# US 12,179,263 B2 · Three-dimensional printing with wetting agent

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- Number: US 12,179,263 B2
- Document ID: US12179263B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/626,988
- Filed: 2019-09-05
- Published: 2022-08-25
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2019-09-05
- Assignees: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
- Applicants: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
- Inventors: Vladek Kasperchik; Jennifer Wu; Michael G. Monroe
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12179263B2

## CPC

- B22F 10/14: by jetting of binder onto a bed of metal powder
- B22F 1/10: Metallic powder containing lubricating or binding agents; Metallic powder containing organic material
- B22F 3/1103: {with particular physical characteristics}
- B28B 1/001: {Rapid manufacturing of 3D objects by additive depositing, agglomerating or laminating of material (selective deposition modelling of metallic powder B22F10/00; rapid manufacturing of 3D objects in general and in particular of plastics B29C64/00)}
- B33Y 10/00: Processes of additive manufacturing
- B33Y 40/20: Post-treatment, e.g. curing, coating or polishing
- B33Y 70/00: Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing
- B33Y 70/10: Composites of different types of material, e.g. mixtures of ceramics and polymers or mixtures of metals and biomaterials
- C09D 11/033: characterised by the solvent
- C09D 11/037: characterised by the pigment
- C09D 11/107: from unsaturated acids or derivatives thereof
- C09D 11/322: Pigment inks
- B22F 3/10: Sintering only
- B22F 12/55: Two or more means for feeding material
- B22F 2998/10: Processes characterised by the sequence of their steps
- Y02P 10/25: Process efficiency
- B22F: WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER (making alloys by powder metallurgy C22C); APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER
- B28B: SHAPING CLAY OR OTHER CERAMIC COMPOSITIONS; SHAPING SLAG; SHAPING MIXTURES CONTAINING CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL, e.g. PLASTER (foundry moulding B22C; working stone or stone-like material B28D; shaping of substances in a plastic state, in general B29C; making layered products not composed wholly of these substances B32B)
- B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
- C09D: COATING COMPOSITIONS, e.g. PAINTS, VARNISHES OR LACQUERS; FILLING PASTES; CHEMICAL PAINT OR INK REMOVERS; INKS; CORRECTING FLUIDS; WOODSTAINS; PASTES OR SOLIDS FOR COLOURING OR PRINTING; USE OF MATERIALS THEREFOR (cosmetics A61K; processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces, in general, B05D; staining wood B27K5/02; glazes or vitreous enamels C03C; natural resins, French polish, drying-oils, driers, turpentine, per se, C09F; polishing compositions other than French polish, ski waxes C09G; adhesives or use of materials as adhesives C09J; materials for sealing or packing joints or covers C09K3/10; materials for stopping leaks C09K3/12; processes for the electrolytic or electrophoretic production of coatings C25D)
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

