises a silicone copolymer selected from a poly(dimethylsiloxane-co-diphenylsiloxane), a polysilphenylene, a poly(silphenylene-dimethylsiloxane), a poly(phenylmethylsiloxane-co-diphenylsiloxane), a silicone-polyurethane copolymer, a silicone-polyamide copolymer, a silicone-polyetherimide copolymer, a silicone-polysulfone copolymer, a silicone-polyester copolymer, a silicone-polycarbonate copolymer, a silicone-polyetherketone copolymer, a silicone-polyacrylate copolymer, a silicone-polyvinyl copolymer, a silicone-polyurea copolymer, a silicone-polyphenlyene copolymer, a silicone-polysulfide copolymer, a silicone-polyether copolymer, a silicone-polyphosphazene copolymer, a silicone-polycarbohydrate copolymer or sugar siloxane, a silicone-polyolefin copolymer or silicone wax, a silicone-polypeptide copolymer, and a silicone-polycarborane copolymer.

10 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second thermoplastic silicone compositions are different from one another.

11 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein: i) the first and second thermoplastic silicone compositions solidify upon exposure to ambient conditions for a period of time; ii) heat is applied to the first thermoplastic silicone composition during I); or iii) both i) and ii).

12 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the 3D printer is selected from a fused filament fabrication printer, a selective laser sintering printer, a selective laser melting printer, a stereolithography printer, a powder bed (binder jet) printer, a material jet printer, a direct metal laser sintering printer, an electron beam melting printer, a laminated object manufacturing deposition printer, a directed energy deposition printer, a laser powder forming printer, a polyjet printer, an ink-jetting printer, a material jetting printer, and a syringe extrusion printer, alternatively wherein the method comprises fused filament fabrication.

13 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least partially solidified layer formed in I) retains its shape upon exposure to ambient conditions.

14 . A 3D article formed in accordance with the method of claim 1 .

15 . A 3D article formed by printing a thermoplastic silicone composition, the thermoplastic silicone composition comprising a thermoplastic silicone vulcanizate composition which comprises: (A) a thermoplastic polymer; and (B) a silicone elastomer dispersed in the thermoplastic polymer (A).

16 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein the first and/or second thermoplastic silicone compositions comprises a thermoplastic silicone polymer composition, a silicone hot melt composition, or a thermoplastic silicone vulcanizate composition.

17 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein the thermoplastic polymer (A) is a polyurethane and the organopolysiloxane (B1) comprises a substantially linear diorganopolysiloxane.

Assignees

• Dow Silicones Corp

Inventors

• Milroy Zachary
• Schaubroeck Sara
• Zhu Bizhong

Classifications

• C08G77/12

  containing silicon bound to hydrogen · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B33Y80/00

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B29C64/106 Primary

  using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material · CPC title

• B29K2083/00

  Use of polymers having silicon, with or without sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, or carbon only, in the main chain, as moulding material · CPC title