3d printing water soluble support filament and method of manufacture thereof

Abstract

Disclosed herein are at least partially water soluble compositions for use in 3D printing. The compositions comprise a mixture of polymeric materials that can be printed using existing 3D printing devices to form a support scaffold for overhanging parts of a 3D object to be printed. The 3D object can be printed such that at least a portion of the 3D object is printed onto the support scaffold. After printing, the support scaffold can be removed from the 3D object by treatment with water, such as by immersion in water. The compositions can comprise a mixture of one or more water soluble polymers and one or more water insoluble polymers.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A dissolvable support material comprising:
 a blend of two water soluble polymers; and   acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), wherein the ABS comprises at least about 10% w/w of the dissolvable support material.   
     
     
         2 . The dissolvable support material of  claim 1 , wherein the ABS comprises between about 10% w/w and about 25% w/w of the dissolvable support material. 
     
     
         3 . The dissolvable support material of  claim 1 , wherein the ABS comprises about 10% w/w of the dissolvable support material. 
     
     
         4 . The dissolvable support material of  claim 1 , wherein the dissolvable support material is extruded in a form of a rod or filament. 
     
     
         5 . The dissolvable support material of  claim 1 , wherein the dissolvable support material has glass transition and melting temperatures matching glass transition and melting temperatures of one or more 3D printable non-soluble thermoplastics. 
     
     
         6 . The dissolvable support material of  claim 1 , wherein the dissolvable support material is capable of binding simultaneously to both hydrophobic polymers and to glass bed surfaces. 
     
     
         7 . The dissolvable support material of  claim 1 , wherein the dissolvable support material softens and is soluble in water without addition of any external detergents, soaps, caustic reagents, acidic reagents, or other additives. 
     
     
         8 . The dissolvable support material of  claim 1 , wherein the two water soluble polymers are thermoplastics. 
     
     
         9 . The dissolvable support material of  claim 1 , wherein a first polymer of the water soluble polymers is a polyvinyl alcohol. 
     
     
         10 . The dissolvable support material of  claim 1 , wherein a first polymer of the water soluble polymers is polyoxazoline. 
     
     
         11 . A dissolvable support material comprising:
 at least one water soluble thermoplastic polymer belonging to the group polyamides;   at least one thermoplastic polymer belonging to the group of polyvinyl alcohol; and   acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), wherein the ABS comprises at least about 10% w/w of the dissolvable support material.   
     
     
         12 . The dissolvable support material of  claim 11 , wherein the ABS comprises between about 10% w/w and about 25% w/w of the dissolvable support material. 
     
     
         13 . The dissolvable support material of  claim 11 , wherein the ABS comprises about 10% w/w of the dissolvable support material. 
     
     
         14 . The dissolvable support material of  claim 11 , further comprising one or more pluronics or detergents embedded in a blend. 
     
     
         15 . The dissolvable support material of  claim 11 , further comprising an additive selected from the group consisting of fillers, colorants, and fragrances. 
     
     
         16 . The dissolvable support material of  claim 11 , wherein the dissolvable support material has glass transition and melting temperatures matching glass transition and melting properties of one or more 3D printable non-soluble thermoplastics. 
     
     
         17 . The dissolvable support material of  claim 11 , wherein the dissolvable support material is capable of binding simultaneously to both hydrophobic polymers and to glass bed surfaces. 
     
     
         18 . The dissolvable support material of  claim 11 , wherein the dissolvable support material is manufactured by direct extrusion of polymer pellets or powder mixtures loaded into an extruder. 
     
     
         19 . The dissolvable support material of  claim 11 , wherein the dissolvable support material is manufactured by pre-compounding mixtures of polymers into pellets or powder, followed by extrusion of the compounded pellets or powder. 
     
     
         20 . The dissolvable support material of  claim 11 , wherein the dissolvable support material is softening and soluble in water without the addition of any external detergents, soaps, caustic reagents, acidic reagents or other additives.