3D printing water soluble support filament and method of manufacture thereof
AssigneeWolf & Associates, Inc.
InventorsMiodrag Micic, Erick Packard Wolf
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed herein are at least partially water soluble compositions for use in 3D printing. The compositions comprise a mixture of polymeric materials that can be printed using existing 3D printing devices to form a support scaffold for overhanging parts of a 3D object to be printed. The 3D object can be printed such that at least a portion of the 3D object is printed onto the support scaffold. After printing, the support scaffold can be removed from the 3D object by treatment with water, such as by immersion in water. The compositions can comprise a mixture of one or more water soluble polymers and one or more water insoluble polymers.
Claims12
A dissolvable support material consisting of a blend of two water soluble polymers and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), wherein:
- the water soluble polymers are thermoplastics;
- a first polymer of the water soluble polymers is a polyvinyl alcohol;
- a second polymer of the water soluble polymers is Poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline);
- and
- wherein the ABS comprises about 10% w/w of the dissolvable support material.
A dissolvable support material consisting of:
- at least one water soluble thermoplastic polymer belonging to the group polyamides;
- at least one thermoplastic polymer belonging to the group of polyvinyl alcohol;
- and
- at least one 3D printable water insoluble thermoplastic polymer comprising acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), wherein the ABS comprises about 10% w/w of the dissolvable support material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.