Method for advanced polymer 3D printing

Abstract

An additive manufacturing method for processing advanced polymers that, through the production of a complex (103) on a temperature- controlled base (102) in a 3D printer (101), enables the creation and maintenance of ideal processing conditions for the manufacture of target objects using advanced polymeric material (104). This complex (103) is produced through the intermittent or simultaneous deposition of advanced polymeric material (104), deposited by the advanced polymeric material processing tool (105), and the deposition of non-polymeric material (107), processed by the non-polymeric material processing tool (106). This disclosure addresses the current difficulties in processing advanced polymeric material (104), ensuring that the ideal thermodynamic processing conditions are achieved without the need for 3D printers with heated chambers, which are highly expensive in terms of equipment, maintenance, and energy consumption.

Description

Method for advanced polymer 3D printingThis invention relates to an additive manufacturing method that builds upon current FDM (Fused Deposition Modelling) technology and enables the processing of advanced polymers under more demanding ideal processing conditions. This method allows for the creation and maintenance of the ideal processing conditions for so-called advanced polymers, thereby enabling the production of complex objects without warping defects, delamination, excessive part shrinkage, or catastrophic failure during manufacturing, while preserving the maximum properties of the polymer in question and, consequently, of the produced object—both in terms of mechanical performance and aesthetic and visual quality.Document US20220243998A1 discloses: (1) the use of a 3D printing system capable of depositing polymeric filament that contains a PCM (Phase Change Material) core; and (2) the design of structures fabricated through the simultaneous extrusion, via a single nozzle, of two distinct and differentiated materials (polymer and PCM), resulting in a design composed of a polymer shell and a PCM core, with the objective of producing macrocapsules containing PCM for incorporation into thermal management / control systems.The invention disclosed in this document differs from the previously mentioned document (US20220243998A1) in the objective and function of using non-polymeric materials in the design of a 3D-printed structure. In document US20220243998A1, PCM is used to produce designs with a polymer shell and a PCM core, thereby forming a PCM macrocapsule intended, for example, to be integrated into thermal systems to enhance their efficiency.The previously cited document, US20220243998A1, differs from the method proposed in this disclosure in that the claimed method aims to use non-polymeric materials — not limited to PCM — for a completely different purpose: specifically, to thermally stabilize the polymeric materials used in fabricating a desired object, thereby ensuring their optimal processing conditions and enabling the production of objects with exceptional thermomechanical properties, such as high mechanical strength, high melting temperature, corrosion resistance, and flame retardancy.The problems this invention addresses are: (1) eliminating existing challenges in processing advanced polymers, (2) demonstrating economic viability compared to currently available methods, (3) removing or minimizing the need for highly expensive and complex equipment for producing objects with advanced polymers, and (4) reducing the energy required to maintain the processing conditions of these materials, as it does not require sustaining a large air volume at high temperatures throughout the entire object manufacturing process.These facts are disclosed to illustrate the technical problem addressed by the present invention.The use and application of advanced polymers —commonly referred to as exotic polymers or engineering-grade polymers — offer various advantages to industry, such as high specific mechanical strength, high glass transition temperatures, flame retardancy, and anti-corrosive properties. However, these materials require highly complex processing conditions, particularly high extrusion and ambient temperatures. Only when these processing conditions are met can the produced objects achieve the desired high-performance mechanical properties. If these conditions are not attained, the polymer layers fail to form the necessary polymeric bonds between them, resulting in objects with degraded properties. Existing 3D printing equipment capable of meeting such conditions is mechanically very complex, with high acquisition, maintenance, and operational costs. These factors make the processing of these materials expensive and inaccessible to many markets and users. The proposed 3D printing method ensures the processing conditions required for advanced polymers in a simpler and more cost-effective manner, offering a more attractive cost-benefit ratio and promoting the widespread production and use of these materials in the market.The objective of the presented invention is to use support structures and auxiliary materials to provide advanced polymers with the necessary temperature conditions for proper processing, thereby ensuring their mechanical properties in the fabricated objects.This invention is highly useful for the reliable and repeatable production of objects via FDM 3D printing using advanced polymers. Moreover, it eliminates the need for highly expensive industrial equipment that requires heated chambers to ensure the ideal processing conditions for these polymers. This