{
  "patent_number": "US 12358049",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How to 3D Print Metal Parts with Easy-to-Remove Supports",
  "original_title": "Interface layers for removable supports",
  "summary": "This patent describes a method for 3D printing complex metal objects with support structures that can be easily removed after the final part is made solid, by using a special non-stick layer in between.",
  "what_it_does": "The patent details a method for 3D printing metal objects and their support structures layer by layer (Claim 1). The \"build material\" is a mix of metal powder and a \"binder system\" (Claim 1). Crucially, a special \"interface of non-sinterable material\" is printed between the object and its supports (Claim 1). After printing, a \"debinding\" step removes the binder, and then \"sintering\" heats the parts, making them solid and dense (Claim 1). Because of the non-sinterable interface, the support structure can be easily separated from the finished metal object, sometimes with a simple mechanical force (Claim 13). For example, printing a metal bracket with an overhang would require supports, and this method ensures those supports don't fuse to the bracket during the final hardening step.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover 3D printing processes that do not involve a sintering step for densification of the final object.",
    "Does not cover support removal methods where the support and object are made of the exact same sinterable material throughout.",
    "Does not cover 3D printing of non-metallic objects, as the claims specify a \"metallic three-dimensional object\" (Claim 1).",
    "Does not cover methods where the interface material itself sinters and bonds to the object or support.",
    "Does not cover support structures that are dissolved or melted away without the use of a non-sinterable interface."
  ],
  "filed": "2024-03-20",
  "granted": "2025-07-15",
  "expires": "2044-03-20",
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Desktop Metal",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/desktop-metal",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Matthew David Verminski",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/matthew-david-verminski"
    },
    {
      "name": "Ricardo Fulop",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/ricardo-fulop"
    },
    {
      "name": "Yet-Ming Chiang",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/yet-ming-chiang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Anastasios John Hart",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/anastasios-john-hart"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jonah Samuel Myerberg",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/jonah-samuel-myerberg"
    },
    {
      "name": "Michael Andrew Gibson",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/michael-andrew-gibson"
    },
    {
      "name": "Christopher Allan Schuh",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/christopher-allan-schuh"
    },
    {
      "name": "Richard Remo Fontana",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/richard-remo-fontana"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 1,
  "tags": [
    "additive_manufacturing",
    "materials",
    "mechanical",
    "automotive",
    "aerospace"
  ],
  "abstract": "Support structures are used in certain additive fabrication processes to permit fabrication of a greater range of object geometries. For additive fabrication processes with materials that are subsequently sintered into a final part, an interface layer is formed between the object and support in order to inhibit bonding between adjacent surfaces of the support structure and the object during sintering.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12358049/interface-layers-for-removable-supports",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12358049/interface-layers-for-removable-supports/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US12358049",
  "relatedPatents": [
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      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "Building Metal Parts Without Melting: Solid-State 3D Printing System",
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    },
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      "patentNumber": "4575330",
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  ]
}