A multi-fluid kit for three-dimensional printing can include a wetting agent and a binding agent. The wetting agent can include from 0 wt % to about 49.8 wt % water, from about 0.5 wt % to about 30 wt % film-forming organic solvent that can have a boiling point from greater than about 100° C. to about 350° C., and from about 30 wt % to about 99.5 wt % amphiphilic solvent that can have a boiling point from about 45° C. to less than about 100° C. The amphiphilic solvent can be water-miscible and can be present in the wetting agent at a greater concentration than the water and at a greater concentration than the film-forming solvent. The binding agent can include from about 2 wt % to about 30 wt % of a polymer binder dispersed in an aqueous liquid vehicle.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A multi-fluid kit for three-dimensional printing comprising:
a wetting agent including:
from 0 wt % to about 49.8 wt % water,
from about 0.2 wt % to about 30 wt % film-forming organic solvent having a boiling point from greater than about 100° C. to about 350° C., and
from about 30 wt % to about 99.5 wt % amphiphilic solvent having a boiling point from about 45° C. to less than about 100° C., wherein the amphiphilic solvent is water-miscible and is present in the wetting agent at a greater concentration than the water and at a greater concentration than the film-forming solvent; and
a binding agent including from about 2 wt % to about 30 wt % of a polymer binder dispersed in an aqueous liquid vehicle.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The multi-fluid kit of claim 1, wherein the film-forming solvent includes aliphatic alcohol, aromatic alcohol, alkyl diol, glycol, glycol ether, polyglycol ether, 2-pyrrolidinone, caprolactam, formamide, acetamide, 1,2-butanediol, C3 to C12 alcohol, or a mixture thereof.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The multi-fluid kit of claim 1, wherein the amphiphilic solvent includes ethanol, methanol, 1-propanol, isopropanol, 1-butanol, acetone, methyl ethyl keytone, dimethylformamide, tetrahydrofuran, 1,4-dioxane, acetonitrile, or a mixture thereof.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The multi-fluid kit of claim 1, wherein a surface tension of the amphiphilic solvent ranges from about 20 N/m to about 40 N/m when measured at 20° C.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The multi-fluid kit of claim 1, wherein the amphiphilic solvent is ethanol and the film-forming solvent is 2-pyrrolidinone.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The multi-fluid kit of claim 1, wherein the binding agent further includes a co-solvent and the co-solvent in the binding agent is the same as the film-forming solvent in the wetting agent.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The multi-fluid kit of claim 1, wherein the wetting agent is a nonaqueous wetting agent.

### Claim 8

A three-dimensional printing kit comprising:
a wetting agent including:
from 0 wt % to about 49.8 wt % water,
from about 0.2 wt % to about 60 wt % film-forming organic solvent having a boiling point from greater than about 100° C. to about 350° C., and
from about 30 wt % to about 99.5 wt % amphiphilic water-miscible solvent having a boiling point from about 45° C. to less than about 100° C.;
a binding agent including from about 2 wt % to about 30 wt % of a polymer binder dispersed in an aqueous liquid vehicle; and
a particulate build material including from about 80 wt % to 100 wt % metal particles, ceramic particles, or both metal particles and ceramic particles.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The three-dimensional printing kit of claim 8, wherein the film-forming solvent is present in the wetting agent at from about 1 wt % to about 15 wt %.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The three-dimensional printing kit of claim 8, wherein the film-forming solvent includes 1,2-butanediol or other diols or glycols and the amphiphilic solvent includes ethanol.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The three-dimensional printing kit of claim 8, wherein the particulate build material includes from about 90 wt % to 100 wt % of the metal particles, and the metal particles have D50 particle size distribution value of from about 3 μm to about 100 μm.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The three-dimensional printing kit of claim 8, wherein the amphiphilic solvent is present in the wetting agent at a greater concentration than the water and at a greater concentration than the film-forming solvent.

### Claim 13

A method of three-dimensional printing comprising:
iteratively applying individual build material layers of a particulate build material onto a powder bed, the particulate build material from about 80 wt % to 100 wt % metal particles, ceramic particles, or both metal particles and ceramic particles;
based on a 3D object model, iteratively and selectively applying a wetting agent to individual build material layers, wherein the wetting agent includes from 0 wt % to about 49.8 wt % water, from about 0.2 wt % to about 60 wt % film-forming organic solvent having a boiling point from greater than about 100° C. to about 350° C., and from about 30 wt % to about 99.5 wt % amphiphilic water-miscible solvent having a boiling point from about 45° C. to less than about 100° C.; and
based on a 3D object model, iteratively and selectively applying a binding agent to individual build material layers to define individually patterned object layers that become adhered to one another to form a layered green body object, wherein the binding agent includes from about 2 wt % to about 30 wt % of a polymer binder dispersed in an aqueous liquid vehicle.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, further comprising sintering the layered green body object to form a heat-fused article.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the fused three-dimensional object has a porosity from about 0.1 vol % to about 60 vol %.