Thermal debinding techniques for additive manufacturing and related systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021147665-A1
Application number	US-202017097648-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 13, 2020
Priority date	Nov 15, 2019
Publication date	May 20, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

Techniques for debinding additively fabricated parts are described that do not require solvent debinding or catalytic debinding, and that may be performed using only thermal debinding in a furnace. As a result, in at least some cases debinding and sintering may take place sequentially within a single furnace. In some embodiments, the techniques may utilize particular materials as binders that allow for a thermal debinding process that does not negatively affect the parts.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A build material for additive fabrication, the build material comprising:
at least one metal or ceramic powder; and a binder comprising:
an organic primary binder component having a vol % within the binder of at least 30 vol % and less than 60 vol %; and
a secondary binder component,
wherein the primary binder component comprises a hydrophobic moiety and a hydrophilic moiety, and wherein the hydrophobic moeity is a substituted or unsubstituted aliphatic chain of 10 to 20 carbon atoms.

2 . The build material of claim 1 , wherein the aliphatic chain is an unsubstituted aliphatic chain.

3 . The build material of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophilic moiety is a hydrogen bonding moiety.

4 . The build material of claim 3 , wherein the hydrogen bonding moiety is a hydrogen bond donor and a hydrogen bond acceptor.

5 . The build material of claim 3 , wherein the primary binder component is an alcohol, a carboxylic acid, or an amine.

6 . The build material of claim 5 , wherein the primary binder component is a fatty alcohol.

7 . The build material of claim 6 , wherein the primary binder component is octadecanol.

8 . The build material of claim 7 , wherein the primary binder component is 1-octadecanol.

9 . The build material of claim 1 , wherein the secondary binder component comprises polypropylene.

10 . The build material of claim 1 , wherein the secondary binder component has a vol % within the binder of at least 40 vol % and less than 60 vol %.

11 - 13 . (canceled)

14 . The build material of claim 1 , wherein the binder further comprises a wetting agent.

15 . (canceled)

16 . A build material for additive fabrication, the build material comprising:
at least one metal powder; and a binder comprising:
a primary binder component; and
a secondary binder component,
wherein the primary binder component has a melting point above 40° C. and below 140° C., and wherein the primary binder component has a vapor pressure above 0.05 Torr at all temperatures between 50° C. and 160° C.

17 . The build material of claim 16 , wherein the primary binder component has a vol % within the binder of at least 30 vol % and less than 60 vol %.

18 . The build material of claim 17 , wherein the primary binder component has a vol % within the binder of at least 40 vol % and less than 50 vol %.

19 . The build material of claim 16 , wherein the primary binder component has a melting point above 50° C. and below 80° C.

20 . The build material of claim 16 , wherein the primary binder component is a fatty alcohol.

21 . The build material of claim 20 , wherein the primary binder component is octadecanol.

22 . The build material of claim 16 , wherein the secondary binder component comprises polypropylene.

23 . The build material of claim 16 , wherein the secondary binder component has a vol % within the binder of at least 40 vol % and less than 60 vol %.

24 - 25 . (canceled)

26 . The build material of claim 16 , wherein the binder further comprises a wetting agent.

27 - 35 . (canceled)

Assignees

• Desktop Metal Inc

Inventors

• Reidy John
• Craven Christopher
• Tuncer Nihan
• Bose Animesh
• Barbati Alexander C
• Fulop Ricardo
• Kernan Brian D
• Schofalvi Karl-Heinz

Classifications

• B22F10/18

  by mixing binder with metal in filament form, e.g. fused filament fabrication [FFF] · CPC title

• C08L23/12 Primary

  Polypropene · 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

• B22F2998/10

  Processes characterised by the sequence of their steps · CPC title

• B22F2999/00

  Aspects linked to processes or compositions used in powder metallurgy · CPC title