Thermoplastic composition for the preparation of ceramic moulding masses.

0001The present invention relates to thermoplastic compositions for the production of ceramic moldings containing<ul id="ul0001" list-style="none"><li>A) 40-65% by volume of a sinterable inorganic non-metallic powder</li><li>B) 35 - 60 vol.% Of a mixed stake<ul id="ul0002" list-style="none"><li>B1) 70-90% by weight of a polyoxymethylene homo- or copolymer with up to 10 mol% of comonomer units and</li><li>B2) 10-30% by weight of a polyoxymethylene copolymer with a comonomer content of 20 to 99 mol%, poly-1,3-dioxolane, poly-1,3-dioxane or poly-1,3-dioxepane, or one in B1 ) homogeneously dissolved or with an average particle size of less than 1 μm in B1) dispersed polymer or mixtures thereof</li></ul> as a binder, and</li><li>C) 0-5% by volume of a dispersing aid.</li></ul>

0002In addition, the invention relates to the use of such thermoplastic compositions for the production of ceramic moldings and to the ceramic moldings themselves. Finally, the invention also relates to a method for removing the binder from a molding from such a thermoplastic composition.

0003It is known to produce molded parts from ceramic materials by mixing a ceramic powder with a thermoplastic resin, shaping the mixture into a green molded body, removing the thermoplastic resin and then sintering this green body into the molded body. According to EP-PS 125 912, the green compact is processed into its essentially final shape before it is sintered. As a thermoplastic resin or binder, for example Polystyrene, polypropylene, polyethylene and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers are used. These binders are removed from the green body by heating to temperatures of 300 to 550 ° C for 3 to 8 hours. The binders are thermally split. It must be heated very carefully and slowly to these temperatures so that the green body is not damaged by the uncontrolled decomposition of the organic substance and the associated cracking. For this reason, the heating temperature should only be 4 ° C / hour. In US Pat. No. 4,671,912, even lower heating temperatures of 1 to 2 ° C./hour are recommended, at least until half of the binder has been removed. These long heating-up periods of several days greatly reduce the economics of these processes.

0004To accelerate the heating-up times, EP-PS 115 104 recommends using a mixture of an oxidized paraffin wax or an oxidized microcrystalline wax with a higher fatty acid as a binder. EP-PS 114 746 proposes a polyacetal as a binder.

0005A disadvantage of all of these methods, in which thermoplastics or waxes are used, is that the green body has to be heated to temperatures above the softening point of the binder for the pyrolytic removal of the binder, whereby there is a risk of deformation. To avoid such deformation, it is therefore proposed in US Pat. No. 4,708,838 and in JP-OS 62/12674 to embed the green body in a ceramic powder with high thermal stability.

0006However, it is also known not to remove the binder from the green compact pyrolytically but by extraction with a solvent. According to JP-OS 62/278160, supercritical carbon dioxide at 60 ° C and a pressure of 200 kg / cm² is used as solvent, and liquid carbon dioxide at temperatures from -30 ° C to 31.1 ° C according to EP-PS 206 685. However, special pressure equipment is required to carry out these processes.

0007The German patent applications P 39 26 869 and P 40 00 278 describe processes for producing an inorganic sintered molded part by shaping a mixture of a sinterable inorganic powder and polyoxymethylene, optionally with comonomers (e.g. according to EP-A 114 746) as a binder by injection molding or extrusion into a green body, removal of the binder and sintering, the polyoxymethylene being removed by treating the green body in a gaseous, acidic atmosphere. The acids used in this process are protonic acids, that is to say acids which are split into a proton (hydrated) and an anion when reacted with water, or BF₃ or BF₃ adducts.

0008When using pure polyoxymethylene with a low comonomer content as a binder in the processes of the aforementioned older German patent applications in the production of moldings or moldings with larger wall thicknesses, however, a problem arises which is caused by the high rate of crystallization of the polyoxymethylene. The melt solidifies on the wall of the normally cooled mold used in injection molding faster than on the inside, ie the inner area of ​​the molded body crystallizes later than the outer part. Since the crystallization is accompanied by a volume contraction, cracks arise in the interior of the shaped body, since the already solidified outer parts can no longer follow the volume contraction.

0009In EP-A 114 746 already mentioned, it is proposed to preferably use a polyoxymethylene copolymer with 20 to 80 mol.% Comonomer. Such copolymers have a lower melting point, a lower crystallinity and increased softness and flexibility compared to the corresponding polyoxymethylene homopolymers.

0010However, this also has the consequence that the cooling times are significantly extended and the tendency of the molded part to stick in the mold is increased. Because of the lower melting points of the copolymers, debinding must also be carried out at lower temperatures, as a result of which the time required for debinding is longer.

