Method of building three-dimensional object with modified ABS materials

• US 20090295032A1
• Filed: 03/14/2007
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Stratasys Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Stratasys Incorporated
• Inventors: Hopkins, Paul E.
• Application Number:
  US11/717,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20090295032A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 264/308
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/106 using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/118 using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM]

Abstract

A method for building a 3D object with an extrusion-based layered deposition system comprising feeding a modified ABS material to an extrusion head of the extrusion-based layered deposition system, melting the fed modified ABS material in the extrusion head under conditions that improve a response time of the extrusion head, and depositing the molten thermoplastic material in a layer-by-layer manner to form the 3D object.

Claims

1. A method for building a three-dimensional object with an extrusion-based layered deposition system, the method comprising:

feeding a filament of a modified acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) material to an extrusion head of the extrusion-based layered deposition system, the modified ABS material requiring a drive pressure of about 1,000 psi or less when extruded at an extrusion rate of 1,000 mics from a standard geometry liquefier at a maximum liquefier temperature;

melting the fed modified ABS material in the extrusion head; and

depositing the molten modified ABS material in a layer-by-layer manner to form the three-dimensional object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the required drive pressure is about 750 psi or less.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the modified ABS material comprises methylmethacrylate.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein melting the fed modified ABS material in the extrusion head comprises melting the fed modified ABS material at a peak temperature ranging from about 300°

C. to about 340°

C.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the peak temperature ranges from about 300°

C. to about 320°

C.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the three-dimensional object comprises a multi-layer feature having at least one cross-section dimension of about 120 mils or less.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the deposited modified ABS material is substantially free of thermal degradation.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the melted modified ABS material has a thixiotropic threshold that is less than a thixiotropic threshold of a standard ABS copolymer when extruded under same conditions.

9. A method for building a three-dimensional object with an extrusion-based layered deposition system, the method comprising:

feeding a modified acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) material to an extrusion head of the extrusion-based layered deposition system;

melting the fed modified ABS material within the extrusion head at a peak temperature ranging from about 300°

C. to about 340°

C.;

extruding the molten modified ABS material from the extrusion head; and

depositing the molten modified ABS material in a layer-by-layer manner to build the three-dimensional object, wherein the molten modified ABS material in the three-dimensional object is substantially free of thermal degradation.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the peak temperature ranges from about 300°

C. to about 320°

C.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the modified ABS material comprises methylmethacrylate.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the molten modified ABS material is deposited in a build chamber of the extrusion-based layered deposition system, the build chamber having an environmental temperature ranging from about 70°

C. to about 105°

C.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the environmental temperature of the build chamber ranges from about 80°

C. to about 95°

C.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the three-dimensional object comprises a multi-layer feature having at least one cross-section dimension of about 120 mils or less.

15. A method for building a three-dimensional object with an extrusion-based layered deposition system, the method comprising:

feeding a modified acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) material to an extrusion head of the extrusion-based layered deposition system;

melting the fed modified ABS material within the extrusion head at a peak temperature that provides a thixiotropic threshold for the modified ABS material that is about 60% or less of a thixiotropic threshold for a standard ABS copolymer melted at the peak temperature;

extruding the molten modified ABS material from the extrusion head; and

depositing the molten modified ABS material in a layer-by-layer manner to build the three-dimensional object wherein the deposited modified ABS material is substantially free of thermal degradation.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the modified ABS material comprises methylmethacrylate.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the three-dimensional object comprises a multi-layer feature having at least one cross-section dimension of about 120 mils or less.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the peak temperature ranges from about 300°

C. to about 340°

C.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the molten modified ABS material is deposited in a build chamber of the extrusion-based layered deposition system, the build chamber having an environmental temperature ranging from about 70°

C. to about 105°

C.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the environmental temperature of the build chamber ranges from about 80°

C. to about 95°

C.