Surface Additive For Three-Dimensional Metal Printing Compositions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020306830-A1
Application number	US-201916369449-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 29, 2019
Priority date	Mar 29, 2019
Publication date	Oct 1, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A composition including a three-dimensional metal printing powder; an organic polymeric additive on at least a portion of an external surface of the three-dimensional metal printing powder; and optionally, an inorganic additive on at least a portion of an external surface of the three-dimensional metal printing powder. A process for preparing a three-dimensional metal printing powder having an organic polymeric additive disposed thereon. A process for employing the three-dimensional metal printing powder including selective laser sintering.

First claim

1 . A composition comprising:
a three-dimensional metal printing powder; an organic polymeric additive on at least a portion of an external surface of the three-dimensional metal printing powder; and optionally, an inorganic additive on at least a portion of an external surface of the three-dimensional metal printing powder.

2 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the organic additive is a polymer or copolymer comprising a first monomer having a high carbon to oxygen ratio of from about 3 to about 8; optionally, a second monomer comprising two or more vinyl groups, wherein the second monomer, if present, is present in the copolymer in an amount of from greater than about 8 percent by weight to about 40 percent by weight, based on the weight of the copolymer; and optionally, a third monomer comprising an amine, wherein the third monomer, if present, is present in an amount of from about 0.1 percent by weight to about 1.5 percent by weight, based on the weight of the copolymer.

3 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the organic additive comprises at least one non-cross-linkable polymerizable monomer; or
wherein the organic additive comprises at least one cross-linkable polymerizable monomer; or wherein the organic additive comprises a combination of at least one non-cross-linkable polymerizable monomer and at least one cross-linkable polymerizable monomer.

4 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the organic polymeric additive is free of cross-linkable polymerizable monomers.

5 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the organic polymeric additive comprises a cross-linkable monomer containing 2 or more vinyl groups; and
wherein the cross-linkable monomer containing 2 or more vinyl groups is present in the organic polymeric additive in an amount of greater than zero up to about 40 percent, by weight, based on the total weight of the organic polymeric additive.

6 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the organic polymeric additive comprises a basic monomer having a nitrogen-containing group; and
wherein the basic monomer having a nitrogen-containing group is present in the organic polymeric additive in an amount of less than about 1.5 percent, by weight, based on the total weight of the organic polymeric additive.

7 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the organic polymeric additive comprises an acidic monomer having an acidic group selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, beta-carboxyethyl acrylate, and combinations thereof; and
wherein the acidic monomer is present in the organic polymeric additive in an amount of less than about 4 percent, by weight, based on the total weight of the organic polymeric additive.

8 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the organic polymeric additive comprises a monomer selected from the group consisting of an acrylate monomer, a methacrylate monomer, and combinations thereof.

9 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the organic polymeric additive comprises latex particles having a volume average particle diameter of from about 30 nanometers to about 140 nanometers.

10 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition comprises two or more organic polymeric additives;
wherein a first organic polymeric additive has a first average D50 particle size; wherein a second organic polymeric additive has a second average D50 particle size; and wherein the first and second average D50 particle size differ by at least about 10 nanometers.

11 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the organic polymeric additive has a total surface loading of from about 0.01 to about 5 parts per hundred by weight based on the weight of the three-dimensional metal printing powder.

12 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the three-dimensional metal printing powder and the organic polymeric additive are combined to form a mixture according to the formula
0.2<( w ●D●P)/(0.363● d●p )<1.2
wherein, for the three-dimensional metal printing powder, D is the D50 average size of the powder in microns and P is the true bulk density in grams/cm 3 ; and wherein, for the organic polymeric additive, d is the D50 average particle size in nanometers, p is the true bulk density is grams/cm 3 , and w is the weight added to the mixture in parts per hundred.

13 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the organic polymeric additive comprises latex particles produced by emulsion polymerization of at least one monomer and a surfactant;
wherein the surfactant comprises a member of the group consisting of an anionic surfactant, a cationic surfactant, a non-ionic surfactant, and combinations thereof; and wherein the surfactant has a minimum surface tension of less than about 45 mN/m.

14 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the organic polymeric additive comprises latex particles produced by emulsion polymerization of at least one monomer and a surfactant;
wherein the surfactant comprises a member of the group consisting of sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate, sodium dodecyl sulphate, and combinations thereof.

15 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the three-dimensional metal printing powder comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of titanium, aluminum, silver, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, nickel, gold, palladium, stainless steel, platinum, palladium, tantalum, rhenium, niobium, alloys thereof, and combinations thereof.

16 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the three-dimensional metal printing powder comprises a mixture of a metal powder and a non-metal powder.

17 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the three-dimensional metal printing powder comprises a hybrid particle, wherein the hybrid particle is comprised of a metal and a non-metal.

18 . A process comprising:
providing a three-dimensional metal printing powder; providing an organic polymeric additive on at least a portion of an external surface of the three-dimensional metal printing powder; and optionally, further providing an inorganic additive on at least a portion of an external surface of the three-dimensional metal printing powder; wherein the organic polymeric additive is prepared by emulsion polymerization.

19 . A method comprising:
providing a three-dimensional metal printing powder having an organic polymeric additive on at least a portion of an external surface of the three-dimensional metal printing powder; and optionally, further having an inorganic additive on at least a portion of an external surface of the three-dimensional metal printing powder; and exposing the three-dimensional metal printing powder having the organic polymeric additive and optional inorganic additive to a laser to fuse the three-dimensional metal printing powder.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the method comprises selective laser sintering, selective laser melting, direct metal laser sintering, or electron beam melting.

Assignees

• Xerox Corp

Inventors

• Veregin Richard P N
• Moffat Karen A

Classifications

• B22F1/102 Primary

  Metallic powder coated with organic material · CPC title

• B22F1/065

  Spherical particles · CPC title

• B22F10/28

  Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM] · CPC title

• B33Y70/10 Primary

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

• B22F10/20

  Direct sintering or melting · CPC title