Three-dimensional printing with wetting agent
A multi-fluid kit for three-dimensional printing can include a wetting agent and a binding agent. The wetting agent can include from about 5 wt % to about 80 wt % water-miscible hydroxyl-containing solvent and from about 20 wt % to about 95 wt % water. The water-miscible hydroxyl-containing solvent can be selected from methyl lactate, ethyl lactate, propyl lactate, 2-methyl 2,4-pentanediol, 1,2 hexanediol, 1,2 pentanediol, or a mixture thereof. The binding agent can include from about 2 wt % to about 30 wt % polymer binder dispersed in an aqueous liquid vehicle.
1 . A multi-fluid kit for three-dimensional printing, the multi-fluid kit comprising:
a wetting agent including:
from about 5 wt % to about 80 wt % of a water-miscible hydroxyl-containing solvent selected from the group consisting of methyl lactate, ethyl lactate, propyl lactate, and a mixture thereof; and
from about 20 wt % to about 95 wt % of water; and
a binding agent including from about 2 wt % to about 30 wt % of a polymer binder and an aqueous liquid vehicle.
2 . The multi-fluid kit of claim 1 , wherein the wetting agent includes from about 20 wt % to about 60 wt % of the water-miscible hydroxyl-containing solvent.
3 . The multi-fluid kit of claim 1 , wherein the water-miscible hydroxyl-containing solvent is ethyl lactate.
4 . The multi-fluid kit of claim 1 , wherein the polymer binder includes latex polymer particles having an average particle size of from about 3 nm to about 1 μm.
5 . The multi-fluid kit of claim 1 , wherein the wetting agent includes from 60 wt % to about 80 wt % of the water-miscible hydroxyl-containing solvent.
6 . The multi-fluid kit of claim 1 , wherein the wetting agent consists of the water-miscible hydroxyl-containing solvent and the water.
7 . The multi-fluid kit of claim 1 , wherein the polymer binder is a latex polymer binder including copolymerized monomers, wherein the monomers are selected from the group consisting of styrene, p-methyl styrene, α-methyl styrene, methacrylic acid, acrylic acid, acrylamide, methacrylamide, 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, 2-hydroxypropyl acrylate, 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate, methyl methacrylate, hexyl acrylate, hexyl methacrylate, butyl acrylate, butyl methacrylate, ethyl acrylate, ethyl methacrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate, propyl acrylate, propyl methacrylate, octadecyl acrylate, octadecyl methacrylate, stearyl methacrylate, vinylbenzyl chloride, isobornyl acrylate, tetrahydrofurfuryl acrylate, 2-phenoxyethyl methacrylate, benzyl methacrylate, benzyl acrylate, ethoxylated nonyl phenol methacrylate, ethoxylated biphenyl methacrylate, polypropyleneglycol monoacrylate, isobornyl methacrylate, cyclohexyl methacrylate, cyclohexyl acrylate, t-butyl methacrylate, n-octyl methacrylate, lauryl methacrylate, tridecyl methacrylate, alkoxylated tetrahydrofurfuryl acrylate, isodecyl acrylate, isobornyl methacrylate, isobornyl acrylate, dimethyl maleate, dioctyl maleate, acetoacetoxyethyl methacrylate, diacetone acrylamide, N-vinyl imidazole, N-vinylcarbazole, N-vinyl-caprolactam, and combinations thereof.
8 . The multi-fluid kit of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous liquid vehicle of the binding agent includes water and a co-solvent, and wherein the co-solvent is 1,2-butanediol.
9 . A three-dimensional printing kit, comprising:
a wetting agent including:
from about 5 wt % to about 80 wt % of a water-miscible hydroxyl-containing solvent selected from the group consisting of methyl lactate, ethyl lactate, propyl lactate, and a mixture thereof; and
from about 20 wt % to about 95 wt % of water;
a binding agent including from about 2 wt % to about 30 wt % of a polymer binder and an aqueous liquid vehicle; and
a particulate build material including from about 80 wt % to 100 wt % of metal particles.
10 . The three-dimensional printing kit of claim 9 , wherein the wetting agent includes from about 20 wt % to about 60 wt % of the water-miscible hydroxyl-containing solvent.
11 . The three-dimensional printing kit of claim 9 , wherein the particulate build material includes from about 95 wt % to 100 wt % of the metal particles, and the metal particles have D50 particle size of from about 3 μm to about 100 μm.
12 . The three-dimensional printing kit of claim 9 , wherein the water-miscible hydroxyl-containing solvent is ethyl lactate.
13 . A method of three-dimensional printing, the method comprising:
iteratively applying individual build material layers of a particulate build material onto a powder bed, the particulate build material including from about 80 wt % to 100 wt % of metal particles;
based on a three-dimensional object model, iteratively applying a wetting agent to the individual build material layers, wherein the wetting agent includes:
from about 5 wt % to about 80 wt % of a water-miscible hydroxyl-containing solvent selected from the group consisting of methyl lactate, ethyl lactate, propyl lactate, and a mixture thereof; and
from about 20 wt % to about 95 wt % of water; and
based on the three-dimensional object model, iteratively and selectively applying a binding agent to the individual build material layers at a location where the wetting agent is applied to define individually patterned object layers that become adhered to one another to form a layered green body object, wherein the binding agent includes from about 2 wt % to about 30 wt % of a polymer binder and an aqueous liquid vehicle.
14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising heating the layered green body object to a temperature ranging from about 100° C. to about 200° C. to cure the layered green body object.
15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the wetting agent includes from about 20 wt % to about 60 wt % of the water-miscible hydroxyl-containing solvent, and the water-miscible hydroxyl-containing solvent is ethyl lactate.
16 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the wetting agent and the binding agent are applied at the location at a weight ratio of from about 1:5 to about 5:1.
17 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the wetting agent and the binding agent are collectively applied as a total fluid agent at the location at a total fluid agent to particulate build material weight ratio of from about 3:97 to about 10:90.
18 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising heating the particulate build material to a temperature ranging from about 40° C. to about 100° C. during the iteratively applying of the wetting agent and the iteratively applying of the binding to the individual build material layers.
19 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising sintering the layered green body object to form a heat-fused metal article.