Color Stable Inks And Applications Thereof

• US 20140065378A1
• Filed: 08/28/2012
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3D Systems, Inc. (3D Systems Corporation)
• Original Assignee: 3D Systems, Inc. (3D Systems Corporation)
• Inventors: Xu, Pingyong
• Granted Patent: US 8,980,406 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/195.1
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/112 using individual droplets, e.g. from jetting heads
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2033/12 Polymers of methacrylic acid esters, e.g. PMMA, i.e. polymethylmethacrylate
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2891/00 Use of waxes as mould material
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2009/00 Layered products
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 70/00 Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/101 Inks specially adapted for printing processes involving curing by wave energy or particle radiation, e.g. with UV-curing following the printing
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/12 based on waxes or bitumen
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/34 Hot-melt inks
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24802 Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond [e.g., artwork, printing, retouched photograph, etc.]

Abstract

In one aspect, inks for use with a 3D printer are described herein. In some embodiments, an ink comprises a polymerizable material and a reactive wax comprising a saturated alkyl moiety bonded to an ethyleneically unsaturated moiety through a urethane, urea, ester, or carbonate ester linkage, wherein the ink is free or substantially free of non-reactive wax.

Claims

1. An ink for use in a three-dimensional printing system comprising:

a polymerizable material; and

a reactive wax comprising a saturated alkyl moiety bonded to an ethyleneically unsaturated moiety through a urethane, urea, ester, or carbonate ester linkage,

wherein the ink is free or substantially free of non-reactive wax.

2. The ink of claim 1, wherein the linkage comprises a urethane or urea linkage.

3. The ink of claim 1, wherein the ethyleneically unsaturated moiety comprises an alkyl(meth)acrylate moiety.

4. The ink of claim 1, wherein the ethyleneically unsaturated moiety comprises a vinyl moiety.

5. The ink of claim 1, wherein the reactive wax comprises the reaction product of an alkyl isocyanate having 2-36 carbon atoms in its alkyl chain and a hydroxyalkyl(meth)acrylate having 2-18 carbon atoms in its alkyl chain.

6. The ink of claim 1, wherein the reactive wax comprises the reaction product of an isocyanatoalkyl(meth)acrylate having 2-18 carbon atoms in its alkyl chain and a fatty alcohol having 4-36 carbon atoms in its alkyl chain.

7. The ink of claim 1, wherein the reactive wax comprises a chemical species of Formula (I):

8. The ink of claim 1, wherein the reactive wax comprises a chemical species of Formula (II):

9. The ink of claim 1, wherein the reactive wax comprises a chemical species of Formula (III):

10. The ink of claim 1, wherein the reactive wax exhibits a melting point range centered between about 50°

C. and about 80°

C.

11. The ink of claim 1, wherein the ink comprises a plurality of reactive waxes.

12. The ink of claim 1, wherein the polymerizable material comprises one or more species of (meth)acrylates.

13. The ink of claim 1, wherein the polymerizable material is UV-curable.

14. The ink of claim 1 further comprising one or more additives selected from the group consisting of photoinitiators, inhibitors, stabilizing agents, sensitizers, and combinations thereof.

15. The ink of claim 1, wherein the ink exhibits a phase change between about 25°

C. and about 55°

C.

16. The ink of claim 1, wherein the ink when cured exhibits a tensile modulus of about 2300 MPa to about 2800 MPa when measured according to ASTM D 638.

17. The ink of claim 1, wherein the ink when cured exhibits a break elongation of about 25% to about 40% when measured according to ASTM D 638.

18. The ink of claim 1, wherein the ink when cured exhibits a heat deflection temperature ranging from about 105°

C. to about 120°

C. when tested according to ASTM D 648.

19. A composition comprising:

a three-dimensionally printed article comprising an ink, the ink comprising a polymerizable material and a reactive wax comprising a saturated alkyl moiety bonded to an ethyleneically unsaturated alkyl moiety through a urethane, urea, ester, or carbonate ester linkage, wherein the ink is free or substantially free of non-reactive wax.

20. A method of printing a three dimensional article comprising:

selectively depositing layers of a fluid ink to form the three dimensional article on a substrate, the ink comprising a polymerizable material and a reactive wax comprising a saturated alkyl moiety bonded to an ethyleneically unsaturated alkyl moiety through a urethane, urea, ester, or carbonate ester linkage, wherein the ink is free or substantially free of non-reactive wax.