Methods and systems for manufacturing a piece or apparel. According to an aspect of the invention, a method for the manufacture of a piece of apparel comprises the steps of: (a) obtaining body data corresponding to at least one dimension of at least a part of the user's body, (b) obtaining pattern data corresponding to at least one pattern of the piece of apparel to be manufactured, (c) generating, based on the body data and the pattern data, manufacturing data adapted to be processed by a manufacturing machine, and (d) transmitting the manufacturing data to a manufacturing machine. When the manufacturing data is received at the manufacturing machine, the manufacturing data is processed and at least part of the piece of apparel is manufactured.

A system of solid free form fabrication (SFF) is disclosed. The system comprises: receiving SFF data collectively pertaining to a three-dimensional shape of the object and comprising a plurality of slice data each defining a layer of the object. The system also comprises, for each of at least a few of the layers, dispensing a building material on a receiving medium, straightening the building material, and selectively ablating the building material according to respective slice data.

A method of forming a three-dimensional object, is carried out by (a) providing a carrier and a build plate, the build plate comprising a semipermeable member, the semipermeable member comprising a build surface with the build surface and the carrier defining a build region therebetween, and with the build surface in fluid communication by way of the semipermeable member with a source of polymerization inhibitor; (b) filling the build region with a polymerizable liquid, the polymerizable liquid contacting the build surface; (c) irradiating the build region through the build plate to produce a solid polymerized region in the build region, while forming or maintaining a liquid film release layer comprised of the polymerizable liquid formed between the solid polymerized region and the build surface, the polymerization of which liquid film is inhibited by the polymerization inhibitor; and (d) advancing the carrier with the polymerized region adhered thereto away from the build surface on the build plate to create a subsequent build region between the polymerized region and the build surface; (e) wherein the carrier has at least one channel formed therein, and the filling step is carried out by passing or forcing the polymerizable liquid into the build region through the at least one channel. Apparatus for carrying out the method is also described.

A system for additive metal manufacturing, including a deposition mechanism, a translation mechanism mounting the deposition mechanism to the working volume, and a stage. A method for additive metal manufacturing including: selectively depositing a material carrier within the working volume; removing an additive from the material carrier; and treating the resultant material.

A method of forming a three-dimensional object, comprises providing a carrier and an optically transparent member having a build surface, the carrier and the build surface defining a build region therebetween; filling the build region with a polymerizable liquid; irradiating the build region through the optically transparent member to form a solid polymer from the polymerizable liquid while concurrently advancing the carrier away from the build surface to form the three-dimensional object from the solid polymer, while also concurrently: (i) continuously maintaining a dead zone of polymerizable liquid in contact with the build surface, and (ii) continuously maintaining a gradient of polymerization zone between the dead zone and the solid polymer and in contact with each thereof, the gradient of polymerization zone comprising the polymerizable liquid in partially cured form. Apparatus for carrying out the method is also described.

Techniques for generating a support structure for an object are provided. In some embodiments, one or more regions of the object are identified as one or more regions to which mechanical support is to be provided and one or more support points within at least a first region of the one or more regions are identified. A support structure may be generated for the object that comprises one or more support tips coupled to the object at the one or more support points, where the support tips being generated based at least in part on a direction normal to the surface of the object at the respective support point. Techniques for providing visual feedback to a user relating to an amount of support that a support structure is expected to provide during fabrication are also provided.

A method of solid free form fabrication (SFF) is disclosed. The method comprises: receiving SFF data collectively pertaining to a three-dimensional shape of the object and comprising a plurality of slice data each defining a layer of the object. The method also comprises, for each of at least a few of the layers, dispensing a building material on a receiving medium, straightening the building material, and selectively ablating the building material according to respective slice data.

A method of forming a three-dimensional object, is carried out by (a) providing a carrier and a build plate, the build plate comprising a semipermeable member, the semipermeable member comprising a build surface with the build surface and the carrier defining a build region therebetween, and with the build surface in fluid communication by way of the semipermeable member with a source of polymerization inhibitor; (b) filling the build region with a polymerizable liquid, the polymerizable liquid contacting the build surface, (c) irradiating the build region through the build plate to produce a solid polymerized region in the build region, while forming or maintaining a liquid film release layer comprised of the polymerizable liquid formed between the solid polymerized region and the build surface, wherein the polymerization of which liquid film is inhibited by the polymerization inhibitor; and (d) advancing the carrier with the polymerized region adhered thereto away from the build surface on the build plate to create a subsequent build region between the polymerized region and the build surface while concurrently filling the subsequent build region with polymerizable liquid as in step (b). Apparatus for carrying out the method is also described.

This invention concerns apparatus for generating instructions for machines of a manufacturing chain used to manufacture a workpiece. The apparatus comprising a processor arranged to receive a model based definition (MBD) of a workpiece including geometric dimensions and tolerances; receive inputs setting an additive build design for building the workpiece based upon the geometric dimensions; generate additive instructions for an additive manufacturing machine of the manufacturing chain based upon the additive build design; determine a prospective intermediate workpiece product expected from an additive build in accordance with the additive build design; determine differences between the prospective intermediate workpiece product and the model based definition of the workpiece; and generate further instructions for at least one further machine of the manufacturing chain based upon the differences.

Some aspects provide a method of generating a support structure for an object, the support structure and the object to be fabricated via one or more additive fabrication techniques, comprising identifying one or more regions of the object as one or more regions to which mechanical support is to be provided, identifying one or more support points within at least a first region of the one or more regions, and generating the support structure for the object, the support structure comprising one or more support tips coupled to the object at the one or more support points, the support tips being generated based at least in part on a direction normal to the surface of the object at the respective support point.