A surgical retractor for illuminating a surgical field includes an ergonomic handle, a retractor blade coupled with the handle, a quick release mechanism, and an illuminator blade. The retractor blade is adapted to engage and retract tissue, and the quick release mechanism is adapted to couple the handle with the retractor blade. The illuminator blade acts as a waveguide to transmit light by total internal reflection. Light is extracted from the illuminator to illuminate the surgical field. The retractor blade is releasable from the handle without requiring uncoupling of the illuminator blade from the handle and also without requiring optical uncoupling of the illuminator blade from a light source. The retractor may also be adapted to evacuate smoke from the surgical field.

Methods and apparatuses for additive manufacturing are described. A method for additive manufacturing may include exposing a layer of material on a build surface to one or more projections of laser energy including at least one line laser having a substantially linear shape. The intensity of the line laser may be modulated so as to cause fusion of the layer of material according to a desired pattern as the one or more projections of laser energy are scanned across the build surface.

Methods and apparatuses for additive manufacturing are described. A method for additive manufacturing may include exposing a layer of material on a build surface to one or more projections of laser energy including at least one line laser having a substantially linear shape. The intensity of the line laser may be modulated so as to cause fusion of the layer of material according to a desired pattern as the one or more projections of laser energy are scanned across the build surface.

In a three-dimensional printing method example, a liquid functional agent is selectively applied. The liquid functional agent includes an alloying agent. A metallic build material is applied. The liquid functional agent is selectively applied before the metallic build material, after the metallic build material, or both before and after the metallic build material. The liquid functional agent patterns the metallic build material to form a composite layer. At least some of the metallic build material is exposed to energy to melt the at least some of the metallic build material to form a layer. Upon contact or after energy exposure, the alloying agent and the build material alter a composition of the composite layer.

The present invention relates to an additive manufacturing wire, containing, in terms of % by mass, 0%<Si≤2.0%, 0%<Mn≤6.0%, 3.0%≤Ni≤15.0%, 20.0%≤Cr≤30.0%, 1.0%≤Mo≤5.0%, 0%<N≤0.50%, with a balance being Fe and unavoidable impurities, in which C≤0.10% is satisfied, and 27<A<67 is satisfied, when Cr.sub.eq is defined as Cr+Mo+1.5Si+0.5(Nb+W)+2(Ti+Al), Ni.sub.eq is defined as Ni+30C+20N+0.5(Mn+Cu+Co), and A is defined as −16.2+6.3Cr.sub.eq−9.3Ni.sub.eq, here, in the definition of Cr.sub.eq and Ni.sub.eq, each element symbol indicates a content of the each element in units of % by mass.

The present invention relates to an additive manufacturing wire, containing, in terms of % by mass, 0%<Si≤2.0%, 0%<Mn≤6.0%, 3.0%≤Ni≤15.0%, 20.0%≤Cr≤30.0%, 1.0%≤Mo≤5.0%, 0%<N≤0.50%, with a balance being Fe and unavoidable impurities, in which C≤0.10% is satisfied, and 27<A<67 is satisfied, when Cr.sub.eq is defined as Cr+Mo+1.5Si+0.5(Nb+W)+2(Ti+Al), Ni.sub.eq is defined as Ni+30C+20N+0.5(Mn+Cu+Co), and A is defined as −16.2+6.3Cr.sub.eq−9.3Ni.sub.eq, here, in the definition of Cr.sub.eq and Ni.sub.eq, each element symbol indicates a content of the each element in units of % by mass.

The present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for cleaning a 3D printed article, in particular a 3D printed heat exchanger. After 3D printing, an article may have internal passages formed from bonded powder and said passages may contain unbonded powder that needs to be removed before further use of/processing of the article. To remove this unbonded powder, the article is filled with a cleaning fluid and vibrated. The cleaning fluid is then pumped out of the article and past a sensor that generates a magnetic field. The sensor detects the presence of powder particles in the fluid by detecting a perturbation of the magnetic field caused by said particles. The fluid is then filtered and returned to a reservoir for use. The sensor may indicate the article is sufficiently clean when a detected concentration of particles in the fluid drops below a threshold.

Provided herein are curable compositions for use in a high temperature lithography-based photopolymerization process, a method of producing crosslinked polymers using said curable compositions, crosslinked polymers thus produced, and orthodontic appliances comprising the crosslinked polymers.

An additive manufacturing system includes an ultrasonic inspection system integrated in such a way as to minimize time needed for an inspection process. The inspection system may have an ultrasonic phased array integrated into a build table for detecting defects in each successive slice of a workpiece and such that each slice may be re-melted if and when defects are detected.

An additive manufacturing system includes an ultrasonic inspection system integrated in such a way as to minimize time needed for an inspection process. The inspection system may have an ultrasonic phased array integrated into a build table for detecting defects in each successive slice of a workpiece and such that each slice may be re-melted if and when defects are detected.