Photohardenable compositions and methods for forming an object in a volume of a photohardenable composition
AssigneeQuadratic 3D, Inc.
InventorsSamuel N. Sanders, Emily M. Arndt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Photohardenable compositions comprising a photohardenable component and a photoswitchable photoinitiator, wherein the photoswitchable photoinitiator is activatable by exposure to light having a first wavelength and light having a second wavelength to induce a crosslinking or polymerization reaction in the photohardenable component, and wherein the photohardenable composition displays non-Newtonian rheological behavior are disclosed. Methods including such photohardenable compositions for printing one or more objects are also disclosed.
Claims18
A photohardenable composition for use in forming an object in a volume of the photohardenable composition, the photohardenable composition comprising a photohardenable component and a photoswitchable photoinitiator, wherein the photoswitchable photoinitiator is activatable by exposure to light having a first wavelength and light having a second wavelength to induce a crosslinking or polymerization reaction in the photohardenable component, wherein the first and second wavelengths are different, wherein the photohardenable composition displays non-Newtonian rheological behavior for forming the object in the photohardenable composition at a fixed position or with minimal displacement in the photohardenable composition during formation, wherein non-Newtonian rheological behavior is imparted to the photohardenable composition by further including an effective amount of a non-reactive thixotrope additive in the photohardenable composition.
A method of printing an object comprising:
- (a) providing a volume including a photohardenable composition comprising a photohardenable component and a photoswitchable photoinitiator, wherein the photoswitchable photoinitiator is activatable by exposure to light having a first wavelength and light having a second wavelength to induce a crosslinking or polymerization reaction in the photohardenable component, wherein the first and second wavelengths are different, wherein the photopolymerizable composition displays non-Newtonian rheological behavior,
- (b) simultaneously or sequentially irradiating one or more selected locations within the volume of the photohardenable composition with light having a first wavelength and light having a second wavelength, wherein light having the first wavelength and light having the second wavelength activate the photoswitchable photoinitiator at the one or more selected locations and at least partially harden the photohardenable composition at the one or more selected locations within the volume to at least partially form the object, wherein the object at least partially formed in the photohardenable composition remains at a fixed position or is minimally displaced in the unhardened photohardenable composition during formation, wherein the first and second wavelengths are different;
- and
- (c) optionally repeating step b, irradiating the photohardenable composition at one or more of the same or different locations in the volume until the object is partially or fully formed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.