An irradiation device for an additively manufacturing apparatus may include a working beam generation device configured to provide a working beam, a modulation beam generation device configured to provide a modulation beam, and a solid-state optical modulator that includes a crystalline material that exhibits a change in refractive index in response to photoexcitation of free electrons within the crystalline material. The irradiation device may include a power source coupled to the solid-state optical modulator and configured to introduce free electrons into the crystalline material. The modulation beam may cause photoexcitation of the free electrons within the crystalline material. The photoexcitation of the free electrons within the crystalline material may cause the crystalline material to exhibit a change in refractive index. The working beam, when incident upon the crystalline material, may exhibit a change in one or more parameters, such as a phase shift, attributable at least in part to the change in refractive index exhibited by the crystalline material.

A method of making an implantable device includes directing a projection of laser energy having a plurality of adjacent energy pixels on a build surface atop a bed of powder, thereby forming a layer of the implantable device. The directing step is repeated a plurality of times, in a layer-by-layer manner, such that a totality of the formed layers define at least a portion of the implantable device.

A suction device for sucking a process gas from a process chamber and to an apparatus for producing a three-dimensional component by selectively solidifying a building material, applied layer by layer, by means of a beam acting on the building material, having an suction tube which at one end has an outlet opening at an end face, to which an suction line can be connected, having an intake opening which extends in the longitudinal direction of the suction tube and is slot shaped, wherein there is provided at the outlet opening of the suction tube a connection port which can be inserted into a connection interface on or in the process chamber, and at the opposite end of the suction tube there is provided a holding element which is releasably held by a holding device associated with an opening of the process chamber.

An additive manufacturing apparatus utilizing combined electron beam selective melting and electron beam cutting. One electron beam emitting, focusing, and scanning device (6) is capable of emitting electron beams (67, 68) in three modes of heating, selective melting, and electron beam cutting. The electron beam in the heating mode is emitted to scan and preheat a powder bed (7). The electron beam (67) in the selective melting mode is emitted to scan and melt powder (71) in a section outline to form a section layer of a component. The electron beam (68) in the electron beam cutting mode is emitted to perform one or more cutting scans on inner and outer outlines (74, 75) of a section of the component to obtain accurate and smooth inner and outer outlines of the section. The heating, melting deposition, and outline cutting processes are repeated to obtain a required three-dimensional physical component.

An apparatus for three-dimensional (3D) printing of an object comprises a print head having at least one inlet for receiving material to be extruded and an outlet. The print head is configured, when the outlet is completely unblocked, to extrude a sheet of material of the width and height of the outlet. One or more actuators are positioned along the width of the print head and arranged to controllably block one or more sections along the width to prevent material from being extruded through the blocked sections, enabling selective extrusion of material through sections that are not blocked in order to selectively print a width of an entire layer of the object in a single pass. The print head and the object move relative to one another via one motion of the print head or of the object.

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.

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.

The invention relates to a method for utilizing mineral materials for additive manufacturing that can be implemented more quickly, more economically and with greater technical simplicity, in comparison with common additive manufacturing, by virtue of controlled expansion in the sintering process by means of a laser source. The entire production process is free of organic materials and allows previously unfeasible end uses in the fields of acoustic insulation, thermal insulation, fire protection, filtration, design objects and lightweight components to be realized. In particular, the invention relates to a method for producing a product by means of 3-D printing or additive manufacturing, wherein an open-pore lightweight part is constructed layer-by-layer, without the use of organic binders or other organic auxiliary agents, from a pulverous mineral starting raw substance of natural origin, which raw substance is obtained without chemical alteration of the solid constituents of the natural material, and wherein, beginning with the second layer, the most recently applied layer is bonded to the surface of the existing body of the lightweight part by means of immediately subsequently performed direct selective laser sintering.

Construction systems for constructing a structure on a foundation and methods relating thereto are disclosed. In an embodiment, the construction system includes a rail assembly configured to be mounted to the foundation. In addition, the construction system includes a gantry movably disposed on the rail assembly configured to translate along a first axis relative to the rail assembly. Further, the construction system includes a printing assembly movably disposed on the gantry and configured to translate along a second axis relative to the gantry. The second axis is orthogonal to the first axis. The printing assembly is configured to deposit vertically stacked layers of an extrudable building material on the foundation to construct the structure. The gantry has a width along the second axis that is configured to be adjusted relative to the foundation.