Elastic Materials for 3D Printing

Method for optimizing 3D printed part properties by dynamically generating the print path and material extrusion amounts based on user-defined center-of-gravity and weight information. The method involves acquiring designation data for the 3D object's center-of-gravity and weight, generating print models with extrusion paths and amounts based on that data, and then controlling the printer to follow those models. This allows customizing the print to balance factors like stability, warpage, and support requirements based on the object's properties.

Source

A method for 3D printing items using semi-crystalline polymers like polyethylene that prevents warping and adhesion failures during printing. The method involves selectively cooling and heating the build plate and printed layers to optimize crystallization and melting. This allows the semi-crystalline polymers to adhere to the plate during printing and then solidify for strength. The steps include: 1) depositing the polymer on the plate at a high temperature to melt it and adhere it. 2) cooling the deposited layers below their crystallization temperature. 3) raising the plate temperature to below the polymer's melting point. 4) continuing printing with the higher plate temperature and lower layer temperature to prevent warping and adhesion failures. 5) removing the printed item at room temperature. This sequence enables the semi-crystall

Source

Method for defining the material properties of plastic parts during 3D printing to enable on-demand customization of properties like stiffness, strength, and toughness. The method involves actively varying extrusion parameters like temperature, flow rate, and nozzle diameter during printing to manipulate the microstructure of the extruded material. This allows selective modification of properties in specific regions of the printed part. The technique involves using a 3D printer with features like variable nozzle diameter, temperature control, and speed variators to enable real-time adjustment of extrusion parameters. By varying parameters like temperature and flow rate at different locations, the method allows inducing specific microstructures and hence tailored properties in those regions.

Source

High-precision 3D printing of viscoelastic paste materials like ceramic slurries using a customized printing system. The system uses a movable build plate instead of a fixed one to enable precise layer-by-layer printing of viscoelastic pastes. An extruder deposits paste onto the plate, followed by a scraper to level it. This improves accuracy compared to full-layering methods. The plate moves up/down for each layer. A conveyor belt cleans the scraper. The system has components like clamps, motors, belts, rails, etc. to enable the customized printing process.

Source

Reducing warpage and making it easier to separate 3D printed objects from the build plate. The method involves using a different material for the initial layer compared to subsequent layers. This initial layer integrates with the build plate to reduce warping. Then using a different material for the subsequent layers allows easier separation as the initial layer holds the object to the build plate. This avoids needing a release agent or excessive force to remove the object.

Source

3D printing silicone elastomer articles with complex shapes using water-based supports that can be easily removed and recycled. The method involves 3D printing a silicone elastomer with a cross-linkable composition and support with a composition containing nano clay and water. The clay-water support is compatible with the silicone printing material and allows for printing complex shapes. The support can be dissolved and reused after printing.

Source

Foam particles are used in additive manufacturing (3D printing) to make articles like athletic equipment. The method involves arranging foam particles of thermoplastic elastomers and using energy beams like lasers to selectively heat and fuse the foam particles together. This allows the article to be constructed layer by layer.

Source

Body-mounted components like orthoses have improved flexibility and resistance to breakage when bent. The components are made by 3D printing using a resin material with high elongation at break when stretched. This elongation property allows the 3D-printed parts to bend and stretch without breaking.

Source

3D printed structures made from liquid crystal elastomers that can change shape in response to environmental stimuli. The structures are printed using stereolithography and have segments in different orientations to enable 3D-to-3D shape change. To achieve this, liquid crystal alignment is controlled during printing using magnetic fields.

Source

3D printing of elastomeric rubber seals using a 3D printer with two print heads. The first head extrudes the rubber material, which is heated and mixed in an extruder like a screw to cure it partially. The extruder is also heated. The second head prints a support structure of a more rigid material around the rubber layers to prevent sagging. The rubber layers are printed on a heated bed.

