The present disclosure relates to a build material for 3D printing. The build material comprises polymeric particles comprising polypropylene and at least one elastomer. The polymeric particles comprise a surface-active coating.

An additive manufacturing system including a housing configured to contain a powder bed of material, and an array of laser emitters having a field of view. The array is configured to melt at least a portion of the powder bed within the field of view as the array translates relative to the powder bed. The system further includes a spatter collection device including a diffuser configured to discharge a stream of gas across the powder bed, and a collector configured to receive the stream of gas and contaminants entrained in the stream of gas. The collector is spaced from the diffuser such that a collection zone is defined therebetween, and the spatter collection device is configured to translate relative to the powder bed such that the collection zone overlaps with the field of view of the array.

An additive manufacturing system including a housing configured to contain a powder bed of material, and an array of laser emitters having a field of view. The array is configured to melt at least a portion of the powder bed within the field of view as the array translates relative to the powder bed. The system further includes a spatter collection device including a diffuser configured to discharge a stream of gas across the powder bed, and a collector configured to receive the stream of gas and contaminants entrained in the stream of gas. The collector is spaced from the diffuser such that a collection zone is defined therebetween, and the spatter collection device is configured to translate relative to the powder bed such that the collection zone overlaps with the field of view of the array.

A robot to manufacture a part by additive manufacturing using volume elements or voxels. The robot includes a base and a rotary arm having a plurality of effectors for additive manufacturing radially distributed on the arm. A guiding shaft to translationally move the rotary arm by rotation, in a direction parallel to its axis of rotation, and to translationally and rotationally guide the rotary arm relative to the base. A controller to control the action of the effectors for additive manufacturing as a function of the position of the rotary arm in space. A method for implementing the robot is provided.

According to one aspect, there is provided apparatus for forming a layer of build material for three-dimensional printing. The apparatus comprises a spreader to spread a volume of build material to form a layer of build material on a build platform, wherein at least one end of the spreader is to remain a constant distance from a build material retaining wall in proximity to at least one edge of the build platform as the spreader is moved over the surface of the build platform, and further wherein at least a portion of the spreader is below the top of the retaining wall.

Disclosed is a system for adding material by melting powder on a determined surface of a workpiece by means of a laser beam in order to construct a volume, the system comprising: -a laser beam emitting device, -a laser scanning head provided with at least two galvanometric mirrors and provided with a lens for focusing the reflected incident laser beam on the determined surface, the system comprising the laser scanning head being held stationary relative to the workpiece while the volume is constructed, -a powder injection device positioned laterally relative to the focused reflected incident laser beam in order to distribute the powder on the determined surface, -the powder is melted by the focused reflected incident laser beam emitted on the powder distributed on the determined surface.

An apparatus for manufacturing a three-dimensional article by additive manufacturing includes a processor and an information storage device storing software instructions. In response to execution by the processor, the software instructions cause the apparatus to: receive initial data defining the three-dimensional article having an outer surface, define a shell having the outer surface of the three-dimensional article and an opposing inner surface that defines an inner cavity, define a transition zone between the inner surface of the shell and a boundary that is inside the inner cavity and generally follows the inner surface of the shell, define a lattice of arrayed unit cells that fill the inside of the boundary, the lattice is defined by connected lattice segments, and define transition segments that couple the lattice to the inner surface of the shell.

The present disclosure provides three-dimensional (3D) printing systems, apparatuses, software, and methods for the production of at least one requested 3D object. The 3D printer includes a material conveyance system, filtering system, and unpacking station. The material conveyance system may transport pre-transformed material against gravity. The 3D printing described herein comprises facilitating non-interrupted material dispensing through a component of the 3D printer, such as a layer dispenser.

This invention teaches a quality assurance system for additive manufacturing. This invention teaches a multi-sensor, real-time quality system including sensors, affiliated hardware, and data processing algorithms that are Lagrangian-Eulerian with respect to the reference frames of its associated input measurements. The quality system for Additive Manufacturing is capable of measuring true in-process state variables associated with an additive manufacturing process, i.e. those in-process variables that define a feasible process space within which the process is deemed nominal. The in-process state variables can also be correlated to the part structure or microstructure and can then be useful in identifying particular locations within the part likely to include defects.

An additive manufacturing system includes a laser array including a plurality of laser devices. Each laser device of the plurality of laser devices generates an energy beam for forming a melt pool in a powder bed. The additive manufacturing system further includes at least one optical element. The optical element receives at least one of the energy beams and induces a predetermined power diffusion in the at least one energy beam.