leads to cost reductions in both energy consumption during the process and the elimination of the need for complex, costly equipment that requires intensive maintenance due to the constant exposure of components to large cyclic thermal amplitudes, which causes premature wear of those components.The present invention discloses a 3D printing method for processing advanced polymeric materials, characterized by comprising the steps of: 1) operating at least one tool to deposit advanced polymeric materials that will enable the formation of a set of layers corresponding to a range of walls and / or floor of a target object; 2) operating the at least one tool to deposit advanced polymeric materials that will enable the formation of a set of required number of closed perimeters corresponding to a first layer of a wall of a sacrificial shell; 3) operating at least one tool to deposit non-polymeric materials configured to fill a range of empty volumes created by the closed perimeters that form the target object and existing voids between said target object and the sacrificial shell, with the non-polymeric material being contained within said sacrificial shell and bathing the target object internally and externally, depending on its geometry, forming a non-polymeric material bath of a complex; 4) cyclically repeating steps 1 to 3 until the target object is completed, incrementally increasing a distance between the at least one tool and a temperature-controlled base, in increments according to a predefined layer height in each performed step; 5) repeating the steps of depositing polymeric and non-polymeric materials such that the sacrificial shell is taller than the desired design, so that the non-polymeric material bath can fully cover the part; 6) waiting 15 to 60 minutes for the complex to naturally cool down to a temperature set within in a range between 20–25°C; 7) post-processing the produced complex.In one embodiment of the invention, the at least one tool comprises at least one advanced polymeric material processing tool and / or at least one non-polymeric material processing tool.In another embodiment, the at least one tool comprises at least one combined tool capable of processing both advanced polymeric materials and non-polymeric materials.Yet in another embodiment, the at least one tool comprises specialized and combined tools capable of processing both advanced polymeric materials and non-polymeric materials.Yet in another embodiment, the post-processing step is performed after the completion of the manufacturing of the target object.Yet in another embodiment, the post-processing step comprises draining a liquid-state non-polymeric material contained in the complex and removing the sacrificial shell and the target object from the temperature-controlled base.Yet in another embodiment, the post-processing step comprises reheating the complex to bring the cooled non-polymeric material to a melting temperature, allowing for the draining of the resulting liquid.Yet in another embodiment, the draining of the bath from the target object is carried out through a controlled drilling of the complex and the target object.Yet in another embodiment, the polymeric material and / or non-polymeric material are deposited layer by layer.Yet in another embodiment, the advanced polymeric materials comprise at least a range of polymers and or polymer family of an acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate (ASA), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), polyamide (PA), polysulfone (PSU), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polypropylene (PP), polycarbonate (PC), polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate glycol (PCTG), polyaryletherketone (PAEK), polyetherimide (PEI), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), and polystyrene (PS).General Description of the InventionThe present invention relates to a technology (additive manufacturing method) based on the traditional FDM (Fused Deposition Modelling) 3D printing process which, through the use of non-polymeric materials such as PCM (Phase Change Material) and sacrificial support structures, enables the creation and maintenance of ideal processing conditions for advanced polymeric materials (104) used to fabricate a desired object.Advanced polymeric materials (104) are defined as any polymers used for engineering purposes, with applications in high-performance markets such as, but not limited to robotics, automotive, aeronautics, and aerospace, requiring exceptional mechanical, thermal, and wear resistance capabilities. A typical feature of these advanced materials is the need for high processing temperatures to preserve their thermomechanical properties.For explanatory purposes, though not limiting the method in any way, this document presents a configuration of a 3D printer (101) with two tools—one of each of the previously mentioned types—capable of executing the described method.This makes it possible to use different materials and different combinations of these materials, both polymeric and non-polymeric.The additive manufacturing method for producing objects with advanced polymeric materials (104) is characterized by the use of non-polymeric materials (107) and support / sacrificial shells (201, 301) to ensure the necessary processing conditions for the advanced polymers (104).Some of the advantages of the present invention include: - providing reliable and repeatable means to produce target objects with advanced polymeric materials (104); - greater freedom in the shape, geometry, and composition of target objects, as this solution reduces warping and