3M Innovative Properties Company

Solventum Intellectual Properties Company

Melissa A Lackey

Brant Ulrick Kolb

Kathleen M Humpal

Paul D Pennington

Malte Korten

Holger Hauptmann

Michael Jahns

Gallus Schechner

Helmar B Mayr

Mark J Hendrickson

Christine M Andres

Donald Kent Larson

Wayne Scott Mahoney

James D Hansen

Wendy L Thompson

William Jeffrey Clatanoff

William George Allen

Victor Julian Borer

Daniel J Treadwell

David B Stegall

Andreas M Geldmacher

Raman Kumar Selli

Gareth A Hughes

Kristen F Keller

Kathleen M Humpa

Alexander J Huffman

Amy T Shah

The present disclosure provides a method of making a ceramic article. The method includes (a) obtaining a photopolymerizable slurry or sol including a plurality of ceramic particles distributed in the photopolymerizable slurry or sol and (b) selectively polymerizing the photopolymerizable slurry or sol using actinic radiation and continuous movement of a build substrate through the photopolymerizable slurry or sol to form a gelled article. The method also includes (c) extracting solvent from the gelled article to form an aerogel article or a xerogel article; (d) heat treating the aerogel article or the xerogel article to form a porous ceramic article; and (e) sintering the porous ceramic article to form a sintered ceramic article. The sintered ceramic article exhibits a particular density. Further, additive manufactured ceramic articles are provided that exhibit a particular density, opacity, or both. Preferably, all cross-sectional portions of an interior of the ceramic article having selected dimensions are free of a frequency analysis signal maxima larger than a background signal.

Continuous additive manufacturing method for making ceramic articles, and ceramic articles

Shaped gel articles that are formed within a mold cavity and that retain the size and shape of the mold cavity upon removal from the mold cavity, sintered articles prepared from the shaped gel articles, and methods of making the sintered articles are provided. The shaped gel articles are formed from a casting sol that contains colloidal silica particles that are treated with a surface modification composition that includes a silane surface modification agent having a radically polymerizable group. The sintered article has a shape identical to the mold cavity (except in regions where the mold cavity was overfilled) and to the shaped gel article but reduced in size proportional to the amount of isotropic shrinkage.

Shaped gel articles and sintered articles prepared therefrom

The invention relates to the use of a printing sol as construction material in an additive manufacturing process for producing a 3-dim article, the printing sol comprising solvent(s), nano-sized crystalline zirconia particles in an amount from 2 to 25 vol.-% with respect to the volume of the sol, the average primary particle size of the nano-sized crystalline zirconia particles being in a range up to 50 nm, a first monomer being a polymerizable surface modification agent represented by formula A-B, with A being capable of attaching to the surface of the nano-sized crystalline zirconia particles and B being a radiation curable group, optionally a second monomer, the second monomer comprising at least one radiation curable moiety but no acidic or silane group(s), photo initiator(s). The invention also relates to a ceramic article obtainable according to such a process.

Sol containing nano zirconia particles for use in additive manufacturing processes for the production of 3-dimensional articles

The present invention relates to a process for producing a ceramic article, the process comprising the steps of providing a printing sol, the printing sol comprising solvent, nano-sized particles, radiation curable monomer(s) and photoinitiator, the printing sol having a viscosity of less than 500 mPa*s at 23&#xb0; C., processing the printing sol as construction material in an additive manufacturing process to obtain a 3-dim article being in a gel state, the 3-dim article having a Volume A, transferring the 3-dim article being in a gel state to a 3-dim article being in an aerogel state, heat treating the 3-dim article to obtain a sintered 3-dim ceramic article, the ceramic article having a Volume F, Volume A of the 3-dim article in a gel state being more than 500% of Volume F of the ceramic article in its sintered state. The invention also relates to a ceramic article obtainable according to such a process. The ceramic article can have the shape of a dental or orthodontic article.

Additive manufacturing process for producing ceramic articles using a sol containing nano-sized particles

An optical network comprises a fiber distribution cable and a terminal assembly. The terminal assembly receives a plurality of optical fibers from the fiber distribution cable and distributes one or more individual fibers to one or more single fiber bare-fiber holders that hold and protect each single fiber prepared and configured for splicing via an individual splicing element. The splicing element includes an alignment mechanism having a base plate and a clamp plate. At least one of the base plate and clamp plate is formed from a silica material and at least one of the base plate and clamp plate includes an alignment groove or channel configured to receive the first and second optical fibers in an end-to-end manner. The splice element also comprises an optical adhesive disposed in at least a portion of the alignment groove, wherein the optical adhesive is curable via actinic radiation.

Optical fiber splice element and optical network

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Woodbury, MN, United States of America

Melissa A Lackey