Reactive polymer fused deposition manufacturing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9650537-B2
Application number	US-201414252423-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 14, 2014
Priority date	Apr 14, 2014
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

Methods and compositions for additive manufacturing that include reactive or thermosetting polymers, such as urethanes and epoxies. The polymers are melted, partially cross-linked prior to the depositing, deposited to form a component object, solidified, and fully cross-linked. These polymers form networks of chemical bonds that span the deposited layers. Application of a directional electromagnetic field can be applied to aromatic polymers after deposition to align the polymers for improved bonding between the deposited layers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process for manufacturing a component using additive manufacturing comprising the steps of:
melting a supply of polymer material;
adjusting the viscosity of the polymer material in the melted form for deposition by partially cross-linking the melted polymer material prior to the depositing;
depositing the polymer material in the melted form in a plurality of layers to form the component;
solidifying the deposited polymer material; and
additionally cross-linking the working material within the component to form chemical bonds across the plurality of layers.

2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the polymer material includes a rapid cross-linking agent and a latent cross-linking agent.

3. The process according to claim 1 , further comprising applying a directional electromagnetic field to the deposited polymer material during the solidifying and/or the additional cross-linking.

4. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the polymer material comprises a hybrid polymer.

5. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the polymer material comprises a urethane and/or an epoxy.

6. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the polymer material comprises a liquid crystalline aromatic epoxy.

7. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the polymer material comprises a urethane partially cross-linked to and deposited in a linearized gel form.

8. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the polymer material comprises a reinforcement fiber.

9. The process according to claim 1 , further comprising aligning and curing the polymer material in an oriented nematic or smectic phase by applying a static magnetic field.

10. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the supply of working material comprises a granulated or pelletized state.

11. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the polymer material includes first cross-linking agent to obtain the partial cross-linking and a different second cross-linking agent to obtain the additional cross-linking.

12. A process for manufacturing a component using additive manufacturing comprising the steps of:
melting a supply of polymer material;
depositing layers of the polymer material in the melted form to form the component;
cross-linking the working material within the component to form chemical bonds across the layers; and
applying a directional electromagnetic field to the deposited polymer material before or during cross-linking to align polymer structures for the cross-linking across the layers.

13. The process according to claim 12 , further comprising solidifying the deposited layers before cross-linking and applying the directional electromagnetic during the solidifying.

14. The process according to claim 12 , wherein the directional electromagnetic field controls crystalline domains of the polymer material.

15. The process according to claim 12 , wherein the directional electromagnetic field is directed perpendicular to a plane of an aromatic system of the polymer material and induces a ring current in the delocalized electrons of the polymer material and reorientation of the aromatic system parallel to the magnetic field.

16. The process according to claim 12 , wherein the polymer material comprises a hybrid polymer that is solid at room temperature, melts at elevated temperatures above room temperature, and cross-links to form a thermoset.

17. The process according to claim 12 , wherein the polymer material comprises a urethane and/or an epoxy.

18. The process according to claim 12 , further comprising aligning and curing the polymer material in an oriented nematic or smectic phase by applying a static magnetic field.

19. The process according to claim 12 , wherein the polymer material comprises a liquid crystalline aromatic epoxy.

Assignees

• Ut Battelle Llc

Inventors

• Kunc Vlastimil
• Rios Orlando
• Love Lonnie J
• Duty Chad E
• Johs Alexander

Classifications

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B33Y80/00

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B29L2009/00

  Layered products · CPC title

• B29K2101/00

  Use of unspecified macromolecular compounds as moulding material {(use of unspecified rubbers B29K2021/00)} · CPC title

• B29C67/0055

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic