Dual Precursor Resins for Stronger Inkjet 3D Printing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet-type additive manufacturing methods are limited by the viscosity of compatible resins, resulting in brittle parts with poor mechanical properties due to the use of low viscosity monomers.
Innovation Solution
The use of dual precursor resins, where a first component is photopolymerizable and a second component is polymerizable by a different mechanism, such as heat or moisture, allowing for the formation of a three-dimensional object through light polymerization and subsequent curing, without pre-mixing, and using separate nozzles to combine the resins after or upon deposition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If low viscosity monomers are used for inkjet additive manufacturing, then the resin is compatible with jetting, but the parts become brittle with poor mechanical properties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite resin systems combining low viscosity monomers (for jetting compatibility) with higher viscosity oligomers and reactive diluents (for mechanical strength). The multi-component formulation creates a composite material that achieves both printability and structural integrity, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies resin parameters by adjusting monomer-to-oligomer ratios, incorporating reactive diluents, and controlling molecular weight distributions. These parameter changes allow the resin to exhibit low viscosity during jetting while maintaining or developing high mechanical properties during and after curing.
2Strength
If dual precursor resins are used with separate nozzles, then viscosity is reduced and mechanical properties improve, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the resin delivery system into separate nozzles for different resin components (e.g., photopolymerizable component and moisture-curable component). This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently for jetting while maintaining overall system manageability through modular architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs the multi-nozzle apparatus to be universally applicable to various dual-cure resin systems. The same hardware platform can jet different combinations of resins by changing only the material supply, making the increased device complexity worthwhile through material versatility and improved part properties.
3Adaptability or versatility
If dual cure resins are used with separate nozzles, then varied tensile properties can be achieved in different portions, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by selectively depositing different resin components in specific spatial locations within the printed object. Different regions of the object receive different resin formulations, creating local variations in tensile properties, stiffness, or other mechanical characteristics where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms to monitor and control the precise deposition of multiple resin components. This ensures that the correct materials are deposited in the correct locations with accurate layer thicknesses, maintaining manufacturing precision despite the complexity of multi-material processing.
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
This approach enables the production of three-dimensional objects with improved mechanical properties by combining dual cure resins, reducing viscosity and allowing for varied tensile properties in different portions of the object.
Implementation Method 1
The first component is photopolymerizable and the second component is polymerizable by a mechanism different from the first component
Implementation Method 2
The second component is polymerizable by a mechanism different from the first component, such as heat or moisture
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus for, and associated method of, making a three-dimensional object from a light polymerizable resin by inkjet additive manufacturing are described. The methods and apparatus employ dual precursor resins, including but not limited to dual cure resins having a first component photopolymerizable and a second component polymerizable by a mechanism different from the first component.