US 11,806,935 B2
Method of ink removal in an ink-dependent 3-D printing process
Robert Swartz, Highland Park, IL (US); Eugene Gore, Des Plaines, IL (US); Buckley Crist, Wilmette, IL (US); Darren Fill, Chicago, IL (US); and John Bayldon, Evanston, IL (US)
Assigned to Impossible Objects, Inc., Northbrook, IL (US)
Filed by Impossible Objects, Inc., Northbrook, IL (US)
Filed on May 19, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/324,554.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/028,015, filed on May 21, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0362421 A1, Nov. 25, 2021
Int. Cl. B29C 64/35 (2017.01); B29C 64/165 (2017.01); B33Y 40/20 (2020.01); B33Y 10/00 (2015.01)
CPC B29C 64/35 (2017.08) [B29C 64/165 (2017.08); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); B33Y 40/20 (2020.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of removing residual ink in a composite-based additive manufacturing (CBAM) process comprising:
printing a set of substrate sheets with ink and powdering the set so that powder adheres to the printed regions;
stacking the set of substrate sheets into an uncompressed build block;
heating the uncompressed build block to an evaporating temperature for the ink that is below a melting or fusing temperature of the powder;
holding the uncompressed build block at the evaporating temperature until the residual ink has evaporated;
compressing and heating the uncompressed build block at a temperature that is at or above the melting point of the powder to result in a compressed build block; and
removing substrate material from the compressed build block that is not combined with melted powder.