0011The present invention was therefore based on the object of providing thermoplastic compositions for the production of ceramic moldings which do not have the disadvantages described above and from which crack-free and pore-free ceramic moldings can be produced in economical processes.

0012According to the invention, this object is achieved by thermoplastic compositions according to claim 1.

0013Preferred compositions of this type can be found in the subclaims.

0014As component A), the thermoplastic compositions according to the invention contain 40 to 65, preferably 40 to 60 vol.% Of a sinterable inorganic non-metallic powder. Preferred powders of this type are oxide ceramic powders such as Al₂O₃, ZrO₂ and Y₂O₃ but also non-oxide ceramic powders such as SiC, Si₃N₄, TiB and AlN, which can be used individually or in the form of mixtures. The average grain size (particle diameter d₅₀, ie the diameter above and below which in each case the particle size of 50% by weight of the particles is) is generally in the range from 0.1 to 50, preferably 0.1 to 30, in particular 0.2 to 10 μm.

0015Part of component A), preferably not more than 50% by weight, in particular 10 to 20% by weight, based on component A) can be replaced by inorganic fibers or whiskers, for example made of Al₂O₃, SiC or Si₃N₄.

0016The thermoplastic compositions according to the invention contain, as component B), 35 to 60, preferably 40 to 55% by volume of a mixture of<ul id="ul0003" list-style="none"><li>B1) 70 to 90, preferably 80 to 88% by weight, based on B), of a polyoxymethylene homopolymer or a polyoxymethylene copolymer with a maximum of 10, preferably 2 to 7 mol% of comonomer units, and</li><li>B2) 10 to 30, preferably 10 to 25, in particular 12 to 20% by weight of a polyoxymethylene copolymer with a comonomer content of 20 to 99, preferably 25 to 95 and in particular 25 to 80 mol%, poly-1,3-dioxolane, Poly-1,3-dioxane or poly-1,3-dioxepane, or one homogeneously dissolved in B1) or with an average particle size of less than 1 μm, preferably 0.01 to 0.9, in particular 0.1 to 0, 8 µm dispersed polymer or mixtures thereof as binders.</li></ul>

0017The polyoxymethylene homo- or copolymers are known per se to the person skilled in the art and are described in the literature.

0018The homopolymers are generally prepared by polymerizing formaldehyde or trioxane, preferably in the presence of suitable catalysts.

0019In the context of the invention preferred polyoxymethylene copolymers B1 and optionally B2 contain, in addition to the repeating units —OCH₂ — also repeating units of the formula<chemistry id="chem0001" num="0001"><img file="EP0444475A2_D0001.tif" /></chemistry> where R¹ to R⁴ independently of one another are a hydrogen atom, a C₁-C₄ alkyl group or a halogen-substituted alkyl group with 1-4 C atoms and R⁵ is a -CH₂-, -CH₂O-, a C₁-C₄-alkyl or C₁-C₄-haloalkyl represent substituted methylene group or a corresponding oxymethylene group and n has a value in the range of 0-3. These groups can advantageously be introduced into the copolymers by ring opening of cyclic ethers. Preferred cyclic ethers are those of the formula<chemistry id="chem0002" num="0002"><img file="EP0444475A2_D0002.tif" /></chemistry> where R¹-R⁵ and n have the meaning given above. Only examples include ethylene oxide, 1,2-propylene oxide, 1,2-butylene oxide, 1,3-butylene oxide, 1,3-dioxane, 1,3-dioxolane and dioxepane as cyclic ethers and linear oligo- or polyformals such as polydioxolane or polydioxepane called as comonomers.

0020In principle, the polyoxymethylene copolymers B1) and B2) can have the same repeating units, ie only differ in their proportion.

0021Also suitable as component B) are oxymethylene terpolymers which, for example, by reacting trioxane, one of the cyclic ethers described above, with a third monomer, preferably a bifunctional compound of the formula<chemistry id="chem0003" num="0003"><img file="EP0444475A2_D0003.tif" /></chemistry> where Z is a chemical bond, -O- or -ORO- (R = C₁-C₈-alkylene or C₂-C₈-cycloalkylene) are prepared.

0022Preferred monomers of this type are ethylene diglycide, diglycidyl ether and diether from glycidylene and formaldehyde, dioxane or trioxane in a molar ratio of 2: 1 and diether from 2 mol of glycidyl compound and 1 mol of an aliphatic diol with 2-8 C atoms, such as, for example, the diglycidyl ether of ethylene glycol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,3-butanediol, cyclobutane-1,3-diol, 1,2-propanediol and cyclohexane-1,4-diol to name just a few examples.

0023Processes for the preparation of the homopolymers and copolymers described above are known to the person skilled in the art and are described in the literature, so that further details are unnecessary here.