deformation during the manufacturing process; - optimization of thermal, mechanical, and geometric properties of the final product; - enabling the commercialization and increased availability of solutions involving advanced polymers (104); - a production method requiring less expensive and less complex systems; - a production method that requires systems with lower maintenance; - reduction of energy expenditure for producing target objects with advanced polymeric materials (104); - enabling manufacturing solutions for objects with advanced polymeric materials (104) that will allow the development of new products and solutions for society.In order to implement the proposed method, the 3D printing system must be capable of using either (A) at least one advanced polymeric material processing tool (105) and at least one non-polymeric material processing tool (106), used intermittently or simultaneously, or (B) a combined tool capable of processing both advanced polymeric materials (104) and non-polymeric materials (107), or any system capable of switching the material / type of material processed by the available tool.The present invention relates to a method for processing advanced polymeric materials (104), comprising the following steps, based on the FDM process, which manufactures objects layer by layer using a 3D printer (101) of type (A): 1) Operate one or more advanced polymeric material processing tools (105) to deposit advanced polymeric material (104), forming the required number of closed perimeters according to the CNC code developed by the programmer, corresponding to the walls and base of the target object (203, 303); 2) Operate one or more advanced polymeric material processing tools (105) to deposit advanced polymeric material (104), forming the closed perimeters that constitute the sacrificial shell (201, 301); 3) Operate one or more non-polymeric material processing tools (106) to deposit non-polymeric material (107), filling the empty volumes formed by the closed perimeters from steps 1 and 2, and the external bath and internal bath of the target object (203, 303), depending on the geometry; 4) Repeat steps 1 to 3 cyclically until the target object (203, 303) is complete, increasing the distance from the available tools to the temperature-controlled base (102) with each cycle; 5) Continue the deposition process of polymeric and non-polymeric materials (104, 107) such that the sacrificial shell (201, 301) is taller than the desired object, ensuring the non-polymeric bath (202, 302) completely covers the object; 6) Wait 15 to 60 minutes for the complex (103) to naturally cool from its processing temperature to ambient temperature (20–25°C); 7) Post-process the produced complex (103) and remove the object from the temperature-controlled base (102) of the 3D printer (101).The present invention also relates to a method for processing advanced polymeric materials (104), comprising the following steps, based on the FDM process, which manufactures designs layer by layer using a 3D printer (101) of type (B): 1) Operate a combined tool to deposit advanced polymeric materials (104), forming the layers corresponding to the walls and base of the target object (203, 303); 2) Deposit advanced polymeric materials (104) forming the closed perimeters corresponding to the first layer of the sacrificial shell (201, 301); 3) Deposit non-polymeric materials (107) to fill the empty volumes created by the closed perimeters forming the target object (203, 303) and the gaps between the target object and the sacrificial shell (201, 301), with the non-polymeric material (107) contained within the sacrificial shell and bathing the target object, constituting the bath (202, 302) of the complex (103); 4) Repeat steps 1 to 3 cyclically until the target object (203, 303) is complete, increasing the distance of the combined processing tool to the temperature-controlled base (102) with each cycle; 5) Continue the deposition process of polymeric and non-polymeric materials (104, 107) such that the sacrificial shell (201, 301) is taller than the desired design, ensuring the non-polymeric bath (202, 302) fully covers the object; 6) Wait 15 to 60 minutes for the complex (103) to naturally cool from its processing temperature to ambient temperature (20–25°C); 7) Post-process the produced complex (103) and remove the object from the temperature-controlled base (102) of the 3D printer (101).For easier understanding of the invention, the following figures represent preferred embodiments of the invention, which are, however, not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.Fig.1illustrates an isometric view of a 3D printer (101) capable of implementing the method described in this document, where its various elements, the materials used, and the produced complex (103) can be observed.Fig.2shows a cross-sectional view of an example of a complex (103) in which the non-polymeric material (107) bathes the target object (203) on both its internal and external surfaces, forming an internal and external bath (202).Fig.3shows a cross-sectional view of another example of a complex (103) in which the sacrificial shell (301) is optimized to follow the geometry of the target object (303), thereby reducing the amount of non-polymeric material (107) required. In this case, the non-polymeric material (107) bathes the target object (303) only on its external surface, and the target object is solid.The present method relates to an additive manufacturing technology that complements the traditional FDM (Fused Deposition Modelling) 3D printing process. Through the simultaneous or intermittent deposition