Method for producing sulfone polymer micro-particles for SLS 3D printing
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorsValerie M. Farrugia, Edward G. Zwartz, Sandra J. Gardner
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Abstract
A method for producing polysulfone micro-particles for 3D printing disclosed. For example, the method includes creating a mixture of polysulfone by dissolving polysulfone in an organic solvent, creating an aqueous solution of a polymeric stabilizer or a surfactant, adding the mixture of polysulfone to the aqueous solution to create a polysulfone solution, and processing the polysulfone solution to obtain polysulfone micro-particles having a desired particle size, a desired particle size distribution, and a desired shape.
Claims18
A method for producing polysulfone micro-particles for three-dimensional (3D) printing, comprising:
- creating a mixture of polysulfone by dissolving polysulfone in an organic solvent;
- creating an aqueous solution of a polymeric stabilizer or a surfactant;
- adding the mixture of polysulfone to the aqueous solution to create a polysulfone solution;
- processing the polysulfone solution to obtain polysulfone micro-particles having a desired particle size, a desired particle size distribution, and a desired shape;
- suspending the polysulfone micro-particles in deionized water to form a slurry of the polysulfone micro-particles and the deionized water;
- and
- applying a centrifuge process to the slurry.
A method for producing polysulfone micro-particles for three-dimensional (3D) printing, comprising:
- dissolving polyvinyl alcohol in deionized water at approximately 50 degrees Celsius (° C.);
- dissolving polysulfone in dichloromethane at ambient temperature;
- cooling the polyvinyl alcohol in deionized water to approximately 40° C.;
- adding the polysulfone that is dissolved in the dichloromethane in a dropwise fashion while the polyvinyl alcohol in deionized water is stirred at approximately 1300 rotations per minute (RPM);
- reducing a rate of stirring to approximately 600 RPM after all of the polysulfone that is dissolved in the dichloromethane is added to the polyvinyl alcohol in deionized water;
- and
- separating polysulfone micro-particles that are formed from the dichloromethane, the polyvinyl alcohol, and the deionized water.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.