Stratasys, Inc.

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

Schneider (usa) Inc.

William R Priedeman, Jr

William J Swanson

Paul E Hopkins

Andrea Lee Brosch

James W Comb

Patrick W Turley

Steve Brose

Minea A Popa

John Samuel Batchelder

S Scott Crump

Robert L Skubic

Paul J Leavitt

Robert L Zinniel

Daniel I Kimm

Andrew Mason Hahn

David L Pollard

Steven Scott Crump

J Samuel Batchelder

John B Logan

Ahmad Safari

Stephen C Danforth

Vikram Ramesh Jamalabad

Noshir Langrana

Mukesh Agarwala

Remco Van Weeren

Jeffery J Hanson

Amit Bandyopadghyay

Jeffrey F Bye

David Thomas Smith

Brad J Wessman

Nusayr Azam

Andrea L Brosch

A method of processing a water-dispersible, polymer-based material in a bath of a water-based solution includes providing a molten water-dispersible polymer material having monovalent cations. The water-dispersible polymer is introduced into a water bath comprising multivalent salt dissociated in the water bath into multivalent cations and anions. The water-dispersible polymer is retained within the water bath with the dissociated multivalent cations to quench the water-dispersible, polymer-based material while the monovalent cations proximate a surface of the water-dispersible polymer are exchanged with multivalent cations to form a barrier that temporarily resists dispersion of the water-dispersible, polymer-based material within the water bath. The method includes removing the water-dispersible polymer from water bath after the exchange step.

Method for underwater processing of water-dispersible materials

A sulfonated water-dispersible thermoplastic copolymer material for use as a support material in an additive manufacturing process is made by a method comprising providing a selected thermoplastic copolymer having an acid or an anhydride group; esterifying the acid group of the selected thermoplastic copolymer with a hydroxyl-functionalized sulfonate salt, or amidizing the acid group of the selected thermoplastic copolymer with an amine sulfonate salt, or imidizing the anhydride group of the selected thermoplastic copolymer with an amine sulfonate salt. The esterification, the amidization or the imidization results in a sulfonated water thermoplastic dispersible copolymer having a glass transition temperature suitable to provide an effective support during the additive manufacturing process and wherein the sulfonated water-dispersible thermoplastic copolymer will disperse in tap water in less than 1 hour.

Water dispersible sulfonated thermoplastic copolymer for use in additive manufacturing

A filament for use in an extrusion-based additive manufacturing system includes an elastomeric core and a harder, non-elastomeric shell. The core compositionally comprising an elastomeric core material having a flexural modulus of less than 31,000 psi and a durometer of less than 80 Shore. The shell overlays the core portion and compositionally comprises a non-elastomeric thermoplastic shell material that is substantially miscible with the elastomeric core material, wherein the core material and the shell material have the same monomer chemistry. The non-elastomeric thermoplastic shell material has a flexural modulus that is greater than the flexural modulus of the elastomeric core material by at least a factor of five, wherein the shell provides sufficient strength or stiffness to the filament such that filament can be utilized as a feedstock in the extrusion-based additive manufacturing system.

Core-shell filament for use in extrusion-based additive manufacturing systems and method of printing parts

A water-dispersible addition-type sulfonated thermoplastic copolymer material for use as a consumable feedstock additive manufacturing, wherein the water-dispersible thermoplastic copolymer is a reaction product of an addition-type reaction of a metal sulfonated monomer, the water-dispersible sulfonated thermoplastic copolymer being dispersible in tap water in less than one hour.

Water-dispersible thermoplastic material comprising sulfonated copolymer for use in additive manufacturing

A water dispersible sulfopolymer for use as a material in the layer-wise additive manufacture of a 3D part made of a non water dispersible polymer wherein the water dispersible polymer is a reaction product of a metal sulfo monomer, the water dispersible sulfo-polymer being dispersible in water resulting in separation of the water dispersible polymer from the 3D part made of the non water dispersible polymer.

Water dispersible polymer for use in additive manufacturing

A method of recycling and reusing a tap water-soluble sulfonated polymer material from a structural component made using an additive manufacturing process comprises dissolving the structural component in water to disperse the sulfonated polymer material into the water. The sulfonated polymer material is precipitated from the water and recovered; then dried and reformed into a form suitable for subsequent use as a consumable feedstock in a subsequent additive manufacturing process.

Recycling and reuse of sulfonated polymer material in additive manufacturing

A support material feedstock comprising a first copolymer and a polymeric impact modifier, where the first copolymer includes a first monomer unit comprising a carboxyl group and a second monomer unit comprising a phenyl group.

Support material for digital manufacturing systems

The present invention is a composition for making a three-dimensional object. The composition comprises a plasticizer and a base polymer, where the base polymer comprises a carboxylic acid, where the composition is soluble in an alkaline solution.

Soluble material and process for three-dimensional modeling

Disclosed is a method for smoothing the surface of an object built from a polymeric or wax material using a layered manufacturing rapid prototyping technique. After the object is built it is exposed to a vaporized solvent such as in a vaporizer for an exposure time sufficient to reflow the object surface. A solvent is chosen based on its ability to transiently soften the material which forms the object, and thereafter evaporate off the object. The object is removed from the solvent and allowed to dry, producing a smooth finished part.

Smoothing method for layered deposition modeling

The present invention is a method () for manufacturing a three-dimensional object. The method () includes receiving () digital information of the three-dimensional object over a communication line and building () the three-dimensional object based at least in part on the received digital information, where at least part of the three-dimensional object is built by rapid manufacturing, and where the three-dimensional object comprises an exterior surface. The method also includes vapor smoothing () at least a portion of the exterior surface of the three-dimensional object.

Transactional method for building three-dimensional objects

A method for building a three-dimensional object, the method comprising extruding a build material having a temperature profile between a surface and a central region of the extruded build material in which the surface has a higher temperature than the central region of the build material. The build material comprises a carrier material and nanofibers.

Build materials containing nanofibers for use with extrusion-based layered depositions systems

A three-dimensional model and its support structure are built by fused deposition modeling techniques, wherein a thermoplastic material containing silicone is used to form the support structure and/or the model. The thermoplastic material containing silicone exhibits good thermal stability, and resists build-up in the nozzle of an extrusion head or jetting head of a three-dimensional modeling apparatus. The silicone contained in a support material acts as a release agent to facilitate removal of the support structure from the model after its completion.

Material and method for three-dimensional modeling

The present invention is a method and apparatus for building three-dimensional models by deposition modeling techniques from moisture-sensitive thermoplastics. A feedstock of thermoplastic modeling material is dried to a low moisture content and supplied to a dispensing head of a modeling apparatus. The dry thermoplastic material is heated in a liquifier and deposited in a predetermined pattern so as to build a three-dimensional model.

Growing community of inventors

Long Lake, MN, United States of America

William R Priedeman, Jr