0024The preferred polyoxymethylene homopolymers or copolymers have melting points of at least 150 ° C. and molecular weights (weight average) in the range from 5000 to 150,000, preferably from 7,000 to 60,000. Component B2) are preferably suitable Poly-1,3-dioxolane -O-CH₂-O-CH₂-CH₂- or Poly-1,3-dioxane -O-CH₂-O-CH₂-CH₂-CH₂- or Poly-1,3-dioxepane -O-CH₂-O-CH₂-CH₂-CH₂-CH₂ or their mixtures with one another or with polyoxymethylene copolymers of the type described above. Poly-1,3-dioxepane is particularly preferred because of its rapid depolymerization under acidic conditions.

0025Poly-1,3-dioxolane, poly-1,3-dioxane and poly-1,3-dioxepane can be prepared by methods analogous to those of the polyoxymethylene homo- or copolymers, so that further details are not necessary here. The molecular weight is not critical per se and is generally in the same range as the molecular weight of the polyoxymethylene homo- or copolymers.

0026Under the conditions of compounding or injection molding processing, there is practically no transacetalization between the polyoxymethylene polymers B1) and B2), ie there is practically no exchange of comonomer units.

0027This also does not lower the crystallite melting point of component B1), it merely increases the crystallization time somewhat (which is desired) and reduces the crystalline fraction somewhat. Since the crystallite melting point of the main component B1) is not reduced, the high heat resistance is retained and the risk of warping in the catalytic debinding is reduced.

0028Also suitable as component B2) are polymers which are homogeneously soluble in polyoxymethylene homopolymer or copolymer B1) or are dispersible therein in the required particle size.

0029Preferred polymers of this type are aliphatic polyurethanes, aliphatic uncrosslinked polyepoxides, poly (C₂-C₆) alkylene oxides, aliphatic polyamides and polyacrylates and mixtures thereof.

0030Suitable aliphatic polyurethanes are produced in a known manner by polyaddition of alkaline polyisocyanates, in particular aliphatic diisocyanates and aliphatic polyhydroxyl compounds such as polyesters, polyethers, polyesteramides or polyacetals or mixtures thereof, optionally in the presence of chain extenders.

0031Suitable aliphatic polyisocyanates are in particular aliphatic diisocyanates of the general formula         OCN-R⁶-NCO in which R⁶ is a saturated straight-chain or branched aliphatic radical with 1 to 20, preferably 2 to 12 C atoms or an unsubstituted or substituted saturated cycloaliphatic divalent radical with 4 to 20, preferably 6 to 15 C atoms.

0032In the above formula, R auch can also represent a combination of divalent open-chain aliphatic and cycloaliphatic radicals and, for example, the meaning<chemistry id="chem0004" num="0004"><img file="EP0444475A2_D0004.tif" /></chemistry> have, wherein R⁷ is a saturated straight-chain or branched aliphatic radical having 1 to 8, preferably 1 to 3 carbon atoms. The two rings are preferably the unsubstituted cyclohexane, while R⁷ preferably means the methylene, ethylene, methylmethylene or dimethylmethylene group.

0033If R⁶ represents an open-chain divalent radical, it preferably represents an unbranched alkylidene radical (-CH₂)_n- With n = 2 to 12. Examples of these are the ethylidene, propylidene, pentamethylene and hexamethylene radical and the 2-methylpentamethylene, 2,2,4-trimethyl-hexamethylene or 2,4,4-trimethylhexamethylene radical . Diisocyanates of this type, which are particularly preferred, are hexamethylene diisocyanate and 2,2,4- and 2,4,4-trimethylhexamethylene diisocyanate.

0034If R⁶ in the above formula denotes a cycloaliphatic radical, this is preferably the unsubstituted or substituted cyclohexane radical. Examples of diisocyanates of this type are 1,2- or 1,4-di (isocyanatomethyl) cyclohexane or isophorone diisocyanate.

0035The diisocyanates can also be used in oligomeric form, for example in dimeric or trimeric form. Instead of the polyisocyanates, blocked polyisocyanates can also be used in a known manner, which are obtained from the isocyanates mentioned, for example by adding phenol or caprolactam.

0036Suitable aliphatic polyhydroxyl compounds are polyethers, such as polyethylene glycol ether, polypropylene glycol ether and polybutylene glycol ether, poly-1,4-butanediol ether or mixed polyethers made from ethylene oxide and propylene oxide. In addition, polyesteramides, polyacetals and preferably aliphatic polyesters can be used for this purpose, all of these compounds having free OH end groups.

