Acrylate Hydrogel Materials for Print-Through Control in 3D Printing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing 3D printing technologies face issues with 'print through' where curing radiation penetrates deeper than intended, leading to inaccuracies, material waste, and part distortion, especially in forming hydrogel objects for tissue regeneration and cellular therapies.
Innovation Solution
A build material comprising acrylate, photoinitiator, non-curable absorber, and water, with controlled penetration depth and critical energy, allowing precise curing with a Gaussian distribution of wavelengths to improve resolution and accuracy in 3D printing systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If curing radiation is used to solidify build material in 3D printing, then the build material can be selectively consolidated to form 3D objects, but the radiation penetrates deeper than intended causing print through and loss of printing accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the wavelength parameter of the curing radiation to match the absorption peak of the photoinitiator, and adjusts the penetration depth parameter of the build material to limit radiation penetration to the intended layer thickness, thereby preventing print through while maintaining curing effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite build material system comprising photoinitiator, monomer, and polymer components with specific absorption characteristics at the curing wavelength, where the photoinitiator absorbs radiation to initiate curing while the polymer matrix limits penetration depth, achieving both effective curing and prevention of print through
2Productivity
If higher energy radiation is used to improve curing speed, then productivity increases, but penetration depth increases causing more print through and material waste
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the energy parameter of the curing radiation by selecting a wavelength that matches the photoinitiator absorption peak, achieving maximum curing efficiency per unit energy while the build material's absorption characteristics limit penetration depth, thus preventing material waste from print through
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces high-energy penetrating radiation with optimized wavelength radiation that achieves equivalent curing speed through efficient photoinitiator absorption, substituting brute-force energy delivery with targeted photonic interaction to maintain productivity without excessive penetration
3Productivity
If radiation penetration depth is increased to improve printing speed, then fewer layers need curing, but printing resolution and accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the penetration depth parameter of the build material by selecting polymers and photoinitiators with specific absorption coefficients at the curing wavelength, achieving optimal balance where radiation penetrates sufficient depth for efficient layer curing while being absorbed before reaching subsequent layers, maintaining both speed and resolution
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 build material enables improved printing precision and accuracy without sacrificing speed or mechanical properties, suitable for various 3D printers, including SLA, DLP, and MJP, and is particularly effective for forming hydrogel objects.
Implementation Method 1
The photoinitiator component is operable to initiate curing of the acrylate component when the photoinitiator component is exposed to incident curing radiation
Implementation Method 2
build materials described herein comprise a non-curable absorber component
Data Source
AI summary
In one aspect, build materials for use with a three-dimensional (3D) printing system are described herein. In some embodiments, a build material described herein comprises an acrylate component, a photoinitiator component, a non-curable absorber component, and water. The photoinitiator component of the build material is operable to initiate curing of the acrylate component and/or other curable materials that may optionally be present when the photoinitiator is exposed to incident curing radiation having a Gaussian distribution of wavelengths and a peak wavelength λ. The build material has a penetration depth (Dp) and a critical energy (Ec) at the wavelength λ. In some embodiments, the Dp is greater than 200 μm and less than 300 μm, and the Ec is 3-12 mJ/cm2. In other embodiments, the Dp is greater than 10 μm and less than 50 μm, and the Ec is 5-40 mJ/cm2.