Polymers for additive manufacturing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023220198-A1
Application number	US-202318095073-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 10, 2023
Priority date	Sep 1, 2017
Publication date	Jul 13, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

Porous and microporous parts prepared by additive manufacturing as disclosed herein are useful in medical and non-medical applications. The parts are prepared from a composition containing both a solvent soluble component and a solvent insoluble component. After a part is printed by an additive manufacturing process it is exposed to solvent to extract solvent soluble component away from the printed part, resulting in a part having surface cavities.

First claim

1 - 29 . (canceled)

30 . An article made by a method of additive manufacturing, the method comprising:
a) melting a solid composition to provide a molten composition, the molten composition comprising an additive and a polymer phase, wherein the additive is soluble in a solvent, the polymer phase comprises an organic polymer and is essentially insoluble in the solvent, the composition is a solid at temperatures below 25° C. and a viscous fluid with a Melt Flow Index of 2.5-30 g/10 min at a temperature above 50° C., the composition has a weight percent of the additive based on the weight of the composition and a weight percent of the polymer phase based on the weight of the composition, where the sum of the weight percent of the additive and the weight percent of the polymer phase is greater than 90%; b) performing additive manufacturing to form an article from the molten composition; and c) contacting the article with a solvent, where the additive is soluble in the solvent, under conditions which at least partially dissolves the additive but not the polymer phase, to form a porous form of the article.

31 . The article of claim 30 , wherein the solvent dissolves at least 50% of the additive.

32 . The article of claim 30 , wherein the solid composition is melted at a temperature of 50-450° C. to form the molten composition.

33 . The article of claim 30 , wherein the additive manufacturing method is fused filament fabrication (FFF).

34 . The article of claim 30 , wherein the porous form of the article comprises a plurality of channels that run along the surface of the article in a longitudinal direction compared to the longitudinal direction of a fibrous form of the molten composition created during the additive manufacturing process.

35 . The article of claim 30 , wherein the method further comprises sterilizing the article by a method selected from treatment with ethylene oxide, gamma, e-beam, dry heat and steam processes.

36 . The article of claim 30 , wherein the method further comprises removing solvent from the article such that any residual solvent is less than one weight percent based on the weight of the porous form of the article.

37 . The article of claim 30 , wherein the solid composition is in the form of a monofilament and the monofilament has an orientation factor of less than 50%.

38 . The article of claim 30 , wherein the solid composition is in the form of a monofilament and the monofilament has a diameter of 1-5 mm.

39 . The article of claim 30 , wherein the solid composition is in the form of a monofilament and the monofilament has a diameter of 1.75±0.05 mm.

40 . The article of claim 30 , wherein the solid composition is in the form of a monofilament and the monofilament has a column buckling resistance of at least 1 Newton.

41 . The article of claim 30 , wherein the additive comprises an inorganic salt.

42 . The article of claim 30 , wherein the additive comprises a water-soluble organic compound.

43 . The article of claim 42 , wherein the water-soluble organic compound is polyetheleneglycol.

44 . The article of claim 30 , wherein the polymer phase comprises a bioabsorbable polymer.

45 . The article of claim 44 , wherein the bioabsorbable polymer comprises segments selected from polyester, polyanhydride, poly(hydroxybutyrate) and polyether.

46 . The article of claim 30 , wherein the polymer phase comprises a non-bioabsorbable polymer.

47 . The article of claim 46 , wherein the non-bioabsorbable polymer is selected from polyethylene, nylon, thermoplastic polyurethane, polypropylene, polyetheretherketone, polyaryletherketone and polyethylene terephthalate.

48 . The article of claim 30 , wherein the weight percent of the additive in the composition is 1-60%.

49 . The article of claim 30 , wherein the solvent is water, the additive is soluble in water and the polymer phase is insoluble in water.

Assignees

• Poly Med Inc

Inventors

• Taylor Michael Scott
• Hyde James
• Gaerke Brian
• Johns Brad
• Vaughn Michael Aaron
• Mccullen Seth Dylan
• Gravett David

Classifications

• C08L67/04 Primary

  Polyesters derived from hydroxycarboxylic acids, e.g. lactones (C08L67/06 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C08L71/02 Primary

  Polyalkylene oxides · CPC title

• B33Y70/00

  Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B29C64/118

  using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM] · CPC title

• D01D5/247

  Discontinuous hollow structure or microporous structure · CPC title