An image reading apparatus connectable to an image forming apparatus includes a feeding roller pair configured to nip and feed a sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus, a contact image sensor configured to read an image on a first surface of the sheet fed by the feeding roller pair, a light-transmissive plate provided opposed to the contact image sensor and having a light-transmission property, a first roller opposing the light-transmissive plate with a gap therebetween on a side opposite from the contact image sensor with respect to the light-transmissive plat, and a second roller positioned upstream of the first roller with respect to a sheet feeding direction and opposing the light-transmissive plate with a gap therebetween on the same side as the first roller.

A three-dimensional object comprises substantially planar or flat substrate layers that are folded and stacked in a predetermined order and infiltrated by a hardened material. The object is fabricated by positioning powder on all or part of multiple substrate layers. On each layer, the powder is selectively deposited in a pattern that corresponds to tiles that each have a slice of the object. For each slice, powder is deposited in positions that correspond to positions in the slice where the object exists, and not deposited where the object does not exist. The tiles of each substrate layer are folded and aligned in a predetermined order. Multiple folded substrate layers mat be combined into a single stack. The powder is transformed into a substance that flows and subsequently hardens into the hardened material in a spatial pattern that infiltrates positive regions, and does not infiltrate negative regions, in the substrate layers.

An image forming apparatus includes a printer configured to print an image, a reading unit having: a platen on which a document is to be placed; and a reading sensor configured to read an image of the document placed on the platen, a document feeder rotatably supported by the reading unit having: a stacking tray on which a document is to be stacked; a conveyance unit configured to convey the document stacked on the stacking tray to cause the reading sensor to read an image of the document; and a discharge tray on which the document conveyed by the conveyance unit is discharged, a display; and a controller configured to receive user instruction information for instructing to print the test chart; and control the printer to print the test chart on a sheet when the user instruction information is received.

An image forming apparatus includes a printer configured to print an image, a reading unit having: a platen on which a document is to be placed; and a reading sensor configured to read an image of the document placed on the platen, a document feeder rotatably supported by the reading unit having: a stacking tray on which a document is to be stacked; a conveyance unit configured to convey the document stacked on the stacking tray to cause the reading sensor to read an image of the document; and a discharge tray on which the document conveyed by the conveyance unit is discharged, a display; and a controller configured to receive user instruction information for instructing to print the test chart; and control the printer to print the test chart on a sheet when the user instruction information is received.

Systems and methods for constructing 3-dimensional (3D) parts are disclosed. A printing system may include a deposition system configured to print a plurality of 2-dimensional (2D) layers onto a plurality of carrier sheets. The printing system also includes a transferring system configured to transfer a 2D layer from a carrier sheet of the plurality of carrier sheets, onto the 3D part. The 3D part may be located on a base substrate. The printing system further includes a feed system configured to provide the plurality of carrier sheets from the deposition system to the transfer system in a successive fashion while maintaining the directionality of printing in the deposition and transferring systems.

A water dispersible sulfo-polyamide is configured as a filament for use as an extrudable support material in the additive manufacture of a part comprising a non water dispersible polymer. The water dispersible sulfo-polyamide is a reaction product of a sulfo monomer, the water dispersible sulfo-polymer being dispersible in water resulting in separation of the water dispersible polymer from the part comprising the non water dispersible polymer.

An apparatus for use in a selective toner electrophotographic process (STEP) additive manufacturing system, the apparatus includes a radiant heat source configured to emit radiation of a first band of wavelengths in the region of a transfuse roller nip; and a pyrometer configured to receive and measure radiation emitted from the region of the transfuse roller nip; wherein the radiation measured by the pyrometer comprises a second band of wavelengths different from the first band of wavelengths emitted by the radiant heat source. The radiant heat source is typically one or more laser light emitters.

A web sheet processing system for cutting and/or stacking AM composite printed sheets from the web combines web edge waste with the cut sheets, stacking the waste with the 3D object. The waste may be removed during the cleaning of the 3d object (e.g., by abrasive blasting, chemical removal, dissolution) to result in a 3D printed object. This approach eliminates the separate need for waste removal of a rewound web of substrate material waste. In examples, a tractor drive transport assembly ensures consistent web/sheet motion via tractor feeding along the edges of the web/sheet to a stacker subsystem. The tractor drive transport assembly, in combination with a drive guide, positions the cut sheets over the stacker subsystem for release onto the top of a stack, with the substrate waste that would normally be processed downstream stacked with the 3D object for removal during a normal cleaning of the object.

A water dispersible sulfopolymer for use as a material in the layer-wise additive manufacture of a 3D part made of a non water dispersible polymer wherein the water dispersible polymer is a reaction product of a metal sulfo monomer, the water dispersible sulfo-polymer being dispersible in water resulting in separation of the water dispersible polymer from the 3D part made of the non water dispersible polymer.

An image reading apparatus includes a first conveyance roller, a second conveyance roller, a first conveyance guide, a second conveyance guide configured to move between an opposed position being opposed to the first conveyance guide and a retracting position being retracted from the opposed position, and an image reading unit opposed to the first conveyance guide and configured to move to a width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction and read an image information on a sheet. The second conveyance guide is configured to move to the retracting position in response to the image reading unit moving to the width direction and reading an image information on the sheet.