0037The preferred aliphatic polyesters are essentially uncrosslinked polyesters with molecular weights of 500 to 10,000, preferably 500 to 5,000. With regard to the acid component, they are derived from unbranched and / or branched aliphatic dicarboxylic acids, such as, for example, diarboxylic acids of the general type formula         HOOC- (CH₂)_n-COOH with n = 0 to 20, preferably 4 to 10, in particular adipic acid and sebacic acid. Cycloaliphatic dicarboxylic acids such as cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid and mixtures with the above aliphatic dicarboxylic acids can also be used for this purpose.

0038The alcohol component for these polyesters is, above all, unbranched or branched aliphatic primary diols, such as, for example, diols of the general formula         HO- (CH₂)_m-OH into consideration, in which m = 2 to 12, preferably 2 to 6 means. Ethylene glycol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,6-hexanediol and 2,2-dimethylpropanediol-1,3 and diethylene glycol may be mentioned here in particular. Cycloaliphatic diols, such as bis-hydroxymethylcyclohexanes, or mixtures with the aliphatic diols are also suitable for this.

0039The polyesters can be prepared from one dicarboxylic acid and one diol, but also, as mentioned, from mixtures of several dicarboxylic acids and / or several diols.

0040As chain extenders in the production of the polyurethanes, especially low molecular weight polyols, especially diols, and polyamines, especially diamines or water, are to be considered.

0041The polyurethanes are preferably thermoplastic and therefore preferably essentially uncrosslinked, ie they can be melted repeatedly without any noticeable signs of decomposition. Their reduced specific viscosities, measured at 30 ° C. in dimethylformamide, are generally 0.5 to 3 dl / g, preferably 1 to 2 dl / g.

0042As aliphatic uncrosslinked polyepoxides, only polymers of glycidyl (meth) acrylate or epichlorohydrin with suitable comonomers may be mentioned here. Copolymers of epichlorohydrin and 2,2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane (bisphenol A), which are commercially available under the names Epikote® and Phenoxy®, are preferred.

0043Suitable poly (C₂-C₆) alkylene oxides are in particular polyethylene oxide, polypropylene oxide and poly-tetrahydrofuran (poly (tetramethylene) oxide) with average molecular weights (number average) in the range from 2000 to 20,000, preferably 4,000 to 10,000. Corresponding products are commercially available and manufacturing process known to the expert, so that further details are unnecessary here.

0044Suitable aliphatic polyamides are, in particular, amorphous polyamides or polyamides with a low crystalline content.

0045A preferred group of such polyamides contains units which are derived from diamines of the formula<chemistry id="chem0005" num="0005"><img file="EP0444475A2_D0005.tif" /></chemistry> where R⁸ and R⁹ each independently represent H or a methyl or ethyl group and n assumes a value in the range 0-6, and the cyclohexyl rings can be alkyl-substituted and aliphatic dicarboxylic acids such as adipic acid, azelaic acid, sebacic acid and dodecanedioic acid.

0046Diamines of this structure are generally referred to as dicyanediamines; preferred diamines of this type are 4,4'-diaminodicyclohexylmethane<chemistry id="chem0006" num="0006"><img file="EP0444475A2_D0006.tif" /></chemistry> and the derivatives thereof which are methyl-substituted on the cyclohexyl rings.

0047In addition to the above units, preferred polyamides preferably contain further units which are derived from lactams or salts from further aliphatic diamines and aliphatic dicarboxylic acids.

0048Preferred lactams are ε-caprolactam and enanthlactam, preferred salts are those from adipic acid and hexamethylenediamine. The molar ratio of the different units is not subject to any particular restriction and can therefore vary within wide limits.

0049Polyamides with units derived from ε-caprolactam, adipic acid / hexamethylene diamine and adipic acid / 4,4'-diaminodicyclohexylmethane are preferred.

0050A further preferred group of amorphous polyamides contains units which are derived from alkyl-substituted hexamethylenediamines and derive from the aliphatic dicarboxylic acids mentioned above, it being possible in turn for further units of the type described above to be present.

0051Such polyamides are produced by polycondensation of the monomer constituents in the corresponding proportions; corresponding condensation processes are known to the person skilled in the art.

0052The last group of polymers B2) are polyacrylates as described, for example, in DE 38 05 052.

0053These are 40-100% by weight of methyl acrylate or ethyl acrylate or mixtures thereof and 0-60% by weight of units which differ from monomers of the formula<chemistry id="chem0007" num="0007"><img file="EP0444475A2_D0007.tif" /></chemistry> deduce, built up. R¹⁰ stands for H or a methyl radical and R¹¹ for a phenyl ring or a radical of the formula<chemistry id="chem0008" num="0008"><img file="EP0444475A2_D0008.tif" /></chemistry> wherein R¹² represents an alkyl group with 1-14 C atoms and R¹² is not -CH₃ or -C₂H₅ when R¹⁰ is a hydrogen atom.

