Systems and methods are disclosed for fabricating a metal or ceramic component using a 3D printer. An entire 3D printed piece, including both the metal or ceramic component and one or more support structures, is created of a first metal or ceramic material. A sensitization layer is applied to all or part of the 3D printed piece to chemically alter portions of the first metal or ceramic material near the surface making those portions of the material more sensitive to the etching process. The etching process causes the affected material to deplete and separates the component from the support structures without requiring mechanical machining.

Systems and methods are disclosed for fabricating a metal or ceramic component using a 3D printer. An entire 3D printed piece, including both the metal or ceramic component and one or more support structures, is created of a first metal or ceramic material. A sensitization layer is applied to all or part of the 3D printed piece to chemically alter portions of the first metal or ceramic material near the surface making those portions of the material more sensitive to the etching process. The etching process causes the affected material to deplete and separates the component from the support structures without requiring mechanical machining.

An electroplating system includes a tank functioning as an anode, wherein the tank is configured in a horizontal orientation having a length greater than its height, a component part disposed within the tank and functioning as a cathode, an electrical connection, coupled to the anode and cathode, for providing an electric current, and a supply line for delivering an electrolytic fluid to within the tank.

A method for removing powder from a component or part produced by metal additive manufacturing systems based on powder beds. The method includes manufacturing a part by additive manufacturing, the part having at least one internal cavity with at least one external opening. The internal cavity is at least partly filled with powder, the powder in the internal cavity having grains agglomerated or connected to each other. The method further including: evacuating gas from the internal cavity; adding liquid electrolyte to the internal cavity, and using an electrochemical process for separating connected powder grains in the cavity.

A method includes additively manufacturing an article in an inert environment, removing the article from the inert environment and placing the article in a non-inert environment, allowing at least a portion the article to oxidize in the non-inert environment to form an oxidized layer on a surface of the article, and removing the oxidized layer (e.g., to smooth the surface of the article). The method can further include relieving stress in the article (e.g., via heating the article after additive manufacturing).

A method includes additively manufacturing an article in an inert environment, removing the article from the inert environment and placing the article in a non-inert environment, allowing at least a portion the article to oxidize in the non-inert environment to form an oxidized layer on a surface of the article, and removing the oxidized layer (e.g., to smooth the surface of the article). The method can further include relieving stress in the article (e.g., via heating the article after additive manufacturing).

Provided are a method and system for increasing etch rate and etch selectivity of a masking layer on a substrate in an etch treatment system, the etch treatment system configured for single substrate processing. The method comprises placing the substrate into the etch processing chamber, the substrate containing the masking layer and a layer of silicon or silicon oxide, obtaining a supply of steam water vapor mixture at elevated pressure, obtaining a supply of treatment liquid for selectively etching the masking layer over the silicon or silicon oxide at a selectivity ratio, combining the treatment liquid and the steam water vapor mixture, and injecting the combined treatment liquid and the steam water vapor mixture into the etch processing chamber. The flow of the combined treatment liquid and the steam water vapor mixture is controlled to maintain a target etch rate and a target etch selectivity ratio of the masking layer to the layer of silicon or silicon oxide.

Disclosed is a graphene electrochemical transfer method assisted by multiple supporting films, comprising: (1) growing graphene on a substrate, and then spin-coating a thin layer of photoresist on a surface of the graphene as a first film; (2) spin-coating n layers of thick, tough, and selectively dissolvable polymer films on the surface of the first film as an top film; (3) dissociating the multi-layer composite film and the graphene from the surface of the substrate by an electrochemical process, and dissolving the thick polymer films which is the top film with a first solvent; (4) after cleaning, transferring the thin first film and the graphene to a target substrate, and finally dissolving the thin first film away with a second solvent to complete the transfer process. This transfer process is fast, stable, and capable of transferring a large-size graphene, which may promote the large-scale application of graphene.

An observation and photography apparatus that has a polishing mechanism attached thereto. The polishing mechanism is provided with a turntable with a perpendicular rotation shaft, a polishing cloth for polishing the surface of a sample attached to the bottom surface of the turntable, and a polishing-fluid spraying nozzle disposed below the polishing cloth for spraying polishing fluid containing polishing material upward to we the polishing cloth.

An observation and photography apparatus that has a polishing mechanism attached thereto. The polishing mechanism is provided with a turntable with a perpendicular rotation shaft, a polishing cloth for polishing the surface of a sample attached to the bottom surface of the turntable, and a polishing-fluid spraying nozzle disposed below the polishing cloth for spraying polishing fluid containing polishing material upward to we the polishing cloth.