High-Strength Materials for 3D Printing

Gradient nesting material for 3D printing with improved interlayer adhesion. The material consists of a core layer and a cladding layer. Polymerization occurs at the interface between the layers. The core layer contains a second polymer, a polymerization aid, and catalyst. The cladding layer contains a first polymer. The polymerization aid enables chemical bonding between the polymers at the interface, improving adhesion and preventing delamination. This allows 3D printing of dissimilar materials with better mechanical properties in all directions.

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Three-dimensional printing of metal objects using composite metal materials that can be printed with a regular 3D printer and then heat treated to convert the composite into a solid metal alloy. The composite material is made by mixing a low melting point metal with a high melting point metal powder. The composite is extruded through a 3D printer nozzle and printed layer by layer based on a CAD model. After printing, the object is heat treated at temperatures above the low melting point but below the high melting point to allow the metals to alloy and form a solid metal object.

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Extrusion-based 3D printing of low-melting point metals like aluminum, magnesium, and zinc alloys creates a thixotropic fluid using proper alloy composition. Thixotropic metals have high viscosity and yield stress at low strain rates but are thin when sheared. This allows stable filament extrusion and sag resistance during printing. An extrusion system was developed with parameters optimized for printing thixotropic metals

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Powder for additive manufacturing that improves dimensional accuracy and mechanical strength of additively manufactured bodies. The powder has a surface treatment film containing a hydrophobic compound derived from a coupling agent. The film helps retain powder fluidity during printing to improve filling properties, dimensional accuracy, and strength compared to untreated powders.

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Additive manufacturing of ceramics and ceramic matrix composites that allows rapid, low-cost, and energy-efficient printing of complex ceramic parts with improved mechanical properties compared to existing ceramic printing techniques. The method involves printing a reactive powder integrated with a preceramic binder that pyrolyzes into ceramic upon heating. The powder is extruded and fixed in place using on-the-spot curing. Heat is then applied to initiate a self-sustaining ceramization reaction that rapidly converts the powder and binder into dense ceramic. The process enables freeform printing of ceramics with reduced porosity and increased mechanical performance compared to other ceramic printing methods.

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The inkjet-dischargeable curable composition for 3D printing applications that is free of titanium oxide is highly safe, inkjet-dischargeable, and has a high strength and a high whiteness after being cured. The composition contains a radical-polymerizable monomer and a hard solid component of silica particles with specific properties like particle size and refractive index. The hard solid component improves whiteness, while the other components provide inkjet-dischargeability and curing properties.

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An additively manufactured integral reinforcement member for a vehicle pillar that improves structural performance and torsional stiffness compared to conventional reinforcement methods. The reinforcement member is made by 3D printing multiple components that are then joined together to form a single unit. The additive manufacturing allows complex geometries and consolidates attachment points.

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3D printing metal objects without warping or cracking by using a tacky polymer substrate. The process involves spreading a layer of metal particles over a polymer substrate with low thermal conductivity and melting the unmasked metal with pulsed light to form each layer of the object. The polymer substrate reduces lateral heat transfer during melting, preventing warping and cracking.

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Reinforced thermoplastic powder compositions for 3D printing of objects with high mechanical properties. The compositions contain glass fibers in a specific size range along with a polyamide powder, and optionally flow agents. The glass fibers should have a length range of 50-200 µm and a maximum length below 450 µm. The reinforced 3D printed objects have superior mechanical properties like modulus, elongation, breaking stress, and heat deflection compared to injection molded counterparts.

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Blended polymer resin formulations for 3D printing composite articles with improved mechanical properties and layer adhesion compared to semicrystalline polymers like PBT. The blends use an amorphous polymer like PETG or APET blended with a semicrystalline polymer like PBT. The blended resin has higher fiber content (e.g. glass fiber) than the amorphous polymer alone. The amorphous polymer slows crystallization of the semicrystalline component during printing, improving layer bonding.

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Improving the performance of 3D printed nickel-based superalloys for aerospace and other applications, by reducing cracking that can occur during printing and heat treatment. The method involves using a two-powder mixture of high-melt superalloy powder and low-melt superalloy powder. The low-melt powder has a lower solidus temperature to reduce cracking. The high-melt powder provides high-temperature performance. The mixture ratio allows printing without hot isostatic pressing. The low-melt powder fills pores and homogenizes during heat treatment.

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A polymeric blend based support material with high Shore A hardness that enables easy removal from printed parts, without damaging them. The blend consists of two immiscible polymers, where one is the same as the modeling material. This allows 3D printing with a single extruder. The immiscible polymers separate into two phases with the harder polymer as the continuous phase. This gives the support material high hardness and strength compared to the modeling material, allowing fracture at the support-model interface when removed.

