Systems and methods for producing a three-dimensional printable material from igneous anorthosite rock

• Main Authors: Le Roux, Alexander, McDaniel, Michael, Kupwade-Patil, Kunal, Cera, Theodore, Nguyen, Thao Hien, Ballard, Jason
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 02.01.2024
• Subjects: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY; ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OFTHREE-DIMENSIONAL [3-D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVEAGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3-D PRINTING,STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING; ARTIFICIAL STONE; CEMENTS; CERAMICS; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF, e.g. MORTARS, CONCRETE OR LIKE BUILDINGMATERIALS; CONCRETE; LIME, MAGNESIA; METALLURGY; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; REFRACTORIES; SHAPING CLAY OR OTHER CERAMIC COMPOSITIONS, SLAG, OR MIXTURESCONTAINING CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL, e.g. PLASTER; SLAG; TRANSPORTING; TREATMENT OF NATURAL STONE; WORKING CEMENT, CLAY, OR STONE

Systems and methods for preparing a three-dimensional printing material derived from aluminosilicate material are provided. The method includes the steps of heating an amount of aluminosilicate powder to a temperature between approximately 1,100° C. and approximately 1,750° C. to form a molten aluminosilicate material; maintaining the molten aluminosilicate material at a temperature between approximately 1,100° C. and approximately 1,750° C. between about one minute and approximately 45 minutes; extruding molten aluminosilicate material through a nozzle to form an elongated bead of molten aluminosilicate material; and cooling the molten aluminosilicate material to form a hardened aluminosilicate material. Once hardened, the aluminosilicate material includes between about 50% and 90% feldspar and demonstrates a strength of between about 5,000 psi and 30,000 psi. The systems and methods enable the construction of structures using raw, in-situ natural resources without the need for additives to adjust or modify the viscosity of the molten material prior to extrusion or printing.