Source

Method to produce low warpage and high precision 3D printed parts using polyaryletherketone (PAEK) materials like PEEK and PEKK. The method involves blending PEEK and PEKK resins with different melting points to create a composite filament. This composite filament is used to print the 3D part. The blended resins have different crystallization rates that helps regulate the crystallization during printing to reduce warping. The part is then machined using small feed rates and high speeds to further reduce internal stresses. Finally, annealing is done to eliminate residual stresses and further reduce warpage.

Source

Customizable vehicle cushion components made using 3D printing with lattice structures of interconnected 3D cells. The lattice cells in the cushion can have different geometries and elastic moduli to achieve varying levels of support and comfort. For example, face-centered cubic lattice cells can provide higher modulus support, while body-centered cubic cells can provide lower modulus cushioning. The lattice sections can be integrated into a single monolithic structure.

Source

Customizable 3D printed trim articles, like headrest buns, are made from a lattice matrix with tunable elastic modulus. The lattice is 3D printed with additive manufacturing techniques. The lattice is printed in sections, and the curing time of each section is adjusted to vary its stiffness. Longer curing times increase the elastic modulus of the lattice. The overall lattice can be customized for different stiffness regions by printing sections with different curing times and moduli.

Source

Self-adaptive matrix extrusion method for 3D printing that reduces microscopic pores and improves mechanical strength of printed parts without changing the printing path. The method determines the optimal matrix extrusion amount at each print point based on the geometric spacing between points. By adjusting the matrix extrusion for overfilled and underfilled areas, it allows self-adaptive extrusion matching the print path. This reduces porosity and enhances part strength.

Source

High yield stress ceramic stereolithography 3D printing material with self-supporting force that allows complex ceramic parts to be printed without the need for contact supports. The material composition includes acrylate compounds, plasticizers, initiators, ceramic powders, dispersants, and polyamide waxes. The unique formulation enables ceramic powders with high volume fractions of 55-70% while still providing self-support for 3D printing without collapsing or sagging. This enables non-contact support strategies for complex structures without needing to remove supports after printing which can damage the parts.

Source

3D printing overhangs without supports using a technique where the successive layers of thermoset material have offset beads compared to the underlying layer. This prevents sagging and provides stability. The offset beads are achieved by depositing the layers with a delay between them. The delay allows the material to partially cure before the next layer is printed. This forms a mechanical interlock between the layers that prevents sagging when printing overhangs. The offset beads are also smaller than the underlying beads for higher resolution.

Source

Additively manufacturing shaped bodies like anatomic models with regions having different mechanical properties by site-selectively depositing thermoplastic and non-thermoplastic materials layer by layer. The method involves using a 3D printer with two print heads, one for thermoplastic material and one for non-thermoplastic material. The heads are moved independently to selectively deposit the materials in different regions to create shapes with varying mechanical properties. The non-thermoplastic material could be biocompatible materials like hydrogels or silicone rubbers to mimic soft tissues.

Source

3D printing low viscosity materials that cannot be printed by conventional methods without overspray between layers. The technique involves printing layers using two passes. The first pass creates a mold or support structure for the low viscosity material to be printed in the second pass. This allows printing of low viscosity materials without overspray by enclosing them in a mold. The mold material provides initial support until the low viscosity material gains enough strength to self-support. The mold is then removed.

Source

High-precision 3D printing equipment and method for viscoelastic paste materials that allows accurate 3D printing of viscoelastic materials like ceramic slurries. The equipment has a movable printing table, extrusion head, conveyor belt, scraper, and unloading block. The table moves up/down while the extrusion head and scraper move left/right. This allows precise layer thickness control. The scraper removes excess material after extrusion. The unloading block cleans scraper accumulation. The conveyor moves material. This enables accurate multi-layer printing of viscoelastic materials.

Source

A material extrusion 3D printing method for creating complex 3D models using high-solid-content inorganic and metal pastes. The method involves suspending the paste in a support material with at least 40% solid content. The paste is extruded from a 3D printer into the support material, which provides structure and prevents collapse. The support is then cured to fix the shape. The high-solid-content paste allows better mechanical properties compared to low-solid-content pastes. The support material prevents deformation during extrusion and allows curing without reducing paste solid content. This enables printing complex structures with higher solid content pastes.

Source