Photopolymer blends and related methods
The present application relates generally to photopolymer blends and related methods for use in an additive fabrication (e.g., 3-dimensional printing) device. According to some aspects, compositions are provided for the modification of a base photopolymer resin. The compositions may comprise colorant agent and/or cure-modifying composition. The compositions may be selected to cause, when combined with the base photopolymer resin to form a photo-curable composition, at least one property (e.g., color, depth of the cure) of the photo-curable composition to fall within a pre-determined range. Related kits and methods are also generally described.
1. A kit of components for producing photo-curable compositions for additively-manufacturing an article, the kit comprising:
a base resin component; and
a plurality of colorant components separate from the base resin component, each colorant component comprising a colorant agent,
wherein, when the plurality of colorant components are combined with the base resin component, a photo-curable composition is produced for additively-manufacturing an article having a color, wherein the photo-curable composition has the same depth of cure for a given actinic radiation irrespective of a relative ratio of the plurality of colorant components combined to produce the color.
2. The kit of claim 1 , wherein each colorant agent of the plurality of colorant components comprises at least one of a dye, a pigment, or a suspended material.
3. The kit of claim 2 , wherein each of the plurality of colorant components further comprises a cure-modifying composition.
4. The kit of claim 3 , wherein each of the cure-modifying compositions of the plurality of colorant components comprises at least one of a photoinitiator species or a blocker species.
5. The kit of claim 4 , wherein each of the cure-modifying compositions of the plurality of colorant components is formulated to counterbalance the effect of the colorant agent on the depth of cure.
6. The kit of claim 1 , wherein the base resin component is free of a colorant agent.
7. The kit of claim 1 , wherein the base resin component and each of the plurality of colorant components are stored separately until combined at a point of use to produce the photo-curable composition.
8. The kit of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of colorant components comprise a cyan colorant component, a magenta colorant component, a yellow colorant component, and a black colorant component.
9. A kit of components for producing a photo-curable composition for additively-manufacturing an article, the kit comprising:
a base resin component;
a plurality of colorant components; and
a cure-modifying component separate from the base resin component, the cure-modifying component comprising at least one of a photoinitiator species or a blocker species,
wherein when the plurality of colorant components and the cure-modifying component are combined with the base resin component, a photo-curable composition is produced for additively-manufacturing an article, wherein the photo-curable composition has the same depth of cure for a given actinic radiation irrespective of a relative ratio of the plurality of colorant components combined to produce the photo-curable composition.
10. The kit of claim 9 , wherein the photo-curable composition has the same depth of cure irrespective of a color of the photo-curable composition.
11. The kit of claim 9 , wherein the base resin component is free of a colorant agent.
12. The kit of claim 9 , wherein the cure-modifying component is free of a colorant agent.
13. The kit of claim 9 , wherein each of the plurality of colorant components is free of a photoinitiator species or a blocker species.
14. The kit of claim 9 , wherein the base resin component, the cure-modifying component, and each of the plurality of colorant components are stored separately until combined to produce the photo-curable composition.
15. The kit of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of colorant components are formulated such that a plurality of different resin colors may be produced upon combination of the plurality of colorant components at a point of use, without individual calibration of an additive fabrication system and/or without the verification of the additive fabrication system settings for each desired color.
16. The kit of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of colorant components are formulated such that photo-curable resins having the same depth of cure are produced, without requiring separate manufacture of the resins and/or without requiring individual calibration or adjustment of a manufacturing device.