Thermoplastic Material Having a Surface Texture That Promotes Adherence of Inks and Other Materials, and Related Systems and Methods
AssigneeMicroGREEN Polymers, Inc.
InventorsKrishna Nadella, Shawna Laramore
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A thermoplastic material having a thickness includes a polymer having a microstructure that includes a plurality of closed cells disposed in an inner region of the material's thickness. Each of the plurality of closed cells contains a void and each of the cells has a maximum dimension extending across the void within the cell that ranges between 1 micrometer and 500 micrometers long. The thermoplastic material also includes a substantially solid skin disposed in an outer region of the material's thickness. The skin includes a surface having a surface energy and a texture that increases the surface energy to more than 38 dynes per square centimeter.
Claims16
A thermoplastic material having a thickness, the material comprising:
- a polymer having a microstructure that includes:
- a plurality of closed cells disposed in an inner region of the material's thickness, each cell containing a void and each cell having a maximum dimension extending across the void within the cell that ranges between 1 micrometer and 500 micrometers long, and
- a substantially solid skin disposed in an outer region of the material's thickness, wherein the skin includes a surface having:
- a surface energy, and
- a texture that increases the surface energy to at least 38 dynes per square centimeter.
A printed thermoplastic material having a thickness, the printed material comprising:
- a polymer having a microstructure that includes:
- a plurality of closed cells disposed in an inner region of the material's thickness, each cell containing a void and each cell having a maximum dimension extending across the void within the cell that ranges between 1 micrometer and 500 micrometers long, and
- a substantially solid skin disposed in an outer region of the material's thickness, wherein the skin includes a surface having:
- a surface energy, and
- a texture that increases the surface energy to at least 38 dynes per square centimeter;
- and
- ink disposed in a pattern on the surface of the skin.
A method for generating a thermoplastic material that includes a surface having a surface energy greater than 38 dynes per centimeter, the method comprising:
- exposing the material to an atmosphere of a gas pressurized to saturate an inner region and an outer region of the material with the gas;
- reducing the pressure of the gas in the atmosphere to cause an outer region of the material to desorb absorbed gas;
- nucleating a plurality of cells in the material's inner region, by:
- reducing the pressure of the gas atmosphere to cause the material to become supersaturated, and
- heating the material to at least a glass-transition temperature of the supersaturated material, or near the glass-transition temperature;
- holding the temperature of the material for a period of time to allow the cells to grow in size;
- and
- reducing the temperature of the material to stop the growth in size of the cells, when the size of each of the plurality of cells reaches between 1 and 500 micrometers long in a maximum dimension extending across a void within each cell, and a surface energy of a surface of a substantially solid skin disposed in an outer region of the material's thickness reaches at least 38 dynes per square centimeter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.