Three dimensional printing material system and method

• US 6,610,429 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2001
• Issued: 08/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 3D Systems, Inc. (3D Systems Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Z CORPORATION (A Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Bredt, James F., Russell, David B., Anderson, Timothy C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maki, Steven D.
• Application Number:
  US09/832,309
• Publication Number:
  US 20020026982A1
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: 264/109, 264/113, 264/308, 264/333, 156/39, 156/284, 428/703
• US Class Current: 428/703
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 1/00 Producing shaped prefabricated articles from the material using presses B28B3/00; shaping on moving conveyors B28B5/00; producing tubular articles B28B21/00 ; producing articles with embedded elements B28B23/00
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 1/001 Rapid manufacturing of 3D objects by additive depositing, agglomerating or laminating of material selective deposition modelling of metallic powder B22F10/00; rapid manufacturing of 3D objects in general and in particular of plastics B29C64/00
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 7/465 Applying setting liquid to dry mixtures
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 41/003 characterised by the choice of material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/165 using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 67/243 for making articles of definite length
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/0097 Glues or adhesives, e.g. hot melts or thermofusible adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/16 Fillers
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0059 Degradable
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 40/20 Post-treatment, e.g. curing, coating or polishing
• 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: C04B 12/04 Alkali metal or ammonium silicate cements ; Alkyl silicate cements; Silica sol cements; Soluble silicate cements alkali metal silicates per se, their preparation C01B33/32; ammonium silicates per se, their preparation C01C1/00
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 14/104 Bentonite, e.g. montmorillonite
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 14/386 Carbon carbon nanotubes C04B14/026
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 14/42 Glass
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 14/46 Rock wool ; Ceramic or silicate fibres C04B14/40, C04B14/42 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 18/24 Vegetable refuse, e.g. rice husks, maize-ear refuse; Cellulosic materials, e.g. paper , cork
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2103/54 Pigments; Dyes
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2111/00181 : Mixtures specially adapted for three-dimensional printing (3DP), stereo-lithography or prototyping
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 22/143 : Calcium-sulfate
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 24/02 : Alcohols; Phenols; Ethers
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 24/38 : Polysaccharides or derivatives thereof C04B24/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 26/02 : Macromolecular compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 26/06 : Acrylates
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 26/28 : Polysaccharides or derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 28/001 : containing unburned clay polymer binder - clay mixtures used in well cementing C09K8/44
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 28/14 : containing calcium sulfate cements gypsum-paper plates E04C
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 28/26 : Silicates of the alkali metals
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 40/00 : Processes, in general, for influencing or modifying the properties of mortars, concrete or artificial stone compositions, e.g. their setting or hardening ability active ingredients C04B22/00 - C04B24/00; hardening of a well-defined composition C04B26/00 - C04B28/00; making porous, cellular or lightening C04B38/00; mechanical aspects B28, e.g. conditioning the materials prior to shaping B28B17/02
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/91 : Use of waste materials as fillers for mortars or concrete
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24994 : Fiber embedded in or on the surface of a polymeric matrix
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249949 : Two or more chemically different fibers

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a 3DP™ material system ad method, and an article made therefrom. The method of the present invention includes building cross-sectional portions of a three-dimensional article, and assembling the individual cross-sectional areas in a layer-wise fashion to form a final article. The individual cross-sectional areas are built by using an ink-jet printhead to deliver an aqueous fluid to a particulate material that includes plaster.

Claims

1. A product of a reaction of a mixture comprising:

a particulate material including plaster;

an aqueous fluid;

an at least partially water-soluble adhesive; and

an accelerator;

wherein only a portion of said plaster is reacted with at least a portion of said aqueous fluid to form an essentially solid prototype article including hydrated plaster;

said article including a plurality of essentially evenly distributed layers of said reaction product.

2. The product claim 1, wherein said mixture includes from about 5% to about 75% of said aqueous fluid, by volume of said mixture.

3. The product claim 1, wherein said mixture includes from about 30% to about 70% of said aqueous fluid, by volume of said mixture.

4. The product of claim 1, wherein said mixture includes less than about 5 percent of said accelerator, by weight of said aqueous fluid.

