Solvent-Assisted Polymer 3D Printing in Air Without Supports
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional 3D printing methods for polymeric materials, such as FDM, require high temperatures for melting, leading to thermal degradation, residual stress, and the need for support structures, which are time-consuming and complex, limiting material versatility and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A solvent-assisted 3D printing method that dissolves polymeric materials in solvents like DMSO, allowing direct printing in air at room temperature using nebulized coagulation agents to partially solidify the material, followed by immersion in a coagulation bath for complete solidification, eliminating the need for heating and support structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If FDM printing uses high temperature melting, then the polymer material can be extruded and formed, but thermal degradation and residual stress occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state parameter of the polymer material from solid (requiring melting) to dissolved state in solvent, enabling printing at room temperature. This parameter change eliminates thermal degradation and residual stress while maintaining the extrusion forming capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a solvent as an intermediary substance to dissolve the polymer material, creating a printable ink solution. The solvent acts as a mediator that enables material delivery without thermal melting, and subsequent evaporation or extraction removes it, leaving the solid polymer structure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If support structures are used in FDM printing, then complex geometries can be printed, but the process becomes time-consuming and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the rheological parameters of the build material by dissolving polymer in solvent to create a low-viscosity ink that can be deposited in freeform patterns without requiring support structures to hold molten material. The solvent enables the material to be placed in air and self-support once solidified.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes the requirement for support structures entirely from the printing process. By using dissolved polymer ink that can be deposited and solidified in air, the method eliminates the need to print, attach, and subsequently remove support structures, simplifying the overall process.
3Strength
If FDM printing melts polymer material, then layers can be bonded, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the thermal field (heating and melting) with a chemical field (dissolution in solvent). Instead of using heat to soften and bond polymer layers, the method uses solvent dissolution to enable material deposition, followed by solvent removal to achieve solidification and bonding, eliminating the need for continuous heating.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the bonding mechanism from thermal fusion to solvent evaporation/extraction. The dissolved polymer material is deposited in liquid form and bonds as the solvent evaporates or is extracted, transitioning from a heat-driven process to a mass transfer-driven process that consumes significantly less energy.
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
Enables efficient, low-temperature fabrication of complex polymeric parts with improved mechanical properties and reduced thermal stress, while minimizing material waste and process complexity.
Implementation Method 1
a build material can be dissolved in a suitable solvent or solvent solution
Implementation Method 2
a volume of a coagulation agent, such as a coagulant, a non-solvent, variations thereof, or combinations thereof, can be disposed... the coagulation agent can cause partial, substantially complete, or complete coagulation, solidification
Implementation Method 3
spraying a nebulized coagulation agent within a predetermined distance of the disposed liquid build material
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, without use of a support bath, and the like. The build material can be dissolved in a suitable solvent for 3D printing. The polymer solution can be printed (e.g., continuously printed using a moving dispensing nozzle) in air without the use of supports (e.g., without the use of a support bath, a concurrently printed support posts, or the like) while a nebulized coagulation agent is dispersed alongside the printed polymer solution to at least partially coagulate the polymer solution and form an intermediate article. The self-supporting intermediate article may then be immersed in a post-printing coagulation solution to remove some or all of the remaining solvent, causing the build material to fully solidify to form a finished article from the intermediate article.