Patent ID: 11939480
Assignee: STRATASYS, INC.
Field: Other special machines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC C  B | IPC B  C

Claim 6:
7. A method of additive manufacturing a soluble support structure to support a part printed from a thermoplastic build material, the method comprising:
depositing by electrophotography a water-dispersible sulfonated thermoplastic copolymer provided as a toner powder consumable feedstock in a layer-wise manner proximate a layer of the thermoplastic build material used to print the part, the water-dispersible sulfonated thermoplastic copolymer produced from a reaction product of a monomer A and a monomer B forming a primary carbon chain, wherein the monomer A contains a pendant functional group extending from the primary carbon chain and comprises an acid group or an anhydride group; and wherein the reaction product comprises at least 18 mol % of the monomer A, and wherein a sulfonate salt consisting of sodium sulfonate salt, ammonium sulfonate salt, or lithium sulfonate salt is reacted onto some or all of the pendant functional groups of the reaction product to produce the water-dispersible sulfonated thermoplastic copolymer containing at least 18 mol % of the sulfonated monomer A by one of the following reactions:
esterifying the acid group of the reaction product with a hydroxyl-functionalized sulfonate salt of the sulfonate salt,
amidizing the acid group of the reaction product with an amine sulfonate salt of the sulfonate salt, or
imidizing the anhydride group of the reaction product with the amine sulfonate salt of the sulfonate salt;

transfusing the deposited water-dispersible sulfonated thermoplastic copolymer to the layer of the thermoplastic build material used to print the part; wherein the sulfonated monomer A in the water-dispersible sulfonated thermoplastic copolymer is at least 18 mol % but not more than 40 mol %, and the water-dispersible sulfonated thermoplastic copolymer has a glass transition temperature of at least 45° C., is melt-extrudable; and
separating the water-dispersible sulfonated thermoplastic copolymer from the part by subjecting the water-dispersible sulfonated thermoplastic copolymer to ambient temperature water without aid of any other solubility or dispersibility adjuvant.