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US 12,715,974 B2Granted
Recycled polymers for 3D printing
AssigneeImpossible Objects, Inc.
InventorsRobert Swartz, Michael Vasquez, Buckley Crist, Eugene Gore
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Waste product from any of a variety of processes (injection molding, selective laser sintering) is processed to form powders that have particle size and distribution optimal for a 3D printing technology known as Composite Based Additive Manufacturing (CBAM). Alternative recycling processes include grinding and sieving, emulsion extruding, and liquid-liquid phase separation.
Claims3
A process for making a 3D object from recycled materials comprising:
- a. converting polymer material that has been used in an industrial process or consumer product into a recycled powder;
- wherein the converting step comprises:
- first, mixing the polymer material with a liquid that is a solvent at elevated temperature to form a polymer-liquid mixture;
- second, heating the polymer-liquid mixture with stirring to form a solution;
- third, cooling the solution to form two liquid phases comprising polymer-rich droplets in polymer-lean matrix, wherein the step of cooling the solution to form two liquid phases occurs at a rate of about 0.5 to 3 degrees Celsius per minute;
- fourth, continuing to cool the two liquid phases until substantially all polymer has precipitated;
- fifth, filtering the solvent-precipitate mixture to recover powder;
- and
- sixth, drying the powder;
- and
- b. inserting said recycled powder into a powdering stage of a 3D printing process that deposits said powder onto substrate sheets to make a cross-sectional layer corresponding to a planar layer of a 3D object.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.