of non-polymeric materials (107) to form an internal and external non-polymeric bath (202) or an external non-polymeric bath (302)—such as PCM—and of simple sacrificial shells (201) and / or optimized sacrificial shells (301), on a temperature-controlled base (102), it becomes possible to create and maintain the ideal processing conditions for manufacturing a target object with cavity (203) or a solid target object (303) using advanced polymeric materials (104).Another embodiment of this method allows the complex (103) to contain a non-polymeric bath (107) only on the interior of the target object, in addition to the previously described cases of external or combined internal and external baths.The main advantage of this method is that by bathing the target object with cavity (203) or solid target object (303) in any non-polymeric material (107), it ensures the ideal processing conditions for the advanced polymeric materials (104), improving the reliability of the production process by eliminating defects such as warping, excessive shrinkage, better dimensional and geometric tolerancing, reduced deformation, and delamination phenomena (where the layers begin to detach).The non-polymeric material (107) is selected based on its melting temperature and the glass transition temperature of the polymeric material (104). When using a PCM as the non-polymeric bath, it should have a phase change temperature close to the glass transition temperature of the polymer. This is because, at this phase change temperature, the PCM has accumulated the most energy due to its high latent capacity, providing more energy to condition the advanced polymeric material (104). For example, when producing a target object with ASA (Acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate), which has a glass transition temperature of around 80°C, a non-polymeric material with a phase change temperature of 53°C—such as Chrodatherm53—may be used, since 50°C is documented in the literature as sufficient for processing ASA. A PCM with a phase change temperature above 80°C should not be used, as the excessive heat may prevent the ASA from solidifying completely, leading to deformation and warping. Additionally, if using PCM, the material’s dysfunctionality temperature (the point at which it loses thermal properties) must be higher than the desired bath temperature for the polymer. For instance, if the PCM has a maximum operating temperature of 250°C (as in Chrodatherm53), it should not be used for polymers requiring bath temperatures above 250°C, as it would lose its thermal properties, reducing heat transfer and compromising polymer processing conditions.All these advantages are achieved without using 3D printers with closed chambers and controlled ambient temperatures. Such printers are expensive due to their need for components capable of withstanding extreme thermal variations, causing rapid wear. As a result, they require frequent maintenance and costly component replacements. Another disadvantage is their high energy consumption to maintain large air volumes at elevated temperatures to process advanced polymeric materials (104).Advanced polymeric materials (104) are defined as polymers used for engineering purposes, commonly applied in high-performance markets such as robotics, the automotive industry, aeronautics, and aerospace, where exceptional mechanical capabilities are required—such as high specific stiffness (stiffness-to-mass ratio), high impact resistance, anti-corrosive properties, flame retardancy, electrical conductivity, or electrical insulation, among others. These advanced materials typically require high processing temperatures, both for extrusion and ambient conditions, to ensure they have sufficient time for processing and cooling to preserve their thermomechanical properties. Some examples of these polymers, polymer families, derivatives, and associated composites (such as carbon fiber and glass fiber infusions) include acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate (ASA), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), polyamide (PA), polysulfone (PSU), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polypropylene (PP), polycarbonate (PC), polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate glycol (PCTG), polyaryletherketone (PAEK), polyetherimide (PEI), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), and polystyrene (PS).To implement the presented method, the 3D printing system must include: 1) at least two specialized tools—specifically, at least one advanced polymeric material processing tool (105) and at least one non-polymeric material processing tool (106); or 2) a combined tool capable of processing both advanced polymeric materials (104) and non-polymeric materials (107); or 3) any system capable of alternating the material or type of material processed by the tool. In the case of option 1), the 3D printer (101) may feature two or more independently moving heads (IDEX – Independent Dual Extruder system) sharing a common axis, or a toolchanger system in which one tool operates while the others remain parked in designated positions.To apply the method described in this document, it is necessary to generate CNC code—manually or using slicer software (3D printer control software)—from which the operator defines the parameters required to produce the target object (203, 303). These parameters include the designation of which tool is responsible for depositing material at each position, thus forming the various enclosures that constitute the desired design (such as floor, walls, roof, supports, and infill), as well as processing