A method of fabricating a part includes stacking sheets of fusible material to form a stack. The method also includes directing a laser beam through at least one sheet of the stack. The method also includes transferring energy from the laser beam to multiple locations on at least one interface between adjacent sheets of the stack, according to a predetermined pattern corresponding with a design of the part, to form corresponding multiple molten regions. The molten regions are conjoined together to form a fused portion of the adjacent sheets. The fused portion of the adjacent sheets defines the part.

A method and system for fabricating a part includes sectionalizing a computer-generated representation of a part into strata having an order, forming layers corresponding to the strata from sheet material, stacking at least two of the layers in the order, and joining the layers together. The method and system are suitable for producing a phase-change material container for a thermal energy harvesting device, for example.

The present disclosure generally relates to methods and apparatuses for additive manufacturing using foil-based build materials. Such methods and apparatuses eliminate several drawbacks of conventional powder-based methods, including powder handling, recoater jams, and health risks. In addition, the present disclosure provides methods and apparatuses for compensation of in-process warping of build plates and foil-based build materials.

The present disclosure generally relates to methods and apparatuses for additive manufacturing using foil-based build materials. Such methods and apparatuses eliminate several drawbacks of conventional powder-based methods, including powder handling, recoater jams, and health risks. In addition, the present disclosure provides methods and apparatuses for compensation of in-process warping of build plates and foil-based build materials, in-process monitoring, and closed loop control.

The present disclosure generally relates to methods and apparatuses for additive manufacturing using foil-based build materials. Such methods and apparatuses eliminate several drawbacks of conventional powder-based methods, including powder handling, recoater jams, and health risks. In addition, the present disclosure provides methods and apparatuses for compensation of in-process warping of build plates and foil-based build materials, in-process monitoring, and closed loop control.

The present disclosure generally relates to methods and apparatuses for additive manufacturing using foil-based build materials. Such methods and apparatuses eliminate several drawbacks of conventional powder-based methods, including powder handling, recoater jams, and health risks. In addition, the present disclosure provides methods and apparatuses for compensation of in-process warping of build plates and foil-based build materials, in-process monitoring, and closed loop control.

A method and apparatus for laser or plasma cutting of pieces from laminar material wound in coil is provided. The apparatus provides a cutting station, with an operative cutting area and a receiving cavity, means for positioning and holding the laminar material suspended in the operative area above the receiving cavity during cutting operations, an electronic control unit and movable device for selective collection of the machined pieces. The electronic control unit controls the movement of the movable device between an active and a passive position so that that the movable device is in passive position when the cutting head is performing cutting operations generating swarf, letting such swarf to fall inside the cavity, and is in active position when the cutting head is performing cutting operations to detach pieces from the laminar material skeleton, to collect the pieces separately from the swarf and the skeleton.

A lamination manufacturing method for large-sized metal components with complicated structures is provided, relating to a part manufacturing method to solve the problem that traditional machining, entire plastic forming and the existing additive manufacturing method are difficult to manufacture large-sized metal components with complicated special-shape structure and high-performance requirement. The manufacturing method includes the steps: step 1. obtaining a three-dimensional digital model of a large-sized metal component with complicated structure, and dividing the model into a plurality of slice layers; step 2. selecting the actually available metal sheet corresponding to the thickness of each slice layer divided in step 1, and machining each metal sheet to obtain a shaped sheet consistent with the model of each slice layer in step 1; step 3. stacking the shaped sheets obtained through machining of step 2 according to the order of the corresponding slice layers in step 1; and step 4. obtaining a required large-sized metal component with complicated structure after all the shaped sheets are connected into a whole. The present invention is used for shaping large-sized components with complicated deep cavity and inner hole structures.

Disclosed is a method in which flat layers are produced in succession so each newly produced layer is stacked on a previously produced layer or on a flat metal support, each layer having at least one metal strip occupying the entire thickness of the corresponding layer. The production of each layer includes: deposition, during which part of the strip is pressed against the previously produced layer or the support; a fusion step carried out during the deposition step during which only a fused portion of the part is fusion-welded to the previously produced layer or to the support; and repeating the deposition and fusion steps, applying them to corresponding parts of the or each strip offset from each other along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis, such that the fused portions of two of the parts following each other along the second axis overlap.

An aluminum foil rolling process includes: providing first and second aluminum foils, each having first and second faces; lubricating one face between the first and second faces to obtain a first lubricated face; coupling the first and second foils, thereby obtaining a coupled foil having two outer faces; rolling the coupled foil, reducing the thickness of the coupled foil; lubricating one face between the two outer faces of the coupled foil, obtaining a coupled foil having a second lubricated face; winding the coupled foil having the second lubricated face, obtaining a wound coupled foil; partially separating the coupled foil by unwinding one of the first and second foils, obtaining a wound coupled foil; unwinding the wound coupled foil; rolling the coupled foil thereby obtaining a coupled foil with reduced thickness; separating the coupled foil with reduced thickness obtaining a first and second foils with respective first and second reduced thicknesses.