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Metal objects with solid lubricating surface layers that improve mechanical properties and reduce friction compared to conventional lubrication methods like oils. The method involves projecting microparticles onto the metal surface to induce plastic flow and create a compressive stress layer. Solid lubricating powder is then projected onto the compressive layer where it adheres tightly to form the lubricating surface layer. The compressive layer provides good adhesion and densifies the metal for improved strength.

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A method for 3D printing multi-layer structures with improved interlayer adhesion to prevent delamination. The method involves creating cavities that cross multiple layers during printing and then filling the cavities with a second material to form rivets perpendicular to the layers. The rivets compress the surrounding layers as they cool and contract, increasing adhesion.

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Three-dimensional printer systems and methods that enable stronger, faster, and more reliable 3D printing of composite parts. The systems involve using continuous core reinforced filaments that are preimpregnated and void-free. The continuous core enables improved threading and prevents clogging compared to stranded filaments. The void-free impregnation improves strength and eliminates weak spots. Other features include cutting mechanisms to avoid overruns, enlarged nozzle outlets to prevent clogs, and compression-based extrusion for convex shapes.

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Iteratively designed 3D printer that optimizes the ratio of mass to print build volume by using generative design algorithms. The printer has a frame made of sections built using additive manufacturing techniques (like directed energy deposition 3D printing) from metals like titanium or stainless steel. The frame supports a movable beam and shuttle holding the print head.

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Customized, 3D printed protective sports pads that match an individual athlete's body contours and dimensions. The pads are made by 3D printing rigid or semi-rigid filaments in a shape specific to the target body area. The filaments are then fused together by heating. An outer layer can be added for reinforcement. The pads provide better protection and fit than generic pads. The manufacturing process involves receiving body parameters, constructing a 3D model, printing the pad, and heat fusing the filaments.

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Improving the tensile strength of 3D printed green bodies to prevent damage during transportation and handling prior to fusing. The method involves selectively applying an adhesion promoter containing multihydrazide compounds like adipic dihydrazide to the binder fluid used in 3D printing. The multihydrazide adhesion promoter enhances the bonding between layers of particulate build material when forming the green body.

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Photopolymerizable resin composition for additive manufacturing of 3D printed parts with high stiffness at temperatures up to 250°C. The composition contains derivatives of diurethane dimethacrylates and other components that enable the resin to achieve high thermo-mechanical properties. The resin is used to 3D print articles that can maintain stiffness at high temperatures. It is also used in a stereolithography method for making the articles. The printed objects are subjected to post-curing to complete the polymerization and optimize properties.

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A nickel-based superalloy composition for use in selective laser melting (SLM) to enable crack-free processing of Ni-based superalloys with high gamma prime content. The alloy composition contains a minimum of 1.2 wt % Hafnium and has a Hf/C atomic ratio >1.55.

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Making a radiation shield with a tailored design by using 3D printing to create a metal body with a specific pattern of voids inside. The method involves generating a 3D model based on desired radiation stopping thickness and strength, then using fused filament deposition to print the metal body with the void pattern. This allows optimizing shielding performance and weight compared to uniform metal blocks or lead.

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Nickel-based superalloy composition that is crack resistant and suitable for additive manufacturing of high temperature components like gas turbine parts using selective laser melting. The alloy contains zirconium, niobium, yttrium oxide, cobalt, and tungsten. The alloy has improved crack resistance during SLM and heat treatment compared to existing alloys, allowing additive manufacturing of gas turbine components.

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Titanium-containing inks for inkjet printing titanium parts that can be heat treated to form solid titanium objects. The inks have a dispersion of titanium hydride powder with particle sizes under 10 microns in a liquid carrier. The dispersion includes surfactants to prevent particle aggregation. The ink can be jetted onto a substrate to form a "green" titanium part that is then heated to debind and sinter into a final solid titanium part.

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Paramagnetic stainless steel alloy that can be heat treated to achieve a hardness of greater than 500 HV. The alloy composition is: 20-40% Cr, 3-20% Ni, 0-15% Mn, 0-5% Al, 3-15% Mo, 0-5% W, 0-2% Cu, 0-5% Si, 0-1% Ti, 0-1% Nb, 0-0.1% C, 0-0.5% N, 0-0.5% S, 0-0.1% P, balance Fe and impurities. The steel is first formed and then heat treated to transform the ferrite microstructure into austenite and sigma phase, increasing the hardness. The steel is non-magnetic and has high hardness for applications like timepiece components.

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Additive manufacturing method to fabricate 3D objects that mimic the mechanical properties of hard tissues like bones. The method involves 3D printing layers of different materials to form the object. Specifically, the method uses voxel elements containing different material formulations at interlaced locations to create a textured region. This textured region has controlled stress variation over a strain range to mimic properties of hard tissues.

