US 12,076,928 B2
Three-dimensional printing with reduced waste
James Joseph Deininger, Sterling Heights, MI (US); Andrew Thomas Cunningham, Cambridge, MA (US); Benjamin John LeBlanc, Ortonville, MI (US); and Dominick Michael Lentine, Macomb, MI (US)
Assigned to GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC, Detroit, MI (US)
Filed by GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC, Detroit, MI (US)
Filed on Mar. 9, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/654,117.
Prior Publication US 2023/0286215 A1, Sep. 14, 2023
Int. Cl. B29C 64/357 (2017.01); B29C 64/118 (2017.01); B29C 64/141 (2017.01); B29C 71/00 (2006.01); B33Y 10/00 (2015.01); B33Y 40/20 (2020.01)
CPC B29C 64/357 (2017.08) [B29C 64/118 (2017.08); B29C 64/141 (2017.08); B29C 71/0009 (2013.01); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); B33Y 40/20 (2020.01); B29C 2071/0018 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for a three-dimensional printing technique, the method comprising:
performing a preceding additive infusion process comprising:
solubilizing an additive into a medium in a supercritical fluid state;
contacting a preceding material with the medium in the supercritical fluid state to infuse a portion of the additive into the preceding material to form a preceding additive-infused material; and
separating remaining additive in the medium from the medium; and
performing at least one succeeding additive infusion process comprising:
solubilizing the remaining and optional additional additive into the medium in a supercritical fluid state; and
contacting a succeeding material with the medium in the supercritical fluid state to infuse at least a portion of the remaining and optional additional additive into the succeeding material to form a succeeding additive-infused material, wherein the medium from the preceding additive infusion process is reused in the at least one succeeding additive infusion process, and wherein each of the preceding material and the succeeding material is three-dimensional printing feed material;
performing a three-dimensional printing process to produce a three-dimensional printed object from the three-dimensional printing feed material;
removing impurities from unused three-dimensional printing feed material by diffusing the medium in a supercritical fluid state into the unused three-dimensional printing feed material. dissolving the impurities into the medium in a supercritical fluid state, and separating the medium in a supercritical fluid state from the unused three-dimensional printing feed material; and
recycling the unused three-dimensional printing feed material for use in manufacturing another three-dimensional printed object.