Water-Soluble Resin Composition for Biodegradable FDM Supports
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing resin compositions used as support materials in fused deposition modeling, such as PVA-based resins blended with thermoplastic elastomers, result in waste liquids with insoluble thermoplastic elastomer dispersion and non-biodegradable aggregates, failing to meet OECD biodegradability standards and requiring specific treatment.
Innovation Solution
A resin composition comprising a polyvinyl alcohol-based resin modified with an acid-containing group and a biodegradable polyester, specifically an aliphatic and aromatic-aliphatic polyester blend, achieving a content ratio of 61/39 to 99/1, ensuring excellent water solubility, biodegradability, and melt moldability, suitable for disposable molded articles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a thermoplastic elastomer is blended with PVA-based resin to improve flexibility, then the flexibility and processability are improved, but the waste liquid contains non-biodegradable thermoplastic elastomer aggregates requiring specific treatment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters by replacing the thermoplastic elastomer with a biodegradable polyester that has specific molecular structure (containing aliphatic diol and aliphatic dicarboxylic acid units). This parameter change maintains the flexibility and processability improvements while eliminating the non-biodegradable component, allowing the waste liquid to be discharged without specific treatment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite resin composition combining PVA-based resin with a specific biodegradable polyester system. This composite material achieves both the desired flexibility and biodegradability, resolving the contradiction between improved ease of operation and elimination of harmful non-biodegradable factors in the waste liquid.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If a biodegradable polyester is used to replace thermoplastic elastomer, then biodegradability is improved, but aggregates of biodegradable polyester remain in wastewater and on the surface of printed objects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent precisely controls the molecular structure parameters of the biodegradable polyester, specifying that it must contain aliphatic diol units and aliphatic dicarboxylic acid units with 2-10 carbon atoms. This parameter specification ensures complete biodegradability and prevents aggregate formation in waste liquid and on printed object surfaces, achieving both biodegradability improvement and manufacturing precision.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If PVA-based resin is used as support material for FDM, then water solubility is improved, but the resin is hard and has poor impact resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent develops a composite material system combining PVA-based resin with a specific biodegradable polyester. This composite achieves both excellent water solubility (from PVA) and improved impact resistance (from the polyester), resolving the contradiction between water solubility improvement and strength requirements for FDM support materials.
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 resin composition meets OECD biodegradability requirements, allowing disposal without treatment, exhibits excellent formability and stability in filament feeding, and enables wastewater discharge without specific treatment, while maintaining strength and flexibility.
Implementation Method 1
Polyvinyl alcohol-based resin (PVA-based resin) exhibits excellent water solubility due to its molecular structure containing many hydroxyl groups
Implementation Method 2
a biodegradable polyester, specifically an aliphatic and aromatic-aliphatic polyester blend
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention discloses a resin composition comprising (A) a polyvinyl alcohol resin modified with acid-containing group and (B) a biodegradable polyester, wherein the (B) biodegradable polyester comprises (B1) an aliphatic polyester and (B2) an aromatic-aliphatic polyester at a ratio of (B1/B2) of 61/39 to 99/1. This resin composition exhibits excellent water solubility and biodegradability. When used as a support material for fused deposition modeling, wastewater generated after washing off structures made from the support material can be discharged without any specific treatment. When used as a molding material, products made from the molding material can be disposed of.