conditions for the materials, such as extrusion temperatures, speed, and cooling.In one embodiment, the method for processing advanced polymeric materials (104) via 3D printing includes the following steps: 1. define, in generic CNC-generating software for 3D printers, which tools are responsible for processing polymeric and non-polymeric materials; 2. assign these tools to the various elements of the target object, with polymeric material tools responsible for the walls, floor, roof, and supports of both the target object and the sacrificial shell, while non-polymeric material tools fill the voids between the desired design and the sacrificial shell, as well as internal cavities within the design; 3. generate CNC code that activates the tools and controls the printer’s movement axes and material deposition; 4. upload the CNC program to the 3D printer and initiate.In one embodiment, the present invention relates to the method for processing advanced polymeric materials (104), based on the FDM process, which manufactures designs by depositing material layer by layer through the following steps, using equipment that has at its disposal one or more differentiated tools for processing polymeric and non-polymeric materials: 1) operate one or more advanced polymeric material processing tools (105) to deposit advanced polymeric material (104), which will form the required number of closed perimeters, according to the program developed by the CNC code programmer, corresponding to the wall and floor of the target object (203, 303); 2) operate one or more advanced polymeric material processing tools (105) to deposit advanced polymeric material (104), which will form the required number of closed perimeters, according to the program developed by the CNC code programmer, corresponding to the sacrificial shell (201, 301); 3) operate one or more non-polymeric material processing tools (106) to deposit non-polymeric material (107) in order to fill the empty volumes corresponding to the closed perimeters created in steps 2 and 3, as well as the external bath around the target object and the internal bath of the target object, depending on the geometry of the design; 4) cyclically repeat steps 1 to 3 until the target object is completed, increasing the distance of the combined processing tool to the temperature-controlled base (102) at each cycle of steps performed; 5) continue the same process of depositing polymeric and non-polymeric materials such that the sacrificial shell (201, 301) is taller than the desired design, so that the non-polymeric material bath (202, 302) is able to fully cover the piece; 6) wait 15 to 60 minutes for the complex (103) to naturally cool down from the temperature at which it was processed to the ambient temperature, within a range of 20–25°C; 7) perform the post-processing of the produced complex (103) and remove the piece from the temperature-controlled base (102) of the 3D printer (101).In one embodiment, the present invention relates to the method for processing advanced polymeric materials (104), comprising the following steps, based on the FDM process, which manufactures designs by depositing material layer by layer using equipment equipped with a multifunction / combined tool capable of processing both polymeric and non-polymeric materials: 1) operate a combined tool to deposit the advanced polymeric materials (104) that will constitute the layers corresponding to the walls and floor of the target object; 2) deposit advanced polymeric materials (104) that will form the number of closed perimeters corresponding to the first layer of the wall of the sacrificial shell (201, 301); 3) deposit non-polymeric materials (107) in order to fill the empty volumes created by the closed perimeters that form the target object and the voids between the target object and the sacrificial shell, with the non-polymeric material (107) being contained inside the sacrificial shell and bathing the target object; 4) cyclically repeat steps 8 to 10 until the target object (203, 303) is completed, incrementally increasing the distance of the combined processing tool to the temperature-controlled base (102), according to the layer height of the manufacturing process, with each cycle of steps performed; 5) continue the same process of depositing polymeric and non-polymeric materials so that the sacrificial shell (201, 301) is taller than the desired design, so that the non-polymeric material bath (202, 302) can fully cover the piece; 6) wait 15 to 60 minutes for the complex (103) to cool naturally from the temperature at which it was processed to the ambient temperature, in a range between 20–25°C; 7) perform the post-processing of the produced complex (103), and remove the piece from the temperature-controlled base (102) of the 3D printer (101).After the end of the manufacturing of the desired design, if the non-polymeric material (107) is 1) in a liquid state, it should be drained, followed by the removal of the sacrificial shell and the target object from the temperature-controlled base (102). If the target object contains internal voids (in which the non-polymeric material has been sealed) and it is not desirable for the non-polymeric material to remain there, it should be drained by, for example, controlled drilling of the part. If the non-polymeric material is 2) in a solid state, it can be removed by any manual or automated process that can remove the solid material that is not part of the target object, or the complex (103) should be reheated up to the melting temperature of the non-polymeric material and drained in accordance with what is described in 1).In the presented method, whether following the steps in paragraph

