3D Printing Composition Soft Rigid Polymer Precursors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional 3D printing materials, such as thermoset and thermoplastic materials, often compromise on either mechanical properties or surface finish, with thermosets having poor elongation and dimensional accuracy and thermoplastics having a poor surface finish due to curing processes like heat-assisted extrusion or sintering.
Innovation Solution
A 3D printing composition comprising a mixture of soft and rigid polymer precursors that form an intertwined block copolymer network upon exposure to light, offering a balance of mechanical properties and surface finish, with the soft polymer precursor having a glass transition temperature below 50°C and the rigid precursor above 50°C, allowing for adjustable ratios and additives like light-sensitive initiators and catalysts to enhance curing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If thermoset materials are used for 3D printing, then surface finish is improved, but mechanical properties (elongation, impact strength, dimensional accuracy) deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite material system consisting of thermoplastic polymer particles dispersed in a photopolymerizable resin matrix. The thermoplastic particles provide mechanical strength and elongation properties, while the photopolymerizable resin provides surface finish quality. This composite approach allows both thermoplastic and thermoset materials to contribute their respective advantages to the final printed object.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates local quality differentiation within the printing material by having thermoplastic polymer particles distributed throughout the photopolymerizable resin. Different regions of the material exhibit different properties: the resin matrix provides smooth surface finish when cured, while the thermoplastic particles provide mechanical flexibility and strength. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between surface finish and mechanical properties.
2Strength
If thermoplastic materials are used for 3D printing, then mechanical properties are improved, but surface finish deteriorates due to heat-assisted extrusion or sintering
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical heat-assisted extrusion or sintering process with a photopolymerization process. Instead of using heat to fuse thermoplastic material layer by layer (which causes surface defects), the invention uses light to cure the photopolymerizable resin that contains thermoplastic particles. This substitution eliminates the surface finish problems associated with thermal processing while maintaining the mechanical properties provided by the thermoplastic particles.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the curing parameter from thermal (heat) to optical (light). By using photopolymerization instead of thermal sintering, the process achieves both good surface finish (characteristic of thermosets) and good mechanical properties (characteristic of thermoplastics). The phase transition from liquid resin to solid polymer is induced by light exposure rather than heat, fundamentally changing the processing parameters to resolve the surface finish contradiction.
3Manufacturing precision
If traditional 3D printing materials are used, then either surface finish or mechanical properties can be achieved, but not both simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the advantages of both thermoplastic and thermoset materials into a single printing composition. The thermoplastic polymer particles contribute mechanical properties (elongation, impact strength), while the photopolymerizable resin contributes surface finish quality. By combining these two material systems in one composition, the invention achieves both good surface finish and good mechanical properties simultaneously, resolving the adaptability contradiction.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The composition achieves desirable mechanical properties comparable to thermoplastics and surface finish comparable to thermosets, with improved elongation performance and rapid fabrication times, outperforming traditional materials by producing objects with tensile modulus greater than 2 GPa, tensile strength greater than 5 MPa, and elongation at break of greater than 20%, while maintaining a surface roughness of less than 5 μm.
Implementation Method 1
a photopolymerizable resin that undergoes polymerization upon exposure to light
Implementation Method 2
heat-assisted extrusion or sintering
Data Source
AI summary
A composition for three-dimensional printing includes a precursor to a soft polymer block having a glass transition temperature (Tg) less than 50° C. and a precursor to a rigid polymer block having a Tg of at least 50° C. The precursor to the soft polymer block is a curable, cross-linkable monomer having an acrylic group, a vinyl group, or combinations thereof. The precursor to the rigid polymer block is a second curable, cross-linkable monomer selected from the group consisting of an acrylate monomer, a vinyl monomer, an acrylamide monomer, a urethane monomer, and an epoxy monomer.