US 12,214,421 B2
Three-dimensional (3D) printing
Vladek Kasperchik, Corvallis, OR (US); Mohammed S. Shaarawi, Corvallis, OR (US); Michael G. Monroe, Corvallis, OR (US); and David Michael Ingle, San Diego, CA (US)
Assigned to Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P., Spring, TX (US)
Filed by HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P., Spring, TX (US)
Filed on Jun. 10, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/838,050.
Application 17/838,050 is a continuation of application No. 16/077,770, granted, now 11,389,867, previously published as PCT/US2017/019298, filed on Feb. 24, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2022/0297182 A1, Sep. 22, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. B22F 10/14 (2021.01); B22F 1/05 (2022.01); B22F 1/10 (2022.01); B22F 3/10 (2006.01); B22F 10/10 (2021.01); B22F 10/16 (2021.01); B22F 10/32 (2021.01); B22F 10/34 (2021.01); B22F 10/50 (2021.01); B22F 12/10 (2021.01); B29C 64/165 (2017.01); B29C 64/209 (2017.01); B29C 64/295 (2017.01); B29C 64/371 (2017.01); B33Y 10/00 (2015.01); B33Y 30/00 (2015.01); B33Y 70/00 (2020.01); B33Y 70/10 (2020.01); C08L 13/02 (2006.01); C22C 1/04 (2023.01); B22F 1/103 (2022.01); B22F 5/08 (2006.01); B22F 12/53 (2021.01); B22F 12/63 (2021.01); C08K 5/053 (2006.01)
CPC B22F 10/14 (2021.01) [B22F 1/05 (2022.01); B22F 1/10 (2022.01); B22F 3/1021 (2013.01); B22F 10/10 (2021.01); B22F 10/16 (2021.01); B22F 10/32 (2021.01); B22F 10/34 (2021.01); B22F 10/50 (2021.01); B22F 12/10 (2021.01); B29C 64/165 (2017.08); B29C 64/209 (2017.08); B29C 64/295 (2017.08); B29C 64/371 (2017.08); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); B33Y 30/00 (2014.12); B33Y 70/00 (2014.12); B33Y 70/10 (2020.01); C08L 13/02 (2013.01); C22C 1/0425 (2013.01); B22F 1/103 (2022.01); B22F 3/10 (2013.01); B22F 3/1007 (2013.01); B22F 5/08 (2013.01); B22F 12/53 (2021.01); B22F 12/63 (2021.01); B22F 2201/013 (2013.01); B22F 2201/02 (2013.01); B22F 2201/04 (2013.01); B22F 2201/20 (2013.01); B22F 2304/10 (2013.01); B22F 2998/10 (2013.01); B22F 2999/00 (2013.01); C08K 5/053 (2013.01); Y02P 10/25 (2015.11)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A three-dimensional (3D) printing system, comprising:
a container containing a supply of metallic build material;
a build material distributor;
an inkjet applicator containing a supply of a binder fluid and to selectively apply the binder fluid, the binder fluid including a liquid vehicle and polymer particles dispersed in the liquid vehicle, the polymer particles including a hydrophobic component and a hydrophilic component having a glass transition temperature (Tg) that is higher than the hydrophobic component, and each of the polymer particles containing one of:
(i) polymerized hydrophobic monomers that form the hydrophobic component, polymerized hydrophilic monomers that form the hydrophilic component, and the hydrophilic component attached to a surface of the hydrophobic component;
(ii) a ratio of polymerized hydrophobic monomers to polymerized hydrophilic monomers ranging from 5:95 to 30:70;
(iii) a higher concentration of polymerized hydrophilic monomers at or near a surface of the hydrophobic component; and
(iv) a core-shell structure with copolymerized hydrophobic and hydrophilic monomers at a core of the core-shell structure and a higher concentration of copolymerized hydrophilic monomers at a shell of the core-shell structure;
at least one heat source;
a controller; and
a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions to cause the controller to:
utilize the build material distributor and the inkjet applicator to iteratively form multiple layers of the metallic build material which are applied by the build material distributor and have received the binder fluid, thereby creating a patterned green part; and
utilize the at least one heat source to:
heat the patterned green part to about a melting point of the polymer particles for a curing time period ranging from about 1 minute to about 360 minutes, thereby activating the binder fluid and creating a cured green part;
heat the cured green part to a thermal decomposition temperature of the polymer particles for a thermal decomposition time period ranging from about 10 minutes to about 72 hours, thereby creating an at least substantially polymer-free gray part; and
heat the at least substantially polymer-free gray part to a sintering temperature for a sintering time period ranging from about 20 minutes to about 15 hours to form a metallic part.