[0028] or

[0029] , the polymeric material used for the target object may be different from the material used for the sacrificial shell. It is also possible that both the target object and the sacrificial shell are composed of several different polymeric materials, allowing combinations of polymeric materials that are limited only by the number of advanced polymeric material processing tools (105) the 3D printer (101) has at its disposal or the number of materials a combined tool available on the 3D printer (101) is capable of processing.Similarly, the target object can utilize several different non-polymeric materials (107) to bathe the advanced polymeric materials (104) used to produce the complex (103), being limited only by the number of non-polymeric materials the 3D printer (101) is capable of processing.The intermittent use of the non-polymeric material processing tool (106), alternated with other identical tools or tools for processing polymeric materials, constitutes the desired design layer by layer, according to the program developed by the machine operator.The figures and examples of the presented method show only one advanced polymeric material processing tool (105) and one non-polymeric material processing tool (106). However, this should in no way limit the scope of the method, as it may employ more tools of both types to create multi-material target designs, which in turn may require multiple different non-polymeric materials (106) to meet the different processing requirements of each of the advanced polymeric materials (105) used in creating the target object (203, 303).The use of an advanced polymeric material processing tool (105) can also be employed to process any polymeric material, even one not considered advanced, to produce the simple sacrificial shell (201) or the optimized sacrificial shell (301), or even to produce parts of the target object or support structures it may require.In this way, since both sacrificial shells (201, 301) will be considered waste, it is possible to reduce production costs, given that, as a rule, advanced polymeric material (104) has a much higher cost per kilogram than low-end conventional polymers.Designs with a higher degree of complexity may contain geometries with multiple enclosures that can be considered floor, roof, support, wall, and infill, depending on the slicer used to generate the CNC code for the 3D printer and the terminology used by that software. As such, different types of enclosures may correspond to various materials, giving rise to more complex designs composed of multiple polymers and PCMs.The described method allows the existence of several hollow zones and several cavities within the same design, to be filled by the same non-polymeric material processing tool (107) or by different non-polymeric material processing tools, thereby enabling a design with multiple combinations of different non-polymeric materials.This method also enables the use of various different advanced polymeric material processing tools (105) to produce complex designs incorporating several polymers into a single design.ExamplesThis technology may be used to produce complex designs and parts made from high-performance advanced polymeric materials (104).Components manufactured with such advanced polymeric materials (104) are highly sought after, for example: 1) in the aerospace and automotive / transportation industries, due to their high specific strength (high stiffness-to-weight ratio), flame-retardant properties, and ability to conduct or insulate electricity, which helps reduce vehicle weight, fuel consumption, wear on tanks and other components that come into contact with oils and corrosive fluids, and increases passenger safety; 2) also in the medical industry, using materials that are anti-corrosive, biocompatible, antibacterial, and sterilizable for the design of prosthetics and medical equipment; and 3) in general industry, for components such as injection mold tools, stamping dies, robotic grippers, jigs for quality control, among others.One of the strengths and key advantages of this invention is its applicability across any industry. It can be applied in the development, production, and commercialization of industrial equipment, or in the production of high-performance components using advanced polymeric materials (104). This invention is relevant to all industries that require versatile components, with complex geometries, and which need to be made from advanced materials offering properties such as high specific strength, flame retardancy, chemical resistance, high glass transition temperatures, electrical conductivity or insulation, high mechanical impact resistance, sterilizability, biocompatibility, and antibacterial performance.However, current systems and methods for producing components using advanced polymeric materials (104) involve high acquisition and maintenance costs, as well as significant energy consumption. The proposed solution enables the processing of advanced polymers in a more economical way, with lower energy usage, using systems already available on the market in a simpler form and without the need for a closed chamber—thereby facilitating the adoption and commercialization of solutions involving advanced polymeric materials (104).The proposed invention will provide a reliable production method for manufacturing components from advanced polymeric materials (104), which in turn will enable and increase the use of this type of material and ease its adoption in the market. Moreover, this method enables flexible production, with