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A metal 3D printer that quickly forms metal support structures that can be easily removed after printing. The printer ejects melted metal drops to form objects. To create supports, it forms a line of spaced pillars, then a single pass ejects a continuous metal line over the pillars. This avoids excessive heat buildup. The pillars can be easily separated from the continuous line later. This enables rapid support formation with adequate strength compared to building walls and joining pillars incrementally.

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Resin composition for 3D printing that has improved properties suitable for general purpose 3D printers. The composition contains a thermoplastic resin with a polar group like aromatic polycarbonate and a heterocyclic compound with multiple heteroatoms like a condensed ring compound containing N, O, or S at para positions. The composition exhibits different behavior in elastic strength above and below its glass transition temperature, with increased modulus below Tg and reduced viscoelasticity above Tg. This allows lower temperature 3D printing while still maintaining strength and heat resistance when formed into molded parts. It also reduces gas generation during molding compared to anti-plasticizers.

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High strength aluminum alloy suitable for additive manufacturing that can be 3D printed into complex parts. The aluminum alloy composition contains 2-15% manganese and 0.3-2% scandium, with balance being aluminum. This alloy provides tensile strengths greater than 400 MPa, which is high for aluminum, making it suitable for load-bearing structural components that require high strength. The alloy can be rapidly solidified using AM processes like selective laser melting (SLM) or electron beam melting (EBM) to retain the high strength. The alloy can also be used for other rapid solidification methods like laser cladding or thermal spray.

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Composite materials for 3D printable tooling using extrusion-based additive manufacturing to produce durable press dies for forming materials like sheets of aluminum, stainless steel or soft iron. The composites contain an amorphous polymer matrix, reinforcing fibers, and optionally hollow glass microspheres. The matrix materials include polycarbonate, polylactic acid, or polycycloolefin copolymer. The fiber reinforcement can be carbon or glass fibers. The composite formulations provide compressive modulus greater than 3500 MPa and compressive strength greater than 70 MPa.

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3D printed concrete trusses that can be manufactured without the need for reinforcement steel bars. The trusses have a specific geometry that allows them to resist loads through compression only. This avoids the need for steel reinforcement bars to resist tension forces, enabling the trusses to be fully 3D printed. The truss geometry has key design features like nodes positioned within the chord depths, specific web connections, and maximizing chord separation. The trusses are manufactured by continuous printing of bays with intersecting diagonal and normal webs on a planar top chord.

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Lower-cost, highly customizable, and better-performing 3D printed transtibial prosthetic device that are patient-specific, adjustable, and robust. It uses a unibody design with a 3D printed socket, pylon, and ankle-foot complex. The unitary polymer structure provides multi-axial dynamic flex like a human ankle. The device can be customized to the patient using digital scanning and 3D modeling. The 3D printing enables fabrication of the complex geometry. The integrated unibody design eliminates assembly and sliding connections for better durability.

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A method for manufacturing an additively-manufactured object with a cladding layer having high hardness and thickness without weld cracks. It involves using weaving laser deposition of a stainless steel and titanium carbide powder mixture to form a cladding layer on a base metal. The weaving laser deposition in a specific range of heat input and powder feeding ratios enables stable formation of thick cladding layers with high TiC content and hardness without weld cracks.

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Creating 3D printed objects with high toughness and surface hardness without impairing the advantages of the lamination shaping process. The method uses a combination of carbon ink impregnation and quenching to provide localized carbon concentration gradients in the printed iron-based parts. This allows achieving both high toughness and surface hardness in the same part. By varying the carbon ink application during 3D printing and then quenching the sintered part, a carbon concentration gradient is created where the outer surface has higher carbon content for hardness while the inner portion has lower carbon for toughness.

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3D printing system that uses UV light to rapidly cure the binder and evaporate the solvent in each layer of a 3D printed object made from metal powder. This allows precise control over curing and solvent removal to improve accuracy and mechanical properties.

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High quality titanium alloy additive manufacturing product that has high denseness and soundness without pressure leakage when 3mm or less thick. It is made using a titanium alloy powder with low porosity and specific composition. The powder has less than 2% fine particles below 45 microns. It also has 5.5-6.75 wt% Al, 3.5-4.5 wt% V, max 0.2 wt% O, max 0.4 wt% Fe, max 0.015 wt% H, max 0.08 wt% C, max 0.05 wt% N.

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A calcium phosphate powder for 3D printing of artificial bones that enables the production of 3D printed implants with high strength. The powder has an average particle size of 0.1 to 5.0 μm and a mesopore pore volume of 0.01 to 0.06 cc/g. The pore size of the mesopores is 2 to 50 nm. The powder provides excellent dispersion stability in 3D printing slurries and enables production of high strength 3D printed implants like artificial bones.

