Hydrogel Build Material Composition for High-Resolution 3D Printing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing 3D printing technologies face issues with 'print through' depth, leading to inaccurate and imprecise printing, waste of build material, and part distortion due to undesired penetration of curing radiation, particularly in forming hydrogel scaffolds for tissue regeneration.
Innovation Solution
A build material comprising an acrylate component, photoinitiator, non-curable absorber, and water, with specific Dp and Ec values, allowing controlled curing depth and improved resolution without sacrificing speed or mechanical properties, suitable for Stereolithography (SLA), Digital Light Processing (DLP), and Multi-Jet Printing (MJP) 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 articles, but the radiation penetrates deeper than intended causing print through and loss of printing accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a non-curable absorber component as an intermediary substance that selectively absorbs excess curing radiation before it can penetrate too deeply into the build material. This absorber acts as a mediator between the radiation source and the build material, controlling the penetration depth and preventing print through while allowing the photoinitiator to receive sufficient radiation for proper curing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the optical parameters of the build material by adding a non-curable absorber component with specific absorption characteristics. This changes the radiation absorption profile of the material, creating a controlled attenuation of curing radiation that limits penetration depth to the desired range while maintaining effective curing at the target depth.
2Productivity
If higher concentrations of photoinitiator are used to improve curing, then curing efficiency increases, but the build material becomes more sensitive to radiation causing excessive penetration
Solution Approach 1:
The non-curable absorber component serves as an intermediary that balances the system by absorbing excess radiation that would otherwise be over-absorbed by high photoinitiator concentrations. This allows the use of higher photoinitiator levels for efficient curing while the absorber component prevents the resulting excessive radiation sensitivity from causing print through.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the overall absorption parameter profile of the build material by combining photoinitiator absorption characteristics with the non-curable absorber component. This creates a balanced absorption profile where the photoinitiator can operate at higher concentrations for efficient curing, while the total absorption (photoinitiator + non-curable absorber) remains controlled to prevent excessive penetration.
3Length of stationary object
If the build material is made more transparent to radiation to improve curing depth, then deeper layers can be cured, but print through increases and resolution decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the transmission parameter of the build material by carefully selecting the concentration and absorption characteristics of the non-curable absorber component. This creates an optimal transmission window where sufficient radiation can reach deeper layers for adequate curing, while the absorption by the non-curable component limits further penetration to prevent print through and maintain 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 achieves improved accuracy, precision, and resolution in 3D printing of hydrogel objects, ensuring consistent and efficient additive manufacturing processes.
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
a non-curable absorber component, and water... The build material has a penetration depth (Dp) and a critical energy (Ec) at the wavelength λ
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.