Freeform Polymer 3D Printing via Yield-Stress Bath
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional additive manufacturing and 3D printing techniques for polymeric materials require high heat, leading to thermal damage, residual stress, and the need for support structures that are labor-intensive and costly to remove.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for freeform additive manufacturing of polymeric materials using a polymer/solvent solution, where the build material is dissolved in a solvent and printed into a yield-stress support bath, allowing for partial solidification without support structures, and subsequent solidification in a post-treatment coagulation solution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional additive manufacturing uses high heat to melt and extrude thermoplastic polymer materials, then the material can be deposited layer-by-layer to form parts, but thermal damage and residual stress occur in the fabricated parts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of material state from solid (requiring melting) to solution (dissolved in solvent), enabling printing at room temperature without thermal damage to the polymer material
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the thermal field (heating and melting) with a chemical field (dissolution in solvent), substituting thermal processing with solution-based processing to avoid thermal damage
2Temperature
If conventional additive manufacturing uses high heat to melt and extrude thermoplastic polymer materials, then the material can be deposited layer-by-layer to form parts, but residual stress accumulates in the fabricated parts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the processing temperature from high temperature (causing thermal stress) to room temperature, eliminating thermal expansion and contraction that lead to residual stress in the fabricated parts
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces thermal processing with solution-based processing, where the polymer is dissolved in solvent and deposited without phase change, avoiding the thermal cycles that cause residual stress
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional additive manufacturing uses support structures to enable complex geometries, then more versatile part fabrication is achieved, but labor-intensive and costly removal of support structures is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a support bath as an intermediary medium that provides temporary support during printing and is easily removed afterward, replacing the need for printed support structures and simplifying post-processing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the support function from the printed part itself (no self-supporting structures needed) and provides it externally through the support bath, allowing freeform printing without sacrificial support material
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 fabrication of complex polymeric structures at room temperature without thermal damage, reduces the need for support structures, and simplifies the manufacturing process by eliminating the step of removing support materials.
Implementation Method 1
a build material can be dissolved in a suitable solvent or solvent solution
Implementation Method 2
the yield-stress support bath can comprise one or more yield-stress support materials having a particular composition and particular mechanical properties such that the yield-stress support bath is suitable to support the build material once disposed within the yield-stress support bath
Implementation Method 3
exposing the intermediate article to a post-treatment coagulation solution to fully solidify the intermediate part
Data Source
AI summary
A polymer three-dimensional (3D) printing methodology is disclosed for freeform fabrication of polymeric structures under ambient conditions without the use of printed support structures. The build material can be dissolved in a suitable solvent for 3D printing. The polymer solution can be printed in (e.g., continuously printed using a moving dispensing nozzle) a yield-stress support bath to form an intermediate article. The intermediate article may be liquid or only partially coagulated after being printed into the yield-stress support bath. The yield-stress support bath may be at least partially disposed within a container, and the container may be immersed in a post-treatment coagulation solution to remove some or all of the solvent, causing the build material to fully solidify to form a finished article from the intermediate article.