Methods and systems for fabricating fire retardant materials

Abstract

A fire retardant material is described that includes a polyamide and a brominated hydrocarbon. The brominated hydrocarbon makes up between about two percent and about 25 percent of the fire retardant material.

1 . A fire retardant material comprising:
 a polyamide; and   a brominated hydrocarbon, said brominated hydrocarbon comprising between about two percent and about 25 percent of said material.   
     
     
         2 . A fire retardant material according to  claim 1  wherein said polyamide and said brominated hydrocarbon each comprise a powder compound combined using a selective laser sintering process. 
     
     
         3 . A fire retardant material according to  claim 1  wherein said brominated hydrocarbon comprises between about seven and about sixteen percent of said material. 
     
     
         4 . A fire retardant material according to  claim 1  wherein said polyamide comprises one of polyamide-11 and polyamide-12. 
     
     
         5 . A fire retardant material according to  claim 1  wherein said brominated hydrocarbon comprises one or more of a poly-acrylate and a bis-ethane. 
     
     
         6 . A fire retardant material according to  claim 1  wherein said poly-acrylate comprises pentabromobenzyl. 
     
     
         7 . A fire retardant material according to  claim 1  wherein said bis-ethane comprises tribromophenoxy. 
     
     
         8 . A fire retardant material according to  claim 1  wherein said polyamide and said brominated hydrocarbon are combined in a melting process, and extruded as a compound. 
     
     
         9 . A fire retardant material according to  claim 8  wherein said the extruded compound is pulverized and subjected to a selective laser sintering process. 
     
     
         10 . A fire retardant material according to  claim 1  wherein said polyamide and said brominated hydrocarbon are combined in a dry blending process. 
     
     
         11 . A fire retardant material according to  claim 1  wherein said polyamide and said brominated hydrocarbon are combined by coating particles of said polyamide with particles of said brominated hydrocarbon. 
     
     
         12 . A method for forming an object of flame retardant material, said method comprising:
 applying a first layer of a powder mixture of a polyamide and a brominated hydrocarbon to a surface;   directing energy onto at least a first portion of the first layer such that at least the first portion of the first layer of the powder mixture is fused to form a first cross-section of the object; and   successively applying additional layers of the powder mixture and directing energy to form successive cross-sections of the object, the directed energy also fusing adjacent layers of the cross-sections.   
     
     
         13 . A method according to  claim 12  wherein applying a first layer of a powder mixture of a polyamide and a brominated hydrocarbon comprises mixing at least one of a polyamide-11 and a polyamide-12 with the brominated hydrocarbon. 
     
     
         14 . A method according to  claim 12  wherein applying a first layer of a powder mixture of a polyamide and a brominated hydrocarbon comprises mixing at least one of a poly-acrylate and a bis-ethane with the polyamide. 
     
     
         15 . A method according to  claim 12  wherein applying a first layer of a powder mixture of a polyamide and a brominated hydrocarbon comprises forming a mixture that includes between about two and about 25 percent of the brominated hydrocarbon. 
     
     
         16 . A method according to  claim 12  wherein directing energy onto at least a first portion of the first layer comprises combining the polyamide and the brominated hydrocarbon using a selective laser sintering process. 
     
     
         17 . A method according to  claim 12  wherein applying a first layer of a powder mixture of a polyamide and a brominated hydrocarbon comprises:
 combining the polyamide and the brominated hydrocarbon in a melting process,   extruding the combined polyamide and brominated hydrocarbon as a compound; and   pulverizing the extruded compound.   
     
     
         18 . A method according to  claim 17  wherein directing energy onto at least a first portion of the first layer comprises subjecting the pulverized compound to a selective laser sintering process. 
     
     
         19 . A method according to  claim 12  wherein applying a first layer of a powder mixture of a polyamide and a brominated hydrocarbon comprises combining the polyamide and the brominated hydrocarbon in a dry blending process. 
     
     
         20 . A method according to  claim 12  wherein applying a first layer of a powder mixture of a polyamide and a brominated hydrocarbon comprises coating particles of the polyamide with particles of the brominated hydrocarbon. 
     
     
         21 . An object formed from a fire retardant material, at least one area of said object comprising a plurality of selectively laser sintered cross-sectional layers of a mixture of a polyamide and a brominated hydrocarbon. 
     
     
         22 . An object according to  claim 21  wherein the mixture of the polyamide and the brominated hydrocarbon comprises between about two percent and about 25 percent of the brominated hydrocarbon. 
     
     
         23 . An object according to  claim 21  wherein the mixture of the polyamide and the brominated hydrocarbon comprises between about seven percent and about sixteen percent of the brominated hydrocarbon. 
     
     
         24 . An object according to  claim 21  wherein said cross-sectional layers adjacent to one another are fused to one another in the selective laser sintering process. 
     
     
         25 . An object according to  claim 21  wherein the polyamide comprises at least one of a polyamide-11 material and a polyamide-12 material. 
     
     
         26 . An object according to  claim 21  wherein the brominated hydrocarbon comprises a poly-acrylate. 
     
     
         27 . An object according to  claim 26  wherein the poly-acrylate comprises pentabromobenzyl. 
     
     
         28 . An object according to  claim 21  wherein the brominated hydrocarbon comprises a bis-ethane. 
     
     
         29 . An object according to  claim 28  wherein the bis-ethane comprises tribromophenoxy. 
     
     
         30 . An object according to  claim 21  wherein the polyamide and the brominated hydrocarbon are combined into a compound using a melting process, the compound extruded, and then pulverized into a powder form for selective leaser sintering. 
     
     
         31 . An object according to  claim 21  wherein the polyamide and the brominated hydrocarbon are combined using a dry blending process. 
     
     
         32 . An object according to  claim 21  wherein the polyamide and the brominated hydrocarbon are combined by coating particles of the polyamide with particles of the brominated hydrocarbon.