Patent ID: 11897193
Assignee: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
Field: Materials, metallurgy (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC B  Y | IPC B

Claim 0:
1. A method for three-dimensional (3D) printing, comprising:
depositing and spreading a build material slurry to form a slurry layer, the build material slurry including:
metallic particles, wherein an individual particle size of the metallic particles ranges from about 10 μm to about 20 μm;
a water-soluble binder selected from the group consisting of polyacrylates, sugars, starches, sugar alcohols, polymeric sugars, oligomeric sugars, polycarboxylic acids, polysulfonic acids, water-soluble polymers containing carboxylic moieties, water-soluble polymers containing sulfonic moieties, polyethers, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyether alkoxy silane, polyethylene glycol, polyethylene oxide, polyamines, polyethyleneimines, polyamidoamines, and combinations thereof; and
water;

evaporating at least some of the water from the slurry layer by heating the slurry layer to form a build material layer having the metallic particles bound within the build material layer by the water-soluble binder; and
selectively applying a patterning fluid on at least a portion of the build material layer, the patterning fluid including a water-insoluble binder;
wherein the depositing of the build material slurry is accomplished using a build material distributor selected from the group consisting of a slot die coater, a rod coater, a blade coater, a fountain curtain coater, and combinations thereof;
and wherein the spreading of the build material slurry is accomplished using the build material distributor selected from the group consisting of a doctor blade, a slot die coater, a rod coater, a blade coater, a fountain curtain coater, a roller, and combinations thereof.