Method for printing three-dimensional parts with crystallization kinetics control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025018641-A1
Application number	US-202418786084-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 26, 2024
Priority date	Nov 21, 2012
Publication date	Jan 16, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for printing a three-dimensional part with an additive manufacturing system, which includes providing a part material that compositionally has one or more semi-crystalline polymers and one or more secondary materials that are configured to retard crystallization of the one or more semi-crystalline polymers, where the one or more secondary materials are substantially miscible with the one or more semi-crystalline polymers. The method also includes melting the part material in the additive manufacturing system, forming at least a portion of a layer of the three-dimensional part from the melted part material in a build environment, and maintaining the build environment at an annealing temperature that is between a glass transition temperature of the part material and a cold crystallization temperature of the part material.

First claim

1 - 20 . (canceled)

21 . A method for printing a three-dimensional part with an additive manufacturing system, the method comprising:
providing a part material compositionally including one or more semi-crystalline polyethylene terephthalate polymers and one or more amorphous polyethylene terephthalate polymers that are configured to retard crystallization of the one or more semi-crystalline polyethylene terephthalate polymers, wherein the one or more amorphous polyethylene terephthalate polymers are substantially miscible with the one or more semi-crystalline polyethylene terephthalate polymers; melting the part material in the additive manufacturing system; forming at least a portion of a layer of the three-dimensional part from the melted part material in a build environment; and maintaining the build environment at a temperature that is below a cold crystallization temperature of the part material.

22 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the one or more amorphous polymers comprises glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate polymers.

23 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the one or more amorphous polyethylene terephthalate polymers constitute from about 10% by weight to about 40% by weight of a combined weight of the one or more semi-crystalline polyethylene terephthalate polymers and the one or more amorphous polyethylene terephthalate polymers.

24 . The method of claim 23 , wherein the one or more semi-crystalline polyethylene terephthalate polymers comprises the remainerd of the part material.

25 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the one or more amorphous polyethylene terephthalate polymers constitute from about 15% by weight to about 25% by weight of a combined weight of the one or more semi-crystalline polyethylene terephthalate polymers and the one or more amorphous polyethylene terephthalate polymers.

26 . The method of claim 25 , wherein the one or more semi-crystalline polyethylene terephthalate polymers comprises the remainerd of the part material.

27 . The method of claim 21 , and further comprising performing a post-printing crystallization step on the printed three-dimensional part.

28 . A method for printing a three-dimensional part from with an additive manufacturing system, the method comprising:
providing a part material that compositionally comprises one or more semi-crystalline polyethylene terephthalate polymers and one or more amorphous polymers that are substantially miscible with the one or more semi-crystalline polyethylene terephthalate polymers; maintaining a build environment of the additive manufacturing system, at least in a deposition region of the build environment, at a temperature that is below a cold crystallization temperature of the part material; feeding the part material as a continuous filament feedstock to a print head retained by of the additive manufacturing system; melting the part material in the print head; extruding the melted part material from the print head; and depositing the extruded part material onto a build surface in the deposition region to form at least a portion of a layer of the three-dimensional part from the extruded part material.

29 . The method of claim 28 , wherein the one or more amorphous polymers comprises one or more amorphous polyethylene terephthalate polymers.

30 . The method of claim 28 , wherein the one or more amorphous polymers comprises glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate polymers.

31 . The method of claim 30 , wherein the one or more amorphous polyethylene terephthalate polymers constitute from about 10% by weight to about 40% by weight of a combined weight of the one or more semi-crystalline polyethylene terephthalate polymers and the one or more amorphous polyethylene terephthalate polymers.

32 . The method of claim 31 , wherein the one or more semi-crystalline polyethylene terephthalate polymers comprises the remainerd of the part material.

33 . The method of claim 30 , wherein the one or more amorphous polyethylene terephthalate polymers constitute from about 15% by weight to about 25% by weight of a combined weight of the one or more semi-crystalline polyethylene terephthalate polymers and the one or more amorphous polyethylene terephthalate polymers.

34 . The method of claim 33 , wherein the one or more semi-crystalline polyethylene terephthalate polymers comprises the remainerd of the part material.

35 . The method of claim 28 , and further comprising performing a post-printing crystallization step on the printed three-dimensional part.

36 . A method for printing a three-dimensional part with an additive manufacturing system, the method comprising:
providing a part material that compositionally comprises one or more semi-crystalline polyethylene terephthalate polymers and one or more amorphous polyethylene terephthalate polymers that are substantially miscible with the one or more semi-crystalline polymers; melting the part material in the additive manufacturing system; forming layers of the three-dimensional part from the melted part material using an additive manufacturing technique, wherein the layers are formed in a region that is maintained at a temperature that is within 10° C. of a glass transition temperature of the part material.

37 . The method of claim 36 , and further comprising reheating the printed three-dimensional part to one or more temperatures that are within about 10° C. of a cold crystallization temperature of the part material.

38 . The method of claim 37 , and further comprising reheating the printed three-dimensional part to one or more temperatures that are within about 5° C. of a cold crystallization temperature of the part material.

39 . The method of claim 38 , wherein reheating the printed three-dimensional part to the one or more temperatures is performed for at least about 30 minutes.

40 . The method of claim 38 , wherein the reheating step is performed in a separate oven from the additive manufacturing system.

Assignees

• Stratasys Inc

Inventors

• Rodgers Luke M B
• Jaker Vittorio L

Classifications

• B29K2081/06

  PSU, i.e. polysulfones; PES, i.e. polyethersulfones or derivatives thereof · CPC title

• B29C64/00

  Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3D] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive layering, e.g. by 3D printing, stereolithography or selective laser sintering · CPC title

• B29C64/112

  using individual droplets, e.g. from jetting heads · CPC title

• G03G15/225

  using contact-printing · CPC title

• B29K2995/0039

  Amorphous · CPC title