METHOD FOR PRODUCING 3-D OBJECTS

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing a three-dimensional object, the outer surface of which comprises at least one surface segment that is created in that a surface segment in two-dimensional form is first produced on a flat base plate by means of an additive manufacturing method (layer-building shaping method), comprising the following steps: I) applying at least one curable polymer or curable reaction resin in flowable form as material webs to a flat base plate by means of a layer-building shaping method in order to create a first layer; II) applying a second layer to the first layer, which second layer is created by means of the same layer-building shaping method as in step I); III) optionally applying 1 to 198 further layers, which are created in accordance with step II), wherein in each case a new layer is applied to the previous layer; IV) curing the layers; V) detaching the cured surface segment from the flat base plate; and VI) shaping the cured surface segment into a three-dimensional object by means of deep-drawing or thermoforming; wherein at least one layer is created with a modulus of elasticity in the cured state of=500 MPa according to EN ISO 527-1 (last issue from April 1996, current ISO version from February 2012) by applying at least one curable polymer or curable reaction resin in flowable form as material webs to the particular substratum.

Claims

1.-17. (canceled)

18. A process for the production of a three-dimensional object, the external area of which comprises at least one area section which is produced in that an area section in two-dimensional form is first produced by means of an additive manufacturing process (layer-by-layer shaping process) on a flat base plate, comprising the following steps: I) applying at least one hardenable polymer or hardenable reactive resin in flowable form in the form of lines of material onto a flat base plate by means of a layer-by-layer shaping process for the production of a first layer; II) applying a second layer onto the first layer, produced by means of a layer-by-layer shaping process; III) optionally applying from 1 to 198 further layers produced as in step II), where respectively a new layer is applied onto the respective preceding layer; IV) hardening of the layers; V) separating the hardened area section from the flat base plate; and VI) molding the hardened area section to give a three-dimensional object by means of deep-draw or thermoforming; where at least one layer is produced via application of at least one hardenable polymer or hardenable reactive resin in flowable form in the form of lines of material onto the respective substrate with respectively a modulus of elasticity in the cured state of 500 MPa in accordance with EN ISO 527-1 (latest issue dated April 1996, current ISO version of February 2012).

19. A process for the production of a three-dimensional object, the external area of which comprises at least one area section which is produced in that an area section in two-dimensional form is first produced by means of an additive manufacturing process (layer-by-layer shaping process) on a flat base plate, comprising the following steps: i) applying at least one hardenable polymer or hardenable reactive resin with respectively a modulus of elasticity in the cured state of 500 MPa in flowable form in the form of lines of material onto a flat base plate by means of a layer-by-layer shaping process for the production of a layer, where the layer provides a coherent area with or without cutouts; ii) hardening of the layer; iii) separating the hardened area section from the flat base plate; and iv) molding of the hardened area section to give a three-dimensional object by means of deep-draw or thermoforming.

20. The process as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that a layer-by-layer shaping process is selected mutually independently from a group consisting of melt layering, fused filament fabrication, inkjet printing and photopolymer jetting.

21. The process as claimed in claim 18, where the lines of material are applied in the form of droplets onto the flat base plate or onto one of the layers that may already be present on the base plate.

22. The process as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that the discharge temperature of the substance mixtures from the nozzle in the steps I) to III) is in the range from 80 C. to 420 C.

23. The process as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that base plate has been heated and the heating temperature of the base plate is in the range from 20 C. to 250 C.

24. The process as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that a hardenable polymer or hardenable reactive resin with respectively a modulus of elasticity in the cured state of 500 MPa is selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic polyurethane, polycarbonate, polyamide, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, cycloolefinic copolyester, polyetheretherketone, polyetheramideketone, polyetherimide, polyimide, polypropylene, polyethylene, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, polylactate, polymethyl, methacrylate, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyoxymethylene, polyacrylonitrile, polyacrylate, and celluloid.

25. The process as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that the same hardenable polymer or hardenable reactive resin is used in all of the layers.

26. The process as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that at least one layer comprises another hardenable polymer and hardenable reactive resin.

27. The process as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that a hardenable polymer or hardenable reactive resin with respectively a modulus of elasticity in the cured state of 500 MPa is used in all of the layers.

28. The process as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that a hardenable polymer or hardenable reactive resin with respectively a modulus of elasticity in the cured state of <500 MPa is used in at least one layer.

29. The process as claimed in claim 28, characterized in that a hardenable polymer or hardenable reactive resin with respectively a modulus of elasticity in the cured state of <500 MPa is used in the first layer.

