In one aspect, additive manufacture techniques are described herein which enable the densification of green articles prior to further article processing. In some embodiments, a method of forming an article comprises providing a powder composition, and forming the powder composition into a green article by one or more additive manufacturing techniques. The green article is contacted with a powder pressure transfer media. The green article and powder pressure transfer media are then subjected to cold isostatic pressing (CIP) or warm isostatic pressing (WIP) at a pressure less than minimum isostatic compaction pressure of the powder pressure transfer media to provide a densified green article.

A three-dimensional printing system for reinforced concrete and a nozzle therefore. The system employs an extruder for extruding unreinforced concrete and a concrete reinforcement feeder is for feeding one or more elongate reinforcement members. The nozzle has an outlet and is operatively connected to the extruder and the concrete reinforcement feeder to receive the unreinforced concrete from the extruder and to receive the one or more elongate reinforcement members from the concrete reinforcement feeder. The nozzle combines the unreinforced concrete from the extruder and the one or more elongate reinforcement members from the concrete reinforcement feeder into a reinforced concrete extrusion and imparts the reinforced concrete extrusion through the outlet.

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for producing three-dimensional models by layering technology, and a recoater with a vacuum closure.

An irradiation device for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects may include a beam generation device that includes a plurality of laser diode arrays. Respective ones of the plurality of laser diode arrays may include a plurality of diode emitters respectively configured to emit an energy beam. The plurality of laser diode arrays may be longitudinally offset relative to one another, and the plurality of laser diode arrays may be laterally offset relative to one another.

An irradiation device for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects may include a beam generation device configured to generate an energy beam, an optical modulator including a micromirror array disposed downstream from the beam generation device, and a focusing lens assembly disposed downstream from the optical modulator. The micromirror array may include a plurality of micromirror elements configured to reflect a corresponding plurality of beam segment of the energy beam along a beam path incident upon the focusing lens assembly. The focusing lens assembly may include one or more lenses configured to focus the plurality of beam segments such that for respective ones of a plurality of modulation groups including a subset of micromirror elements, a corresponding subset of beam segments are focused to at least partially overlap with one another at a combination zone corresponding to the respective modulation group.

A method is provided for casting a component. Accordingly, data indicative of at least one location of a unitary core-shell mold which is susceptible to a stress concentration is received. An additive manufacturing process is employed to form the unitary core-shell mold defining a casting cavity. The unitary core-shell mold includes a shell wall defining an outer component shape and a core wall positioned inward of the shell wall. The core wall defines an inner component shape. The core wall and/or the shell wall defines at least one reinforcement recess adjacent to the at least one location which is susceptible to the stress concentration. Following the forming of the unitary core-shell mold, at least one support member is positioned within the reinforcement recess in contact with the at least one location. With the support member in place, the component is cast within the casting cavity.

An electrostatic chuck includes a base plate that is made of a metal; a ceramic plate that is fixed to the base plate and configured to adsorb an object by electrostatic force; and a bonding layer that is provided between the base plate and the ceramic plate to bond the base plate and the ceramic plate to each other. The bonding layer is formed of a composite material including the metal forming the base plate and a ceramic forming the ceramic plate.

An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional work piece is provided. The apparatus comprises an irradiation unit comprising at least one scanning unit configured to scan a radiation beam over an uppermost layer of raw material powder to predetermined sites of the uppermost layer of the raw material powder in order to solidify the raw material powder at the predetermined sites. An axis corresponding to the radiation beam when it impinges on the uppermost layer of raw material powder at an angle of 90° is defined as a central axis for the scanning unit. The apparatus further comprises a control unit configured to receive work piece data indicative of at least one layer of the three-dimensional work piece to be produced, and assign at least a part of a contour of the layer of the three-dimensional work piece to the at least one scanning unit. According to a first aspect, the control unit is configured to generate control data for controlling the irradiation unit, the control data defining a scan strategy of the radiation beam such that for more than 50% of a predefined length, the radiation beam moves away from the central axis, the predefined length being defined as a length the radiation beam moves along the contour assigned to the at least one scanning unit, excluding sections concentric with regard to the central axis. Further, corresponding methods and computer program products are provided.

A 3D printing system for construction includes a 3D printing assembly having a pair of tower assemblies, and a pair of rail assemblies. The pair of tower assemblies are movably disposed on the pair of rail assemblies. Each of the pair of rail assemblies defines a longitudinal axis and the pair of tower assemblies are configured to move on the pair of rail assemblies in a direction along the longitudinal axis. Each of the rail assemblies includes a plurality of rail parts. Each of the rail parts includes at least one track extending along the longitudinal axis, an aligning protrusion at a first end portion thereof, and an aligning groove at a second end portion thereof. The aligning groove is configured to accept the aligning protrusion of an adjacent rail part.

A ceramic foam filter system includes a filter body having multiple tortuous path channels through the filter body to filter a molten liquid. A filter holder configuration defining a canister in a runner passage receives the filter body. An upstream end of the filter body receives the molten liquid having multiple inclusions. A predominant portion of the inclusions are larger than the multiple tortuous path channels and are trapped against the upstream end of the filter body. The multiple tortuous path channels are sized to trap a predominant portion of multiple oxides within the molten liquid as trapped oxides within the filter body. A filtered molten material having the multiple inclusions and the multiple oxides removed is directed from the multiple tortuous path channels as a discharge flow to exit at a downstream end of the filter body.