Huntsman Advanced Materials Americas LLC

3D Systems, Inc.

Mflex UK Limited

Vantico Limited

Multi-Fineline Electronix, Inc.

Huntsman Advanced Materials LLC

Yong Zhao

Ranjana Changanbhai Patel

Richard John Peace

Michael Rhodes

Christopher Miles Evans

Jeremy Powell

Peggy Studer

Christopher James Newton Fryer

William Frank Tyldesley

Yonetatsu Matsumoto

Richard Guy Blakesley

Stefan Barny

Richard J Peace

Ranjana Chhaganhbi Patel

Ranjana Chhaganbhai Patel

An electroluminescent display comprising a mask defining the information to be displayed and an electroluminescent (EL) backlight. The mask compress a layer () of physically-stabilized liquid crystal switchable to define the information to be displayed mounted in front of an EL layer () of the backlight. At least one pair of electrodes () are arranged to generate, in use, an electric field across both the EL layer () and the LC layer (). A barrier layer () is provided between the LC layer () and the EL layer () that restricts migration of liquid crystal from the LC layer () to the EL layer ().

Electroluminescent displays

A display including an electroluminescent layer, a liquid crystal layer, a barrier layer arranged between the electroluminescent layer and the liquid crystal layer to restrict migration of liquid crystal from the liquid crystal layer to the electroluminescent layer, and a first electrode and a second electrode arranged such that the electroluminescent layer and the liquid crystal layer are disposed between the first and second electrodes and arranged to apply an electric field across both the electroluminescent layer and the liquid crystal layer.

A fully curable jettable composition having a viscosity less than 30 cps at a temperature within the range of 15&#xb0; C.-180&#xb0; C. comprising (i) at least one low viscosity reactive resin; (ii) at least one higher viscosity resin having a viscosity greater than twice that of the low viscosity resin and a functionality of greater than or equal to 2; (iii) at least one curable toughener, (iv) at least one initiator for the polymerization of the resins, and (v) at least one stabilizer for delaying the curing of the resins of the composition. The composition can be jetted from piezo electric printing heads under the control of a computer program to form a multi-layered article, for example, a three dimensional article, in which the adjacent droplets merge and are cured homogeneously together.

Jettable compositions

An optical moulding process is disclosed comprising the sequential steps of: (a)(y) forming a layer of a photocurable composition; and (bXz) irradiating selected areas of the composition in the layer with radiation from a radiation source, thereby curing the composition in said selected areas and repeating the steps a) and b) on top of an earlier cured layer to form a three dimensional structure, wherein the radiation source used in step b) is a non-coherent source of radiation and wherein the photocurable composition comprises at least two curable components: (i) 45%-95% (and preferably at least 50%, more preferably at least 60%, e.g. at least 70%) by weight of the total curable components in the composition is a first component that is photocurable and that is such that, when cured in the presence of a photocuring initiator by exposure to UV radiation having an energy of 30 mJ/cm, at least 90% of the component is cured within 50 milliseconds; and (ii) 5% to 55% (and preferably 10-40%, more preferably 15 to 30%, e.g. about 20%) by weight of the total curable components in the composition is a second component that results in the composition, on curing, shrinking, in a linear direction, by less than 3% and preferably that results in the composition having, after cure, a Tof greater than 50&#xb0; C., preferably at least 100&#xb0; C. and more preferably at least 120&#xb0; C.

Photocurable compositions

A process for forming a three-dimensional article in sequential layers in accordance with a digital model of the article. The process comprises the steps of defining a layer of powder material, applying a liquid reagent to the powder layer in a pattern corresponding to the digital model, and repeating these steps to form successive layers. The powder comprises a first reactive component and the liquid includes a second active component capable of reacting with the first reactive component so that the article is built up in layers.

Three-dimensional structured printing

A fully curable jettable composition having a viscosity less than 30 cps at a temperature within the range of 15-180&#xb0; C., more preferably at a temperature of 15-100&#xb0; C., e.g. 60-80&#xb0; C. the composition comprising: (A) at least one low viscosity reactive resin selected from the group consisting of compounds containing an oxetane ring, cycloaliphatic epoxy resins, tetrahydrofurans, hexahydropyrans and mono-functional (meth)acrylates, said resin having a molecular weight of not greater than 300 Daltons, e.g. 250 Daltons or less, and a viscosity at a temperature in the said range of less than 30 cps, e.g. 5 to 15 cps; (B) at least one higher viscosity resin selected from the group consisting of epoxy resins, compounds containing an oxetane ring and acrylates, which resin acts to thicken the low viscosity resin and strengthen a jetted deposit of the composition, the higher viscosity resin having: a viscosity greater than twice that of the low viscosity resin at the said temperature in the range stated above, and a functionality of greater than or equal to 2; (C) at least one curable toughener, preferably having a functionality of at least 2, such as hydroxy, epoxy, acrylic or other reactive functionalised polymer/oligomer (e.g. derived by functionalising poly(tetrahydrofuran), polycaprolactone, polycarbonate diol, or a dendrimeric polyol; (D) at least one initiator for the polymerisation of the resins, and (E) at least one stabilizer for delaying the curing of the resins of the composition; wherein the low viscosity resin is slower to react than the higher viscosity resin and acts to solvate the higher viscosity resin prior to curing and at least partly during curing and wherein at least 30% of the components A and B are cationically curable resins. The composition can be jetted from piezo electric printing heads under the control of a computer program to form a multi-layered article, e.g. a three dimensional article, in which the adjacent droplets merge and are cured homogeneously together.

A process for forming a three-dimensional article in sequential layers in accordance with a digital model of the article. The process comprises the steps of defining a layer of powder or liquid material, applying a liquid reagent to the layer in a pattern corresponding to the digital model, and repeating these steps to form successive layers. The powder or liquid material comprises a first reactive component and the applied liquid includes a second active component capable of reacting with the first reactive component so that the article is built up in layers. The characteristics of the layers vary across those layers and/or the properties vary from layer to layer.

A method is described of producing thin layers (below 10 &#x3bc;m in thickness) by directing droplets (preferably by inkjet printing techniques) onto precise locations on a substrate, the liquid of the droplets having a viscosity such that the droplets, on impact with the substrate, spread out to form relics on the substrate that are at least 1.4 times the diameter of the droplets in flight, adjacent droplets merging to form a continuous layer on the substrate. The droplets may have different compositions to form images within the layer. Successive layers may be added to built up a three dimensional structure whose properties can be tailored by the compositions used to build up a composite.

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Cambridge, United Kingdom

Yong Zhao