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Automated method for reinforcing the interlaminar properties of additive manufactured composite structures. The method involves inserting reinforcing Z-pins through the layers of the structure during the 3D printing process. The Z-pins are inserted perpendicular to the layers to provide reinforcement in the through-thickness direction. This improves the interlaminar strength of the 3D printed composite structure.

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A precipitation hardening stainless steel alloy that has a good combination of strength, toughness, and corrosion resistance for demanding aerospace applications like landing gear. The alloy contains nickel, chromium, titanium, and small amounts of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur. It is heat treated to precipitate strengthening phases and has an ultimate tensile strength of at least 280 ksi, fracture toughness of at least 60 ksi√in, and a fracture toughness to tensile strength ratio of about 0.25-0.3 √in.

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Method for preparing ceramic slurry for 3D printing and the printing process of the ceramic product. The method uses a specific recipe involving polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as an adhesive, a plasticizer, and a disperser, along with the ceramic powder. The slurry is printed into a green body which is then frozen. Thawing causes the PVA to crystallize and form a gel structure that supports the body during drying and sintering. This prevents cracking and allows complex shapes to be printed without supports.

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Additive manufacturing wire for providing duplex stainless steel additively manufactured objects with balanced ferrite/austenite ratio and high pitting corrosion resistance. The wire contains, in wt

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A method for producing a maraging steel using additive manufacturing like selective laser melting (SLM) to optimize the hardness to toughness ratio. The method involves using specific alloying elements in precise amounts to balance the transformation of austenite to martensite during aging. The alloy contains nickel (Ni), aluminum (Al), titanium (Ti), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), carbon (C), copper (Cu), and silicon (Si). The additive manufacturing process enables precise control of alloy composition for optimal austenite transformation and mechanical properties.

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Enhancing the properties of 3D printed metal parts. The method involves using a liquid functional agent containing an alloying agent that can form an alloy with the metal build material when exposed to energy. The alloying agent is applied to the metal powder and then exposed to energy to form the 3D printed part. The alloying agent reacts with the metal powder to create a composite layer containing alloyed regions.

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Composite filaments for fused filament fabrication 3D printing that contain thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer fibers for reinforcement. The composite filaments have a thermoplastic matrix and thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer fibers. The liquid crystalline polymer fibers provide enhanced mechanical properties compared to traditional fibers. The filament processing temperature is selected to allow extrusion of the thermoplastic matrix without melting the liquid crystalline fibers. This enables 3D printing of strong, reinforced parts using commercial 3D printers.

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Method and system for additive manufacturing an object with properties of hard bodily tissue like bone. It involves using a 3D printer to build up layers of multiple materials to form the object. Some layers contain interlaced voxels of different materials that form textured regions. These regions are designed to have stress variation of at most ±20% over a strain range of 0.1-0.3%.

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Energy ray curable coating material to provide smooth, tough, flexible coatings on 3D printed objects like dental devices. The coating material contains monofunctional polymerizable compounds to provide toughness without becoming brittle.

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Producing impact-resistant components, such as turbine blades, using additive manufacturing (3D printing) to make them from a powder material. The trick is to 3D print the component with a tough inner layer surrounded by a less tough outer layer. The inner layer provides impact resistance. This is done by altering the printing process to create the layer with different properties.

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Additive manufacturing technique involving polymers and metals to create strong and lightweight composite structures. The technique involves 3D printing a polymeric skin onto a metallic structural member surface and filling open-cell voids in the metal with polymer. This provides mechanical coupling between the materials to create a monolithic composite. The 3D printing process parameters are tailored to optimize adhesion and properties. An extended NURBS data structure guides the deposition. Adhesive can be injected into closed-cell voids for further joining.

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Cost-effective process for additive manufacturing of high-strength aluminum alloy parts. The process involves using an aluminum alloy powder with specific alloying elements like cerium and mischmetal. It allows forming strong aluminum parts without costly heat treatments or scandium-containing alloys. The process includes depositing layers of the alloy powder and melting it with an energy beam to solidify each layer. The resulting part can be further treated with thermal or compression processes to improve properties like hardness.

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A high strength precipitation hardening stainless steel alloy for aircraft applications like landing gears and turbines. The alloy contains specific amounts of nickel, chromium, cobalt, molybdenum, titanium, vanadium, and tungsten for high strength, corrosion resistance, and high temperature stability. It is designed for high stressed aircraft components that require a combination of high strength, toughness, fatigue resistance, and corrosion resistance at both room and elevated temperatures.

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A method for preparing structured hydrogels with improved toughness for applications like 3D printed organs. The method involves using a particular photocurable hydrogel ink that contains a high-density hydrogen-bonded unsaturated monomer like N-acryloyl semicarbazide, along with other components like a photoinitiator and solvent. When this ink is 3D printed and then submerged in water, the dimethyl sulfoxide solvent diffuses out and triggers reconstruction of hydrogen bonds within the hydrogel to toughen it.

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