Thixotropic, thermosetting resins for use in a material extrusion process in additive manufacturing
First Claim
1. A method of preparing a three-dimensional structure, the method comprising:
- i. extruding a first bead of a first thixotropic thermoset material onto a support, wherein the first thixotropic thermoset material comprises a first thermoset resin and a first rheology control agent;
ii. subjecting the first bead to curing conditions such that the thixotropic thermoset material is at least partially cured to form a cured first polymer layer;
iii. extruding a second bead of a second thixotropic thermoset material in contact with the cured first polymer layer, wherein the second thixotropic thermoset material comprises a second thermoset resin and a second rheology control agent; and
iv. subjecting the second bead of thixotropic thermoset material to curing conditions, wherein the second bead of thixotropic thermoset material is at least partially cured to form a cured second polymer layer, and wherein the three-dimensional structure is prepared,wherein the first and/or second thixotropic thermoset material has a thixotropic index that is greater than 5, and the first and/or second thixotropic thermoset material does not contain a catalyst.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods of preparing a three-dimensional structure are provided. One method includes the steps of extruding beads of thixotropic thermoset materials, and subjecting the beads to curing conditions such that the thixotropic thermoset materials at least partially cure to form cured polymer layers. In some cases, the curing conditions are not applied until multiple beads are extruded and in contact with one another. The steps of these methods can be performed repeatedly as desired to prepare a three-dimensional structure of nearly limitless shapes by additive manufacturing processes. Thixotropic thermoset materials are also provided, as are three-dimensional objects formed therefrom.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method of preparing a three-dimensional structure, the method comprising:
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i. extruding a first bead of a first thixotropic thermoset material onto a support, wherein the first thixotropic thermoset material comprises a first thermoset resin and a first rheology control agent; ii. subjecting the first bead to curing conditions such that the thixotropic thermoset material is at least partially cured to form a cured first polymer layer; iii. extruding a second bead of a second thixotropic thermoset material in contact with the cured first polymer layer, wherein the second thixotropic thermoset material comprises a second thermoset resin and a second rheology control agent; and iv. subjecting the second bead of thixotropic thermoset material to curing conditions, wherein the second bead of thixotropic thermoset material is at least partially cured to form a cured second polymer layer, and wherein the three-dimensional structure is prepared, wherein the first and/or second thixotropic thermoset material has a thixotropic index that is greater than 5, and the first and/or second thixotropic thermoset material does not contain a catalyst. - View Dependent Claims (2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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3. A method of preparing a three-dimensional structure, the method comprising:
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i. extruding a first bead of a first thixotropic thermoset material onto a support, wherein the first thixotropic thermoset material comprises a first thermoset resin and a first rheology control agent; ii. subjecting the first bead to curing conditions such that the thixotropic thermoset material is at least partially cured to form a cured first polymer layer; iii. extruding a second bead of a second thixotropic thermoset material in contact with the cured first polymer layer, wherein the second thixotropic thermoset material comprises a second thermoset resin and a second rheology control agent; and iv. subjecting the second bead of thixotropic thermoset material to curing conditions, wherein the second bead of thixotropic thermoset material is at least partially cured to form a cured second polymer layer, and wherein the three-dimensional structure is prepared, wherein the first and/or second thixotropic thermoset material has a thixotropic index that is greater than 5, and the first and/or second thixotropic thermoset material does not contain a catalyst, wherein the first and/or second thermoset resin is selected from the group consisting of polyamidoamine-epichlorohydrin adduct resins, phenolic resins, amino resins, epoxy resins, isocyanate resins, isocyanate-terminated urethane resins and acrylate/methacrylate resins.
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12. A method of preparing a three-dimensional structure, the method comprising:
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i. extruding a first bead of a first thixotropic thermoset material onto a support, wherein the first thixotropic thermoset material comprises a first thermoset resin and a first rheology control agent, and wherein the first thixotropic thermoset material has a thixotropic index that is greater than 5; ii. extruding a second bead of a second thixotropic thermoset material, wherein the second bead is in contact with the first bead, wherein the second thixotropic thermoset material comprises a second thermoset resin and a second rheology control agent, and wherein the second thixotropic thermoset material has a thixotropic index that is greater than 5; and iii. subjecting the first and second beads to curing conditions to form cured first and second polymer layers, respectively, wherein the cured first polymer layer is cross-linked with the cured second polymer layer, wherein the first and/or second thixotropic thermoset material does not contain a catalyst and wherein the three-dimensional structure is prepared. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification