Reactive polymer fused deposition manufacturing

• US 9,650,537 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2014
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UT-Battelle LLC
• Original Assignee: UT-Battelle LLC
• Inventors: Love, Lonnie J., Rios, Orlando, Kunc, Vlastimil, Duty, Chad E., Johs, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Tentoni, Leo B
• Application Number:
  US14/252,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20150291833A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,128 Days
• Field of Search: 264236, 264308, 264405, 264464, 264465
• 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 64/112 using individual droplets, e.g. from jetting heads
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/118 using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM]
• 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: B29K 2101/00 Use of unspecified macromolecular compounds as moulding material use of unspecified rubbers B29K2021/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2009/00 Layered products
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 163/00 Coating compositions based on epoxy resins; Coating compositions based on derivatives of epoxy resins

Abstract

Methods and compositions for additive manufacturing that include reactive or thermosetting polymers, such as urethanes and epoxies. The polymers are melted, partially cross-linked prior to the depositing, deposited to form a component object, solidified, and fully cross-linked. These polymers form networks of chemical bonds that span the deposited layers. Application of a directional electromagnetic field can be applied to aromatic polymers after deposition to align the polymers for improved bonding between the deposited layers.

Claims

1. A process for manufacturing a component using additive manufacturing comprising the steps of:

melting a supply of polymer material;

adjusting the viscosity of the polymer material in the melted form for deposition by partially cross-linking the melted polymer material prior to the depositing;

depositing the polymer material in the melted form in a plurality of layers to form the component;

solidifying the deposited polymer material; and

additionally cross-linking the working material within the component to form chemical bonds across the plurality of layers.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein the polymer material includes a rapid cross-linking agent and a latent cross-linking agent.

3. The process according to claim 1, further comprising applying a directional electromagnetic field to the deposited polymer material during the solidifying and/or the additional cross-linking.

4. The process according to claim 1, wherein the polymer material comprises a hybrid polymer.

5. The process according to claim 1, wherein the polymer material comprises a urethane and/or an epoxy.

6. The process according to claim 1, wherein the polymer material comprises a liquid crystalline aromatic epoxy.

7. The process according to claim 1, wherein the polymer material comprises a urethane partially cross-linked to and deposited in a linearized gel form.

8. The process according to claim 1, wherein the polymer material comprises a reinforcement fiber.

9. The process according to claim 1, further comprising aligning and curing the polymer material in an oriented nematic or smectic phase by applying a static magnetic field.

10. The process according to claim 1, wherein the supply of working material comprises a granulated or pelletized state.

11. The process according to claim 1, wherein the polymer material includes first cross-linking agent to obtain the partial cross-linking and a different second cross-linking agent to obtain the additional cross-linking.

12. A process for manufacturing a component using additive manufacturing comprising the steps of:

melting a supply of polymer material;

depositing layers of the polymer material in the melted form to form the component;

cross-linking the working material within the component to form chemical bonds across the layers; and

applying a directional electromagnetic field to the deposited polymer material before or during cross-linking to align polymer structures for the cross-linking across the layers.

13. The process according to claim 12, further comprising solidifying the deposited layers before cross-linking and applying the directional electromagnetic during the solidifying.

14. The process according to claim 12, wherein the directional electromagnetic field controls crystalline domains of the polymer material.

15. The process according to claim 12, wherein the directional electromagnetic field is directed perpendicular to a plane of an aromatic system of the polymer material and induces a ring current in the delocalized electrons of the polymer material and reorientation of the aromatic system parallel to the magnetic field.

16. The process according to claim 12, wherein the polymer material comprises a hybrid polymer that is solid at room temperature, melts at elevated temperatures above room temperature, and cross-links to form a thermoset.

17. The process according to claim 12, wherein the polymer material comprises a urethane and/or an epoxy.

18. The process according to claim 12, further comprising aligning and curing the polymer material in an oriented nematic or smectic phase by applying a static magnetic field.

19. The process according to claim 12, wherein the polymer material comprises a liquid crystalline aromatic epoxy.