A method of forming a superabrasive component for an earth-boring tool comprises disposing a first volume of particulate superabrasive material on a surface of a base structure. A first carbon-containing precursor material is deposited onto the first volume of unbonded particulate superabrasive material. An energy beam is directed onto the first carbon-containing precursor material to form a first volume of bonded polycrystalline superabrasive material having carbon-carbon atomic bonds between adjacent particles of the first volume of particulate superabrasive material. The method may be repeated to form a superabrasive component with multiple volumes of bonded polycrystalline superabrasive material. Additional methods of forming a superabrasive component, a superabrasive component, and an earth-boring tool are also described.

An additive manufacturing system including a two-dimensional energy patterning system for imaging a powder bed is disclosed. The two-dimensional energy patterning system may be used to control a state of matter of each successive additive layer. Accordingly, the system may be used to alter the chemical bond arrangement of the material forming the various additive layers.

A device for the making of a three-dimensional object by means of layer by layer consolidation of a powderlike construction material by electromagnetic radiation or particle beam has a control unit that controls an irradiation device such that the powder particles of the construction material are bonded together at the sites where the radiation impinges on the construction material. A selective heating device is designed so that any given partial surface of the construction field can be heated before and/or after to a plateau temperature, which is significantly higher than the temperature of at least a portion of the construction field outside the partial surface. The control unit actuates the selective heating device such that the partial surface has a predefined minimum distance from the edge of the construction field.

The invention relates in a first aspect to a process for preparing a 3-dimensional body, in particular a vitreous or ceramic body, which comprises at least the following steps: a) providing an electrostatically stabilized suspension of particles; b) effecting a local destabilization of the suspension of particles by means of a localized electrical discharge between a charge injector and the suspension at a predetermined position and causing an aggregation and precipitation of the particles at said position; c) repeating step b) at different positions and causing the formation of larger aggregates until a final aggregate of particles representing a (porous) 3-dimensional body (green body) having predetermined dimensions has been formed; wherein the charge injector includes i) at least one discharge electrode which does not contact said suspension of particles or ii) a source of charged particles. A second aspect of the invention relates to a device, in particular for performing the above process, comprising at least the following components: —a vessel for receiving an electrostatically stabilized suspension of particles, —a charge injector, in particular including one or more electrodes or a source of high-energy charged particles, —means for moving the electrode and/or the vessel in the x, y and z directions, —a counter electrode arranged in the vessel for a contact with the suspension of particles, —one or more sensors for determining geometrical and physical parameters within said vessel. In one preferred embodiment, said device further comprises a means for directing a beam of gas-ionizing radiation, in particular a laser beam, to a predetermined position within the vessel.

Provided is a method of producing a manufactured object including forming the manufactured object by performing, once or a plurality of times, a step of forming a powder layer from material powders containing powders of an inorganic compound and a step of irradiating a predetermined region of a surface of the powder layer with an energy beam and thereby fusing/solidifying the material powders. In the step of fusing/solidifying the material powders, an amorphous-rich region and a crystalline-rich region are formed separately by changing at least one of an output of the energy beam, a relative position between the surface of the powder layer and a focus of the energy beam, and a scanning rate.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing at least one monolithic inorganic porous support (1) having a porosity comprised between 10% and 60% and an average pore diameter ranging from 0.5 μm to 50 μm, using a 3D printer type machine (I) to build, in accordance with a 3D digital model, a manipulable three-dimensional raw structure (2) intended to form, after sintering, the monolithic inorganic porous support(s) (1).

A method of providing a particulate material from an at least substantially metallic and/or ceramic starting material, comprising the following steps: (a) generating the particulate material from the starting material by vaporizing the starting material by introducing energy, preferably radiation energy, in particular by means of at least one laser, into the starting material and subsequently at least partially condensing the vaporized starting material, b) collecting the particulate material in at least one receiving and/or transporting device, in particular at least one container, c) receiving, in particular storing, and/or transporting the particulate material in the receiving and/or transporting device and/or in a further receiving and/or transporting device such that it can be used for a subsequent process, in particular in a state of at least non-permanent passivation, and d) providing the particulate material for the subsequent process.

Process and slip for the production of ceramic shaped parts made of zirconium oxide ceramic by a 3D inkjet printing process. The slip contains zirconium oxide which is suspended in a liquid 5 medium, wherein the slip has a zirconium oxide content of from 68 to 88 wt.-% and contains not more than 5 wt.-% organic components. The process for the production of ceramic components comprises the layered shaping and subsequent sintering of the desired component from the slip.

In an embodiment, a method of manufacturing customized ceramic labial/lingual orthodontic brackets by additive manufacturing may comprise measuring dentition data of a profile of teeth of a patient, based on the dentition data, creating a three dimensional computer-assisted design (3D CAD) model of the patient's teeth, and saving the 3D CAD model, designing a virtual 3D CAD bracket structure model for a single labial or lingual bracket structure based upon said 3D CAD model, importing data related to the 3D CAD bracket structure model into an additive manufacturing machine, and directly producing the bracket with the additive manufacturing machine by layer manufacturing from an inorganic material including at least one of a ceramic, a polymer-derived ceramic, and a polymer-derived metal.

Methods and systems for generative manufacturing of a three-dimensional component from a powder, wherein a layer structure model of the component to be manufactured is divided into a core region and a shell region adjacent to the core region, and wherein the shell region forms at least a portion of the surface of the three-dimensional component. Then, a layer-based irradiation process is performed in which a density of irradiated powder layers is lower in the shell region than in the core region.