0054Such polyacrylates are compatible with polyoxymethylene homo- and copolymers, which is expressed by the fact that the mixture has only a glass transition temperature (Tg) or the Tg values ​​of the individual components shift. Such polymers built up from the monomers of the formula I and, if appropriate, further monomers, preferably of the formula II, can preferably be free radical by known polymerization processes, for example by emulsion or Bead, solution or bulk polymerization can be prepared (see Kirk-Othmer, Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology 3rd Ed., Vol. 1, pp. 330 - 342, Vol. 18, pp. 720 - 755, J. Wiley; H. Rauch-Puntigam, Th. Völker, acrylic and methacrylic compounds). Free radical initiators such as peroxy compounds and azo compounds are suitable as initiators, depending on the monomers and the type of polymerization, the amounts of initiator generally being in the range from 0.001 to 0.5% by weight, based on the monomers.

0055For emulsion polymerization, for example, peroxydisulfates or redox systems are suitable, for bulk polymerization, both peroxides such as dibenzoyl peroxide or dilauroyl peroxide, and azo compounds, for example azoisobutyrodinitrile, are also suitable, and also for solution polymerization or bead polymerization. The usual regulators, in particular mercaptans, for example dodecyl mercaptan, can be used to regulate the molecular weight.

0056The polymerization is preferably carried out at elevated temperature, for example above 50 ° C. The molecular weight is generally in the range from 2000 to 5,000,000, preferably 20,000 to 3,000,000 (determination by light scattering: for the determination of the molecular weights, see Houben-Weyl, Methods of Org. Chemistry, 4th Edition, Vol. 14/1 , Georg Thieme-Verlag Stuttgart 1961).

0057As component C, the thermoplastic compositions according to the invention can contain 0-5, preferably 1-5% by volume of a dispersing aid. For example, only oligomeric polyethylene oxide with an average molecular weight of 200-400, stearic acid, hydroxistearic acid, fatty alcohols, fatty alcohol sulfonates and block copolymers of ethylene and propylene oxide may be mentioned here.

0058In addition, the thermoplastic compositions can also contain customary additives and processing aids which have a favorable effect on the rheological properties of the mixtures during shaping.

0059The thermoplastic compositions can be produced by mixing components A) and B) in conventional mixing devices, such as kneaders, mills or extruders. When blending on extruders, the mixture can be extruded and granulated.

0060The usual screw and piston injection molding machines can be used for the deformation by injection molding. The deformation is generally carried out at temperatures of 170 to 220 ° C and pressures of 3000 to 20,000 kPa in molds that have a temperature of 80 - 150 ° C.

0061To remove the binder (debinding), the green bodies contained after the deformation are first treated with a gaseous acidic atmosphere, preferably in accordance with the process of the older German patent applications P 39 29 869 and 40 00 278.

0062This treatment is carried out according to the inventive method in the case of using a polyoxymethylene copolymer, poly-1,3-dioxolane, dioxane or dioxepane as component B2) at temperatures in the range from 20 to 160 ° C. and in the case of using B1 ) homogeneously dissolved polymers as component B2) at temperatures in the range from 20 to 180 ° C. over a period of 0.1 to 24 h, preferably 0.5 to 12 h.

0063Suitable acids for the treatment in this first stage of the process according to the invention are inorganic acids which are already gaseous at room temperature or at least vaporizable at the treatment temperature. Examples include the hydrohalic acids and HNO₃. Suitable organic acids are those which have a boiling temperature of less than 130 ° C. under normal pressure, for example formic acid, acetic acid or trifluoroacetic acid or mixtures thereof.

0064Also suitable as an acid are BF₃ or BF₃ etherates. In general, the treatment time required depends on the treatment temperature and the concentration of the acid in the treatment temperature and the concentration of the acid in the treatment atmosphere, and on the wall thickness of the molded parts.

0065If a carrier gas is used, this is generally passed through the acid beforehand and loaded with it. The carrier gas thus loaded is then brought to the treatment temperature, which is expediently higher than the loading temperature, in order to avoid condensation of the acid.

0066The acid is preferably mixed into the carrier gas via a metering device and the mixture is heated in order to avoid condensation of the acid.

0067In the case of the use of polymers homogeneously dissolved in B1) as component B2), the treatment in the first stage is carried out until at least 80%, preferably at least 90% by weight, of the polyoxymethylene portion B1) of the binder has been removed. This can easily be seen from the weight loss. The product thus obtained is then heated for 0.1 to 12, preferably 0.3 to 6 hours at 250 to 500, preferably 350 to 500 ° C. in order to completely remove the remainder of the binder still present. If a polyoxymethylene copolymer, poly-1,3-dioxolane, dioxane or dioxepane is used as component B2), the treatment in the first stage is carried out until the binder is virtually completely removed. The product thus obtained can then be heated as described above. However, this is usually not necessary, since the binder is usually completely removed during the acid treatment.