5. The product of claim 1, wherein said mixture includes less than about 10% of said adhesive, by weight of said aqueous fluid.

6. The product of claim 5, wherein said aqueous fluid includes from about 20% to about 100% of water, by weight of said aqueous fluid.

7. The product of claim 5, wherein said aqueous fluid includes from about 50% to about 99% of water, by weight of said aqueous fluid.

8. The product of claim 1, wherein said mixture includes less than about 5% of said accelerator, by weight of said particulate material.

9. The product of claim 1, wherein said mixture includes less than about 3% of said accelerator, by weight of said particulate material.

10. The product of claim 1, wherein said mixture includes less than about 2% of said accelerator, by weight of said particulate material.

11. The product of claim 1, wherein the thickness of each of said layers is less than about 300 μ

m.

12. The product of claim 1, wherein the thickness of each of said layers ranges from about 12 μ

m to about 125 μ

m.

13. The product of claim 1, wherein the thickness of each of said layers ranges from about 50 μ

m to about 75 μ

m.

14. The product of claim 1, wherein the thickness of each of said layers ranges from about 50 μ

m to about 75 μ

m.

15. The product of claim 1, comprising a flexural strength of at least 1 MPa.

16. The product of claim 1, comprising a flexural strength of at least 5 MPa.

17. A method for forming a prototype article, comprising:

providing a first layer of a particulate material including plaster;

dispensing an aqueous fluid onto a first portion of said first layer, leaving a second portion of said first layer free of said aqueous fluid, said first layer further comprising an at least partially water-soluble adhesive and an accelerator;

allowing said first portion of said plaster and at least a portion of said aqueous fluid to react to form an at least partially solid first portion of said first layer;

providing a second layer of said particulate material on said first layer;

dispensing said aqueous fluid onto a first portion of said second layer, leaving a second portion of said second layer free of said aqueous fluid, said second layer further comprising an at least partially water-soluble adhesive and an accelerator;

allowing the plaster contained in said first portion of said second layer and at least a portion of said aqueous fluid to react to form at least a portion of an essentially solid prototype article including the at least partially solid first portion of said first layer; and

removing unbonded particulate material of the second portion surrounding the prototype article.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising providing said aqueous fluid in a range of about 2% to about 75%, by volume of the particulate material.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising removing an excess of said aqueous fluid from said article.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said particulate material is provided with said accelerator.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said particulate material is provided with said adhesive.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said aqueous fluid is provided with said accelerator.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said aqueous fluid is provided with said adhesive.

24. The method of claim 17, further comprising forming said first and said second layers at a thickness of less than about 125 μ

m.

25. A prototype article formed by the method of claim 17.

26. A method for forming a prototype article, comprising:

applying, to a first portion of a first layer of particles including plaster, a partially water-soluble adhesive, and an accelerator, an aqueous fluid in an amount sufficient to react the particles with the aqueous fluid such that adsorption by the plaster of a portion of the aqueous fluid allows solidification of the water- soluble adhesive in the first portion such that at least a portion of said first portion of said first layer of particles crystallize to form an essentially solid, singular article;

forming a second layer of the particles on the first layer;

applying to a first portion of said second layer of particles including plaster, a partially water-soluble adhesive, and an accelerator, said aqueous fluid in an amount sufficient to react said particles, with said aqueous fluid such that absorption by the plaster of a portion of the aqueous fluid allows solidification of the water soluble adhesive in the first portion such that said particles within said first portion of said second layer crystallize to form at least a portion of an essentially solid, singular prototype article from said first portion of said first layer and said first portion of said second layer; and

removing unbonded particulate material of a second portion surrounding the article.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising forming said first and said second layers by evenly distributing said particles to form a layer having a thickness of less than about 125 μ

m.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising forming said first and said second layers by evenly distributing said particles to a thickness in the range of about 12 μ

m to about 125 μ

m.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising forming said first and said second layers by evenly distributing said particles to a thickness in the range of about 50 μ

m to about 125 μ

m.

30. The method of claim 27, further comprising forming said first and said second layers by evenly distributing said particles to a thickness in the range of about 50 μ

m to about 75 μ

m.