Process for Making Three Dimensional Objects From Dispersions of Polymer Colloidal Particles

• US 20080111282A1
• Filed: 11/10/2006
• Published: 05/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Board of Regents of Oklahoma State University, VaxDesign Corporation
• Original Assignee: VaxDesign Corporation
• Inventors: Xie, Baojun, Smay, Jim, Parkhill, Robert, Warren, William
• Application Number:
  US11/558,696
• Publication Number:
  US 20080111282A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 264/401
• 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: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 30/00 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor

Abstract

The present invention is a method of freeform fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) objects by depositing polymer colloidal particle based building materials in a predetermined pattern, preferably for biological and/or medical applications. The process of the present invention includes formulating a polymer colloidal dispersion for use as a building material; delivering the dispersion material to a solid freeform fabrication system, and depositing the extruded filaments in a predetermined pattern to form a three-dimensional (3D) object.

Claims

1. A process for making a three dimensional object, comprising:

formulating a polymer colloidal dispersion for use as a building material;

delivering said building material to a solid free form fabrication system;

depositing said building material in a predetermined pattern to form the three dimensional object.

2. The process of claim 1 including additional steps, comprising:

creating a CAD model of a design for the three dimensional object;

converting the CAD model to a stereolithographic format file;

delivering said stereolithographic format file to said solid free form fabrication system.

3. The process of claim 2 further including the step of creating a tool path for said solid free form fabrication system by slicing the stereolithographic format file into thin cross sectional layers of the three dimensional object.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein said polymer colloidal dispersion is created according to a method comprising:

obtaining a polymer acrylic latex;

agitating said polymer acrylic latex to form a polymer acrylic latex suspension;

adding a sodium alginate solution to said polymer acrylic latex suspension;

agitating said suspension to form a polymer colloidal dispersion.

5. The process of claim 4 wherein said polymer colloidal dispersion is formed with a solid loading range from 40 to 55 wt. % and a sodium alginate concentration ranging from 0.2 to 1 wt. %.

6. The process of claim 1 wherein said polymer colloidal dispersion includes an admixture of biomolecules.

7. The process of claim 6 wherein said biomolecules are small pharmaceutical molecules.

8. The process of claim 6 wherein said biomolecules are large molecules.

9. The process of claim 8 wherein said large molecules are selected from a group consisting of protein and DNA.

10. A process for making three dimensional objects, comprising:

formulating a polymer colloidal dispersion including an admixture of biomolecules for use as a building material;

delivering said building material to a solid free form fabrication system;

depositing said building material in a predetermined pattern to form the three dimensional object.

11. The process of claim 10 including additional steps, comprising:

creating a CAD model of a design for the three dimensional object;

converting the CAD model to a stereolithographic format file;

delivering said stereolithographic format file to said solid free form fabrication system.

12. The process of claim 11 further including the step of creating a tool path for said solid free form fabrication system by slicing the stereolithographic format file into thin cross sectional layers of the three dimensional object.

13. The process of claim 10 wherein said biomolecules are small pharmaceutical molecules.

14. The process of claim 10 wherein said biomolecules are large molecules.

15. The process of claim 14 wherein said large molecules are selected from a group consisting of protein and DNA.