Compositions and methods for use in three dimensional model printing

• US 7,851,122 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2008
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Stratasys Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Objet Geometries
• Inventors: Napadensky, Eduardo
• Primary Examiner(s): Berman; Susan W
• Application Number:
  US12/342,210
• Publication Number:
  US 20090105363A1
• Time in Patent Office: 721 Days
• Field of Search: 522/182, 522/167, 522/81, 522/83, 522/180, 522/148, 522/172, 522/96, 522/103, 522/107, 430/269
• US Class Current: 430/269
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/112 using individual droplets, e.g. from jetting heads
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/40 Structures for supporting 3D objects during manufacture and intended to be sacrificed after completion thereof
• 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 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 3/006 Patterns of chemical products used for a specific purpose, e.g. pesticides, perfumes, adhesive patterns; use of microencapsulated material; Printing on smoking articles
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 2/00 Addition polymers of aldehydes or cyclic oligomers thereof or of ketones; Addition copolymers thereof with less than 50 molar percent of other substances
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/0037 Production of three-dimensional images

Abstract

A radiation curing composition suitable for building a three-dimensional object by a solid freeform method is disclosed. The composition includes one or more mono-functional monomers where a respective polymer has a Glass Transition Temperature higher than about 60° C. and one or more di-functional oligomers where a respective polymer has a Glass Transition Temperature lower than about 40° C. The functional groups of the components may include meth(acrylic) and the composition has a viscosity of about 50-500 cps at ambient temperature. Further, the concentration of the mono-functional monomer may be at least 30% by weight and the concentration of the di-functional oligomer may be at least 20% by weight.

Claims

1. A radiation curing composition suitable for building a three dimensional object by a solid freeform method, the composition comprising:

one or more mono-functional monomers where a respective polymer has a Glass Transition Temperature higher than about 60°

C.; and

one or more di-functional oligomers where a respective polymer has a Glass Transition Temperature lower than about 40°

C.,

wherein functional groups are meth(acrylic), the composition has a viscosity of about 50-500 cps at ambient temperature, the concentration of said one or more mono-functional monomers is at least 30% by weight relative to the total weight of the composition and the concentration of said one or more di-functional oligomers is at least 20% by weight relative to the total weight of the composition.

2. The composition of claim 1, wherein the composition has a viscosity lower than 20 cps at a temperature higher than the ambient temperature and after curing, the composition results in a solid form.

3. The composition of claim 1, further comprising a molecule having one or more epoxy substituents, a molecule having one or more vinyl ether substituents, vinylcaprolactam, vinylpyrolidone, or any combination thereof.

4. The composition of to claim 1, further comprising a photo-initiator.

5. The composition according to claim 1, further comprising a filler.

6. The composition according to claim 5, wherein the filler comprises particles having an average diameter of less than 100 nm.

7. The composition of claim 1, further comprising a sulfur-containing component.

8. The composition according to claim 7, wherein said sulfur containing component is beta mercaptopropionate, mercaptoacetate, alkane thiols or any combination thereof.

9. The composition of claim 1, further comprising at least one pigment and at least one dispersant.

10. The composition of claim 1, further comprising a dye.

11. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the Glass Transition Temperature of the mono-functional monomer is higher than 70°

C.

12. The composition of claim 1, wherein the viscosity at ambient temperature is above 80 cps.

13. The composition of claim 1, wherein viscosity at ambient temperature is about 300 cps.

14. The composition of claim 1, wherein the viscosity is lower than 20 cps at a temperature higher than 60°

C.

15. The composition of claim 1, wherein the viscosity is between 10 and 17 cps at a temperature higher than 60°

C.

16. The composition of claim 1, wherein the viscosity is between 10 and 17 cps at a temperature about between 70 and 110°

C.

17. The composition of claim 1, wherein the viscosity is between 12 and 15 cps at a temperature about between 70 and 90°

C.

18. The composition of claim 1, further comprising a phase separation inducing component.

19. The composition of claim 18, wherein said phase separation inducing component is a silicon oligomer and the amount of the silicon in the composition is about 5% by weight.

20. The composition of claim 1, wherein the di-functional oligomer is urethane-acrylate oligomer or urethane methacrylate oligomer.