Water soluble rapid prototyping support and mold material

• US 6,437,034 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2001
• Issued: 08/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Stratasys Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Stratasys Incorporated
• Inventors: Popovich, Dragan, Lombardi, John Lang, Artz, Gregory John
• Primary Examiner(s): Cain, Edward J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WYROZEBSKI LEE, KATARZYNA I
• Application Number:
  US09/850,179
• Publication Number:
  US 20010025073A1
• Time in Patent Office: 470 Days
• Field of Search: 524/425, 524/427, 524/442, 524/495, 524/493, 524/513, 524/514, 524/516, 524/517, 524/540, 524/555, 524/565, 524/566
• US Class Current: 524/425
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 70/00 Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 70/10 Composites of different types of material, e.g. mixtures of ceramics and polymers or mixtures of metals and biomaterials
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 3/01 characterized by their specific function
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 3/013 Fillers, pigments or reinforcing additives
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 3/26 Carbonates; Bicarbonates
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/02 Organic macromolecular compounds, natural resins, waxes or and bituminous materials
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 53/00 Compositions of block copolymers containing at least one sequence of a polymer obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 55/02 ABS [Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene] polymers
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 79/02 Polyamines

Abstract

Formation of polymeric prototype elements is effected by high pressure and high temperature extrusion of selected materials onto a plate as a ribbon of liquefied polymer comprising poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) and a polar polymer discharged in a programmed pattern.

Claims

1. A water-soluble thermoplastic composition which melts to an extrudable fluid at a temperature in the range of 120-410°

C. and takes a solid form at room temperature, the composition comprising poly (2-ethyl-2-oxazoline);

a water-soluble alcohol plasticizer; and

a polar polymer selected from the group consisting of compounds having nitrile functional groups, compounds having ether and hydroxyl functional groups, and mixtures thereof, wherein the weight percentage of the polar polymer is between 0.5 and 5 weight percent of the total thermoplastic composition.

2. The water-soluble thermoplastic composition of claim 1, and further comprising an inert filler.

3. The water-soluble thermoplastic composition of claim 2, wherein the inert filler is selected from the polyner filler group consisting of calcium carbonate, glass spheres, graphite, carbon black, carbon fiber, glass fiber, talc, wollastonite, mica, alumina, silica and silicon carbide.

4. A water-soluble thermoplastic composition which melts to an extrudable fluid at a temperature in the range of 120-410°

C. and takes a solid form at room temperature, the composition comprising poly (2-ethyl-2-oxazoline);

an inert filler selected from the polymer filler group consisting of calcium carbonate, glass spheres, graphite, carbon black, carbon fiber, glass fiber, talc, wollastonite, mica, alumina, silica and silicon carbide; and

a polar polymer selected from the group consisting of compounds having nitrile functional groups, compounds having ether and hydroxyl functional groups, and mixtures thereof, wherein the weight percentage of the polar polymer is between 0.5 and 5 percent of the total thermoplastic composition.

5. A water-soluble thermoplastic composition which melts to an extrudable fluid at a temperature in the range of 120-410°

C. and takes a solid form at room temperature, the composition comprising poly (2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) and a polar polymer selected from the group consisting of compounds having nitrile functional groups, compounds having ether and hydroxyl functional groups, and mixtures thereof, wherein the weight percentage of the polar polymer is between 0.5 and 5 percent of the total thermoplastic composition and wherein the water-soluble thermoplastic composition in in the form of a filament.

6. A water-soluble thermoplastic composition which melts to an extrudable fluid at a temperature in the range of 120-410°

C. and takes a solid form at room temperature, the composition comprising poly (2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) and a polar polymer selected from the group consisting of compounds having nitrile functional groups, compounds having ether and hydroxyl functional groups, and mixtures thereof, wherein the weight percentage of the polar polymer is between 0.5 and 5 percent of the total thermoplastic composition and wherein the water-soluble thermoplastic composition is in the form of a slug.