METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A THREE-DIMENSIONAL OBJECT USING DIMENSIONALLY STABLE AND WATER SOLUBLE POLYAMIDE SUPPORT MATERIAL

• Main Authors: SINGLETARY, Nancy J, MASTROIANNI, Sergio, JEOL, Stéphane, MICHON, Marie-Laure
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 13.08.2020
• 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; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON; MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED OTHERWISE THAN BY REACTIONSONLY INVOLVING UNSATURATED CARBON-TO-CARBON BONDS; METALLURGY; ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; TRANSPORTING; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

The invention pertains to a method for manufacturing a three-dimensional object with an additive manufacturing system comprising providing a support material comprising more than 50% wt. of a well-chosen polyamide. The polyamide can be a semi-crystalline polyamide having a melting point (Tm), as determined according to ASTM D3418, of from 100° C. up to less than 250° C., which, when immersed in water at a concentration of 250 g/l, is soluble in water, is dispersed in water or is swollen by water with a water uptake at saturation of at least 25% by weight, based on the initial weight of the polyamide. An exemplary polyamide is the condensation product of adipic acid with a diamine commercialized by Huntsmann Chemicals as Jeffamine® EDR-148.