0068The product thus freed from the binder can be converted into a ceramic molded body in the usual way by sintering.

0069The thermoplastic compositions according to the invention have the advantage that the green bodies or ceramic moldings produced therefrom are free of cracks and pores even with large wall thicknesses.

example 1

00705.6 kg / h of a polyoxymethylene which contained 2.5% by weight of butanediol formal as comonomer were metered into a twin-screw extruder with a shaft diameter of 30 mm. The material was melted at 180⁰C, the shaft speed was 70 rpm.

007116 kg / h of a mixture of 93% by weight of Si3N4 powder, 2% by weight of Al2O3 powder and 5% by weight of Y2O3 were placed in a lateral extruder flanged to this extruder, which is equipped with a conveying helix for powder -Powder containing 2 parts by weight of a polyethylene oxide with a molecular weight of 400 g / mol as a dispersant, metered and heated to 170 ° C. until the end of the conveying path.

0072At the end of the conveyor line, the ceramic powder was mixed with the polyoxymethylene stream, the mixture was sheared, homogenized and pressed as strands through nozzles. The strands were cooled in an air stream and granulated. The granules thus obtained contained approximately 54% by volume of ceramic powder. It was melted in the barrel of a screw injection molding machine at 180⁰C and injected into a mold with a wall temperature of 110⁰C to produce cylinders with a diameter of 50 mm and a height of 40 mm. The sprue was conical on one of the end faces.

0073The total cycle time was 90 seconds.

0074After demolding, several cylinders were sawed apart along the axis. A large number of cracks and pores up to 6 mm in size were found in the middle of the cylinder.

Example 2

0075Example 1 was repeated with the difference that instead of 5.6 kg / h of polyoxymethylene, a mixture of 86% by weight of polyoxymethylene and 14% by weight of an aliphatic polyurethane based on hexamethylene diisocyanate, adipic acid, ethylene glycol, butanediol-1, 4, neopentyl glycol and 1,6-hexanediol with a density of 1.14 g / cm³ and a Shore A hardness of 72 (Baymod® PU-A from Bayer AG) was melted.

0076A proportion of approximately 54% by volume of ceramic powder in the mixture was thus also achieved. The injection molding was carried out under the same conditions as in Example 1. The X-ray radiation showed no cracks in the cylinders produced in this way.

0077The subsequent debinding was carried out in an almost sealed drying cabinet with a volume of 50 l. The atmosphere inside the drying cabinet was strongly circulated by means of a fan in order to achieve a constant temperature in the entire volume and good heat transfer to the body to be deboned.

0078The drying cabinet was loaded with one of the injection molded cylinders so that the cylinder was suspended on a wire that was passed up through the housing of the drying cabinet and connected to a scale to continuously measure the weight loss.

0079The cabinet was then flowed through for 20 minutes with a nitrogen stream of 400 l / h in order to displace the air to an O content of less than 1-2%. At the same time, the atmosphere in the drying cabinet was heated to 150⁰C. The debinding was started with the addition of 10 l / h BF3 to the nitrogen flow of 400 l / h, so that the concentration of the BF3 in the dosage was 2.5% by volume.

0080With an initial weight of the cylinder of 202 g, the binder fraction was 25.3% by weight, corresponding to 51.1 g. The following table shows weight loss as a function of time:<tables id="tabl0001" num="0001"><img file="EP0444475A2_D0009.tif" /></tables> The cylinder was then heated to 500⁰C within 1 h and held at 500⁰C for 1 h. The weight decreased by a further 9.3 g, corresponding to a degree of debinding of 100%. The cylinder showed no cracks or any dimensional change.

Example 3

0081Example 2 was repeated with the difference that instead of the aliphatic polyurethane, an amorphous copolyamide consisting of equal molar proportions of caprolactam, the salt from adipic acid and hexamethylenediamine and the salt from adipic acid and 4,4'-dicyclohexylmethane diamine was used. The proportion of ceramic powder was approx. 53% by volume due to the lower density of the polyamide.

0082No cracks were found after injection molding and debinding.

Example 4

0083Example 2 was repeated with the difference that instead of the aliphatic polyurethane, polyethylene oxide with an average molecular weight of 9000 g / mol was used. The density of the polyethylene oxide powder was 1.21 g / cm³. The proportion of ceramic powder was approximately 53% by volume.

0084No cracks were found after injection molding and debinding.

Example 5

0085Example 2 was repeated, with the difference that instead of the aliphatic polyurethane, a polyepoxide was used which was prepared by reacting 2 molar parts of bisphenol-A with 2.6 molar parts of epichlorohydrin.