30. The process as claimed in claim 28, characterized in that a hardenable polymer or hardenable reactive resin with respectively a modulus of elasticity in the cured state of <500 MPa is used in the final layer.

31. The process as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that the three-dimensional object is a cellphone shell, a housing, where said item has a 3D profile, packaging or an item of furniture with surface structures, an A, B or C column, a roof module or a dashboard of an automobile, a seat shell, a filter basket, a medical product such as a rigid corset or an orthosis, a protector, a damping element or a lightweight structure with framework structure.

32. The process as claimed in claim 18, where the first layer is applied to an interlay, for example a textile or a foil, which transfers the surface shape of the flat base plate to the first layer of a process of the invention, and to which the lines of material of the first layer bond, so that this interlay becomes part of the area section and thus also part of the three-dimensional object.

33. A process for the production of a protector designed appropriately for a user, comprising the steps of: a) determining the relevant body-region-geometry data of the user; b) calculating to convert the 3D-body-geometry data for the production of an area section; c) manufacturing a three-dimensional object in a process as claimed in claim 18, where step VI) or, respectively, step iv), the three-dimensional shaping, takes place via deep-draw or thermoforming in accordance with the body-region-geometry data of the user from step a).

34. A protector obtained by the process as claimed in claim 18.

Description

[0152] The invention is explained in more detail with reference to examples and FIGS. 1 to 12.

[0153] FIG. 1 shows a typical FFF process setup with a polymer/substance-mixture feed in the form of a polymer-wire spool 1, an extruder 2, and an outlet nozzle 3 with outlet diameter 4, where a liquefied substance mixture from the polymer-wire spool is applied in the form of line of material from the outlet nozzle 3 to a substrate. A plurality of lines of material are produced here on a substrate in the form of a flat base plate 5 in the form of single layer, and said lines can form a continuous area consisting of connected lines of material, or an area consisting of geometric shapes connected to one another, an example being a honeycomb structure. Specifically, FIG. 1 is a diagram of the manufacturing process for a two-dimensional area section on the flat base plate 5, where a first layer 6 and a second layer 7 have already been completed and a third layer 7 is now being applied to the second layer 7.

[0154] FIG. 2 shows the flat base plate 5 with, projecting thereon, a Cartesian coordinate system with the axes X, Y and Z.

[0155] FIG. 3 depicts the application of lines of material for a first layer of material on the flat base plate 5 by means of an outlet nozzle in the form of a jet nozzle 3. The first layer 6 is composed of individual lines 6.sub.1 to 6.sub.8 of material.

[0156] FIG. 4 shows, on the flat base plate 5 by means of the jet nozzle 3, lines of material applied and running parallel to one another for a first plane 6 which exhibit a change of direction, and lines of material running parallel to one another for a first plane 6 which have been applied in serpentine lines.

[0157] FIG. 5 is a diagram of the application of a second layer 7 onto a first layer 6, where the lines 7.sub.1 to 7.sub.3 of material of the second layer 7 are applied to the first layer 6 at an angle of 80 to the direction of application of the lines 6.sub.1 to 6.sub.8 of material of the first layer 6.

[0158] FIG. 6 shows a cross section of a hardened area section for the production of a cellphone shell.

[0159] FIG. 7 shows a cross section of a cellphone shell produced by thermoforming of the hardened area section of FIG. 6.

[0160] FIG. 8 shows a cross section of a hardened area section for the production of a cellphone shell with surface structure.

[0161] FIG. 9 shows a cross section of a cellphone shell produced by thermoforming of the hardened area section of FIG. 8, with surface structure.

[0162] FIG. 10 shows a plan view of an area section made of hexagonal layers for the production of a protector.

[0163] FIG. 11 shows a cross section of the hardened area section of FIG. 10.

[0164] FIG. 12 shows a cross section of a protector produced by thermoforming of the hardened area section of FIGS. 10 and 11.

[0165] The following parameter ranges are preferred parameter ranges for the production of a two-dimensional area section of the invention by means of FFF:

[0166] Temperature of base plate: in the range from 20 C. to 250 C., in particular from 60 C. to 200 C., e.g. 80 C.

Temperature of nozzle: in the range from 120 C. to 400 C.
Traverse velocity: in the range from 1 mm/s to 60 mm/s
Filament diameter: in the range from 1.5 mm to 3.5 mm
Nozzle diameter: in the range from 0.3 mm to 1 mm
Layer thickness: in the range from 0.1 mm to 0.9 mm (height less than nozzle diameter because distance between nozzle and uppermost layer is less than nozzle diameter, and therefore material is compressed to give strand with oval cross section)
Line width: dependent on nozzle in the range from 0.3 mm to 1 mm