# US 12,759,222 B2 · 3D printed material having color and/or reflectivity control

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- Number: US 12,759,222 B2
- Document ID: US12759222B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/696,522
- Filed: 2022-10-03
- Published: 2024-12-12
- Granted: 2026-10-13
- Earliest claimed: 2021-10-11
- Assignees: Signify Holding B.V.
- Applicants: Signify Holding B.V.
- Inventors: Ties Van Bommel; Rifat Ata Mustafa Hikmet
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12759222B2

## CPC

- B29C 64/118: using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM]
- B29C 64/209: Heads; Nozzles
- B33Y 10/00: Processes of additive manufacturing
- B33Y 30/00: Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
- B33Y 70/10: Composites of different types of material, e.g. mixtures of ceramics and polymers or mixtures of metals and biomaterials
- B33Y 80/00: Products made by additive manufacturing
- F21V 7/04: Optical design
- B29K 2995/0012: having particular thermal properties
- B29K 2995/0021: Multi-coloured
- B29K 2995/0026: Transparent
- B29K 2995/003: Reflective
- B29L 2031/747: {Lightning equipment}
- B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00)
- 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
- F21V: FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B29K: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR {MOULDS, } REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS
- B29L: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES

## Abstract

The invention provides a method for producing a 3D item (1) by means of fused deposition modelling using a fused deposition modeling 3D printer (500) comprising a printer nozzle (502), wherein the 3D item (1) comprises one or more layers (322) of 3D printed material (202), the method comprising a 3D printing stage comprising: —providing 3D printable material (201) to the printer nozzle (502), wherein: —the 3D printable material (201) comprises 3D printable core material (2101) and 3D printable first shell material (2201); —the 3D printable core material (2101) comprises a core thermoplastic material (2111) having a core thermoplastic material melting temperature Tmc1; —the 3D printable first shell material (2201) comprises a first shell thermoplastic material (2211) having a first shell thermoplastic material melting temperature Tms1; wherein Tmc1>Tms1; —the 3D printable first shell material (2201) has a 3D printable first shell material optical property, the 3D printable core material (2101) has a 3D printable core material optical property different from said 3D printable first shell material optical property; —controlling a temperature Tdm of the 3D printable material (201) in the printer nozzle (502) according to a scheme wherein during a first time period tp1: Tmc1>Tdm>Tms1 applies and wherein during a second time period tp2: Tdm>Tmc1 applies.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for producing a 3D item by means of fused deposition modeling using a fused deposition modeling 3D printer comprising a printer nozzle, wherein the 3D item comprises one or more layers of 3D printed material, the method comprising a 3D printing stage comprising:
providing 3D printable material to the printer nozzle, wherein:
the 3D printable material comprises 3D printable core material, 3D printable first shell material and 3D printable second shell material;
the 3D printable core material comprises a core thermoplastic material having a core thermoplastic material melting temperature Tmc1;
the 3D printable first shell material comprises a first shell thermoplastic material having a first shell thermoplastic material melting temperature Tms1; wherein Tmc1>Tms1;
the 3D printable second shell material comprises a second shell thermoplastic material having a second shell thermoplastic material melting temperature Tms2; wherein Tmc1>Tms2>Tms1;
the 3D printable first shell material has a 3D printable first shell material optical property, the 3D printable core material has a 3D printable core material optical property different from said 3D printable first shell material optical property;
controlling a temperature Tdm of the 3D printable material in the printer nozzle according to a scheme wherein during a first time period tp1: Tms2>Tdm>Tms1 applies and wherein during a second time period tp2: Tmc1>Tdm>Tms2 applies.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the 3D printable first shell material optical property and the 3D printable core material optical property are selected from the group of absorption of light having a first wavelength, diffuse reflection for light having the first wavelength, specular reflection for light having the first wavelength, transmission of light having the first wavelength, and conversion of light having the first wavelength.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the 3D printable core material and 3D printable first shell material are selected from the group of low density polyethylene, high density polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide, polyoxymethylene, polybutylene terephthalate, and polyethylene terephthalate or a copolymer of two or more of the afore-mentioned.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein during the first time period tp1 Tmc1>(Tdm+10° C.)>(Tms1+10° C.) and wherein during the second time period tp2 Tdm>(Tmc1+10° C.) apply.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the 3D printable core material has a first color, wherein the 3D printable first shell material has a second color, different from the first color; and wherein at least part of the 3D printed material has a tertiary color, wherein the tertiary color is a mix color of the first color and the second color.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the 3D printing stage comprises:
providing the 3D printable material to the printer nozzle, wherein:
the 3D printable material comprises the 3D printable core material, the 3D printable first shell material, and the 3D printable second shell material; for providing 3D printed material comprising a core—second shell—first shell structure;
optical properties of the 3D printable core material, the 3D printable first shell material, and the 3D printable second shell material differ;
controlling the temperature Tdm of the 3D printable material in the printer nozzle according to the scheme wherein during the first time period tp1: Tms2>Tdm>Tms1 applies, wherein during the second time period tp2: Tmc1>Tdm>Tms2 applies, and wherein during a third time period tp3: Tdm>Tmc1 applies.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the method comprises producing a primary part of the one or more layers of 3D printed material during the first time period and producing a secondary part of the one or more layers of 3D printed material during the second time period, wherein the 3D printed material produced during the first time period has a primary 3D printed material optical property, wherein the 3D printed material produced during the second time period has a secondary 3D printed material optical property, different from the primary 3D printed material optical property.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method according to claim 7, wherein the secondary 3D printed material optical property is a combination of the 3D printable first shell material optical property and a 3D printable second shell material optical property; wherein during the first time period tp1 Tms2>(Tdm+10° C.)>(Tms1+10° C.), wherein during the second time period tp2 Tmc1>(Tdm+10° C.)>(Tms2+10° C.), and wherein during a third time period tp3 Tdm>(Tmc1+10° C.) apply.