Soluble material and process for three-dimensional modeling

• US 7,754,807 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2004
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stratasys Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Stratasys Incorporated
• Inventors: Priedeman, William R. Jr., Brosch, Andrea L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Choi; Ling-Siu
• Assistant Examiner(s): BERNSHTEYN, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US10/898,814
• Publication Number:
  US 20050004282A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,178 Days
• Field of Search: 526/317.1, 526/319, 524/556, 524/560, 264/442, 264/308, 264/317
• US Class Current: 524/556
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 41/08 Coating a former, core or other substrate by spraying or fluidisation, e.g. spraying powder spray-up of reinforcing fibres B29C70/305
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 41/36 Feeding the material on to the mould, core or other substrate
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 41/50 Shaping under special conditions, e.g. vacuum
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/40 Structures for supporting 3D objects during manufacture and intended to be sacrificed after completion thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2055/02 ABS polymers, i.e. acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene polymers
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/0008 Anti-static agents
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 70/00 Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 5/0016 Plasticisers
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 33/02 Homopolymers or copolymers of acids; Metal or ammonium salts thereof

Abstract

The present invention is a composition for making a three-dimensional object. The composition comprises a plasticizer and a base polymer, where the base polymer comprises a carboxylic acid, where the composition is soluble in an alkaline solution.

Claims

1. A feedstock for making a support structure for a three-dimensional object using an additive processing technique, the feedstock having a composition comprising at least one plasticizer and at least one copolymer, wherein each of the at least one copolymer is derived from monomers comprising at least one carboxylic acid and at least one alkyl methacrylate, wherein the composition is soluble in an alkaline aqueous solution, and wherein the feedstock has a filament geometry configured to be received by a filament-fed extrusion system configured to make the support structure in coordination with the three-dimensional object using the additive processing technique.

2. The feedstock of claim 1, wherein the at least one plasticizer constitutes from about 10% by weight to about 30% by weight of the composition, based on a total weight of the composition.

3. The feedstock of claim 1, wherein the composition consists essentially of the at least one plasticizer and the at least one copolymer.

4. The feedstock of claim 1, wherein the at least one plasticizer is selected from a group consisting of p-t-butylphenyl diphenyl phosphate;

butyl benzyl phthalate;

7-(2,6,6,8-teftamethyl-4-oxa-3-oxononyl) benzyl phthalate;

C7/C9 alkyl benzyl phthalate;

2-ethylhexyl diphenyl phosphate;

isodecyl diphenyl phosphate, and combinations thereof.

5. The feedstock of claim 1, wherein the at least one carboxylic acid comprises methacrylic acid.

6. The feedstock of claim 5, wherein the at least one carboxylic acid constitutes from about 15.0% to about 60.0% by weight of the monomers for the copolymer, based on a total weight of the monomers for the copolymer.

7. The feedstock of claim 1, wherein the filament geometry has an average diameter of about 0.07 inches.

8. The feedstock of claim 1, wherein the alkyl methacrylate comprises a methyl methacrylate.

9. The feedstock of claim 1, wherein the composition exhibits a glass transition temperature of about 100°

C. or greater.

10. The feedstock of claim 1, wherein the composition exhibits a melt flow index ranging from of about 1 gram/10 minutes to about 10 grams/10 minutes when tested pursuant to ASTM D1238 under a 1.2 kilogram load at 230°

C.

11. The feedstock of claim 10, wherein the composition exhibits a melt flow index ranging from of about 5 grams/10 minutes to about 10 grams/10 minutes when tested pursuant to ASTM D1238 under a 1.2 kilogram load at 230°

C.

12. A feedstock for making a support structure for a three-dimensional object using an additive processing technique, the feedstock having a composition comprising at least one copolymer and at least one a plasticizer, wherein the at least one copolymer is derived from monomers comprising methacrylic acid and at least one alkyl methacrylate, wherein the composition is soluble in an alkaline aqueous solution, wherein the composition exhibits a melt flow index of about 10 grams/10 minutes or less when tested pursuant to ASTM D1238 under a 1.2 kilogram load at 230°

C., and wherein the feedstock has a filament geometry configured to be received by a filament-fed extrusion system configured to make the support structure in coordination with the three-dimensional object using the additive processing technique.

13. The feedstock of claim 12, wherein the filament geometry has an average diameter of about 0.07 inches.

14. The feedstock of claim 12, wherein the plasticizer constitutes from about 10% by weight to about 30% by weight of the composition, based on a total weight of the composition.

15. The feedstock of claim 12, wherein the composition exhibits a glass transition temperature of about 100°

C. or greater.

16. The feedstock of claim 12, wherein the composition exhibits a melt flow index ranging from of about 5 grams/10 minutes to about 10 grams/10 minutes when tested pursuant to ASTM D1238 under a 1.2 kilogram load at 230°

C.

17. The feedstock of claim 12, wherein the composition consists essentially of the at least one copolymer and the at least one plasticizer.

18. The feedstock of claim 12, wherein the at least one alkyl methacrylate comprises a methyl methacrylate.

19. The feedstock of claim 18, wherein for each of the at least one copolymer, the methacrylic acid constitutes from about 15.0% to about 60.0% by weight of the copolymer, based on a total weight of the copolymer.

20. A method of forming a feedstock for making a support structure, the method comprising:

providing at least one copolymer, wherein each of the at least one copolymer is derived from monomers comprising at least one carboxylic acid and at least one alkyl methacrylate, the at least one carboxylic acid constituting from about 15% by weight to about 60% by weight of the monomers;

combining the at least one copolymer with at least one plasticizer to form a composition, the at least one plasticizer constituting from about 10% by weight to about 30% by weight of the composition, wherein the composition is soluble in an alkaline aqueous solution; and

forming the feedstock from the compound, the formed feedstock having a filament geometry that is configured to be received by a filament-fed extrusion system configured to make the support structure in coordination with a three-dimensional object using an additive processing technique.

21. The method of claim 20, and further comprising drying the formed feedstock to remove moisture from the formed feedstock.

22. The method of claim 20, and further comprising winding successive portions of the formed feedstock onto a spool that is configured to supply the formed feedstock to the filament-fed extrusion system.

23. The method of claim 20, and further comprising drying the at least one copolymer prior to combining the at least one copolymer with the at least one plasticizer.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the composition consists essentially of the at least one copolymer and the at least one plasticizer.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the at least one carboxylic acid comprises methacrylic acid.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein the at least one alkyl methacrylate comprises a methyl methacrylate.

27. The method of claim 20, wherein the filament geometry has an average diameter of about 0.07 inches.

28. The method of claim 20, wherein the composition exhibits a glass transition temperature of about 100°

C. or greater.

29. The method of claim 20, wherein the composition exhibits a melt flow index ranging from of about 1 gram/10 minutes to about 10 grams/10 minutes when tested pursuant to ASTM D1238 under a 1.2 kilogram load at 230°

C.