0086The proportion of ceramic powder was approximately 54% by volume. No cracks were found after injection molding and debinding.

Example 6

0087Example 2 was repeated, with the difference that a polyethyl acrylate with a molecular weight of 100,000 was used instead of the aliphatic polyurethane. The polyethyl acrylate was prepared by emulsion polymerizing ethyl acrylate in water. For this purpose, 1% ammonium stearate was used as emulsifier and 0.5% ammonium peroxodisulfate (based on the aqueous phase) as initiator. The polymerization temperature was 70 ° C. and the proportion of ethyl acrylate was 50% by weight.

0088The 50% dispersion of polyethylacrylate in water thus obtained was pumped to a melt of polyoxymethylene in an extruder, kneaded with the melt and then the water was evaporated to give a mixture of 87 parts by weight of polyoxymethylene and 13 parts by weight of polyethylacrylate receive. This polymer mixture was melted as in Example 1 and mixed with a stream of ceramic powder in order to obtain a green mass which contains 54% by volume of ceramic powder (silicon nitride incl. Additives) contained.

0089No cracks were found after injection molding and debinding.

Example 7

0090Example 6 was repeated, with the difference that polymethylacrylate was used instead of the polyethylacrylate. The polymethylacrylate was prepared in accordance with the polyethylacrylate by emulsion polymerization and mixed with the polyoxymethylene melt. According to Example 1, the polymer mixture was melted and mixed with the ceramic powder in order to obtain a green mass which contained 54% by volume of silicon nitride including additives.

0091No cracks were found after injection molding and debinding.

Example 8

00925.6 kg / h of a granulate mixture of 4.5 kg corresponding to 80% by weight of a polyoxymethylene copolymer with a proportion of 6 mol% of butanediol formal as comonomer (component B1) and 1.1 kg were correspondingly placed in a twin-screw extruder with a shaft diameter of 30 mm 20 wt .-% of a polyoxymethylene copolymer with a proportion of 50 mol% 1,3-dioxolane as a comonomer (component B2) metered. The melting point of component B1 is 161 ° C, the melting point of component B2 is 138 ° C. Component B2 is a material that only crystallizes after a longer annealing time at 90 ° C and is somewhat sticky due to the low crystalline content.

0093The granulate mixture was melted at 180 ° C., the shaft speed was 70 rpm.

0094In a side extruder flanged to this extruder, which was equipped with a conveyor for powder, 16 kg / h of a mixture of 93 wt .-% Si₃N₄ powder, 2 wt .-% Al2O3 powder and 5 wt .-% Y₂O₃ Powder, which contained 2% by weight of a polyethylene oxide with a molecular weight of 400 g / mol as a dispersant, metered in and heated to 170 ° C. until the end of the conveying path.

0095At the end of the conveyor line, the ceramic powder was mixed with the polyoxymethylene stream, the mixture was sheared, homogenized and pressed as strands through nozzles. The strands were cooled in an air stream and granulated. The granules obtained in this way contained approximately 54% by volume of ceramic powder. It was melted in the barrel of a screw injection molding machine at 200 ° C and injected into a mold with a wall temperature of 120 ° C to produce shoulder bars with a length of 150 mm, a width of 10 mm and a thickness of 4 mm for tensile tests. The sprue was at the end of the rod.

0096The total cycle time was 90 seconds.

0097The subsequent debinding was carried out in an almost sealed drying cabinet with a volume of 50 l. The atmosphere inside the drying cabinet was strongly circulated by means of a fan in order to achieve a constant temperature in the entire volume and good heat transfer to the body to be deboned.

0098The drying cabinet was equipped with injection-molded rods in such a way that the rods were placed on two supports with the wide side at a distance of 130 mm. A rod was placed in a net that was suspended from a wire that passed up through the cabinet of the drying cabinet and connected to a scale to continuously measure weight loss.

0099The cabinet was then flowed through for 20 minutes with a nitrogen stream of 400 l / h in order to displace the air to an O₂ content of less than 1-2%. At the same time, the atmosphere in the drying cabinet was heated to 150 ° C. The debinding was started with the addition of 10 l / h of BF₃ to the nitrogen stream of 400 l / h, so that the concentration of BF₃ in the dosage was 2.5% by volume.

0100With an initial weight of the bars of 95.4 g, the binder fraction was 25.8% by weight, corresponding to 24.6 g. The following table shows weight loss as a function of time:<tables id="tabl0002" num="0002"><img file="EP0444475A2_D0010.tif" /></tables> After complete debinding after 35 min, the drying cabinet was cooled and opened. The bars hadn't sagged.