a high degree of customization and very few geometric limitations on the desired design, allowing for the development and production of components optimized for any use case.The subject of matter described above is provided as one embodiment of the present invention and should not be interpreted as limiting it. The terminology used to describe specific embodiments of the present invention should not be interpreted as limiting the invention.It shall be understood that the term “comprises,” when used in this description, specifies the presence of the mentioned characteristics, elements, components, steps, and operations, but does not exclude the possibility that other characteristics, elements, components, steps, and operations may also be included.The invention should in no way be considered restricted to the described embodiments, and a person skilled in the art will readily foresee many possible modifications thereof.The embodiments described above may be combined.The following claims further establish particular embodiments of the invention.(101) – 3D printer(102) – Temperature-controlled base(103) – Complex(104) – Advanced polymeric material(105) – Advanced polymeric material processing tool(106) – Non-polymeric material processing tool(107) – Non-polymeric material(201) – Simple sacrificial shell(202) – Internal and external bath of non-polymeric material(203) – Target object with cavity(301) – Optimized sacrificial shell(302) – External bath of non-polymeric material(303) – Solid target object

Claims

3D printing method for processing advanced polymeric materials, characterized by comprising the following steps: 1) operating at least one tool to deposit advanced polymeric materials (104) that will enable the formation of a set of layers corresponding to a range of walls and / or floor of a target object (203, 303); 2) operating the at least one tool to deposit advanced polymeric materials (104) that will enable the formation of a set of required number of closed perimeters corresponding to a first layer of a wall of a sacrificial shell (201, 301); 3) operating at least one tool to deposit non-polymeric materials (107) configured to fill a range of empty volumes created by the closed perimeters that form the target object (203, 303) and existing voids between said target object (203, 303) and the sacrificial shell (201, 301), with the non-polymeric material (107) being contained within said sacrificial shell (201, 301) and bathing the target object (203, 303) internally and externally, depending on its geometry, forming a non-polymeric material bath (202, 302) of a complex (103); 4) cyclically repeating steps 1 to 3 until the target object (203, 303) is completed, incrementally increasing a distance between the at least one tool and a temperature-controlled base (102), in increments according to a predefined layer height in each performed step; 5) repeating the steps of depositing polymeric and non-polymeric materials (107) such that the sacrificial shell (201, 301) is taller than the desired design, so that the non-polymeric material bath (202, 302) can fully cover the part; 6) waiting 15 to 60 minutes for the complex (103) to naturally cool down to a temperature set within in a range between 20–25°C; 7) post-processing the produced complex (103).Method according to the previous claim, characterized by the at least one tool comprising at least one advanced polymeric material processing tool (105) and / or at least one non-polymeric material processing tool (106).Method according to claim 1, characterized by the at least one tool comprising at least one combined tool capable of processing both advanced polymeric materials (104) and non-polymeric materials (107).Method according to claim 1, characterized by the at least one tool comprising specialized and combined tools capable of processing both advanced polymeric materials (104) and non-polymeric materials (107).Method according to previous claim 1, characterized by the post-processing step being performed after the completion of the manufacturing of the target object.Method according to the previous claim, characterized by the post-processing step comprising draining a liquid-state non-polymeric material contained in the complex (103) and removing the sacrificial shell (201, 301) and the target object (203, 303) from the temperature-controlled base (102).Method according to previous claims 5 and 6, characterized by the post-processing step comprising reheating the complex (103) to bring the cooled non-polymeric material (107) to a melting temperature, allowing for the draining of the resulting liquid.Method according to previous claims 6 and 7, characterized by the draining of the bath from the target object (203, 303) being carried out through a controlled drilling of the complex (103) and the target object (203, 303).Method according to previous claim 1, 3 and 4, characterized in that the polymeric material (104) and / or non-polymeric material (107) are deposited layer by layer.Method according to previous claims 1, 3 and 4, characterized in that the advanced polymeric materials (104) comprise at least a range of polymers and or polymer family of an acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate (ASA), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), polyamide (PA), polysulfone (PSU), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polypropylene (PP), polycarbonate (PC), polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate glycol (PCTG), polyaryletherketone (PAEK), polyetherimide (PEI), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), and polystyrene (PS).

Images