Example 9 (comparative example)

0101Example 8 was repeated with the difference that instead of the blends B1 and B2, a uniform polyoxymethylene copolymer with 15 mol% butanediol formal was used. The binder composition thus contained the same amount of comonomer as in Example 8. The polyoxymethylene copolymer had a melting point of 152 ° C. Even when the strands from the extruder discharge cooled, it was noticed that the strands remained soft for a longer period than those in Example 8. Taking into account the lower binder density, a proportion of ceramic powder of about 54% by volume was also set again. The subsequent injection molding processing had to be carried out differently: Due to the reduced melting temperature of the polyoxymethylene with 15 mol% comonomer units, the melt temperature was reduced to 180 ° C. during injection molding. The mold temperature had to be approx. 50 ° C because the parts could hardly be removed from the mold by gluing. In order to ensure perfect demolding, the cooling time in the mold had to be increased to such an extent that the total cycle time increased from 90 seconds in Example 8 to 200 seconds.

0102The rods obtained were subjected to the debinding procedure at 150 ° C. as in Example 8, the drying cabinet being cooled after 35 minutes. The rods sagged completely between the supports.

Example 10 (comparative example)

0103The rods from Example 9 were debindered at 110 ° C instead of 150 ° C. 385 minutes were required for complete debinding. Despite the reduced debinding temperature, the bars sag between the supports by approx. 10 mm.

Example 11

0104Example 8 was repeated, except that pure poly-1,3-dioxolane was used as component B2). The poly-1,3-dioxolane was prepared by metering in approx. 5 ppm perchloric acid, diluted in dry ether, in 2 kg of pure 1,3-dioxolane under anhydrous conditions. The mixture was slowly warmed to 45 ° C., after which the polymerization started rapidly as the temperature rose and the mixture became highly viscous very quickly. After about 1 h Allowing to stand at 60 ° C., the amount of triethanolamine equivalent to the neutralization of the perchloric acid, dissolved in 1,3-dioxolane, was metered in, the temperature was raised to 140 ° C., and volatile monomers and ether residues over 8 h at a vacuum of 10 mbar (1000 Pa) distilled off.

0105The amorphous poly-1,3-dioxolane was allowed to cool, where it crystallized within two days at room temperature to such an extent that it could be broken down into flakes by means of a flaking roller after breaking the glass bulb. The melting point was approx. 65 ° C.

0106In a twin-screw extruder with a shaft diameter of 30 mm, 5.6 kg / h of a granulate mixture corresponding to the 4.93 kg / h were 88% by weight of a polyoxymethylene copolymer with a proportion of 6 mol% of butanediol formal as comonomer (component B1) and 0.67 kg / h of the poly-1,3-dioxolane metered as component B2).

0107The granulate mixture was melted at 180 ° C., the shaft speed was 70 rpm.

0108In a side extruder flanged to this extruder, which is equipped with a feed screw for powder, 16 kg / h of a mixture of 93 wt .-% Si₃N₄ powder, 2 wt .-% Al₂O₃ powder and 5 wt .-% Y₂O₃ Powder, the 2 parts by weight of a polyethylene oxide with a molecular weight. At the end of the conveying section, the ceramic powder was mixed with the polyoxymethylene stream, the mixture was sheared, homogenized and pressed as strands through nozzles. The strands were cooled in an air stream and granulated. The granules obtained in this way contained approximately 54% by volume of ceramic powder. As in the first example, it was processed into test specimens and debindered under the same conditions. These rods were completely unbinded after 55 minutes and they had not sagged.

Example 12

0109In a thermostatic kneader with a useful volume of 6 liters, 0.5 kg of 1,3-dioxepane were metered in with the exclusion of moisture, which polymerized rapidly after the addition of 2 ppm of perchloric acid (dissolved in diethylene glycol monomethyl ether). After the polymerization, the polymer was neutralized with 3 ppm triethanolamine (dissolved in diethylene glycol monomethyl ether).

0110The kneader was then heated to 180 ° C. and 2.3 kg of a polyoxymethylene copolymer with a comonomer content of 6 mol% of butanediol formal were added and mixed intimately with the 1,3-dioxepane.

0111The mixture contained 82% by weight of the polyoxymethylene copolymer (component B1) and 18% by weight of 1,3-dioxepane (component B2). Over the course of an hour, 10.9 kg (corresponding to 54% by volume of the final mixture) of Al 2 O 3 heated to 180 ° C. were added. 1 stearic acid amide was added as a processing aid in an amount of 1% by weight, based on the binder content.

0112After one hour of intimate kneading, the product obtained was cooled and the resulting crumbly mass was ground into fragments of 2-3 mm grain size. The millbase was processed into test specimens as in Example 8 and debindered under the conditions of Example 8.

0113After 35 minutes, the binder had been completely removed without the rods showing any deflection.