A 3D printing system comprising: a selective solidification module to: form a printed article by processing a build material; and form a printed container encompassing the printed article and a portion of unused build material about the printed article, the printed container defining a first port and a second port fluidly connected to the first port. The 3D printing system further comprises a connector to couple to the first port or second port of the printed container; and a pump fluidly connected to the connector to cause a fluid to flow through the printed container from the first port to the second port such that the printed article is cooled by the fluid flow.

A refractory filter suitable for filtering molten metal, such as steel, and a method and powdered composition for producing said filter. The filter comprises refractory material, said refractory material comprising: 60-90 wt % alumina; 8-30 wt % zirconia; and 3-20 wt % magnesia. The powdered composition comprises: 60-90 wt % alumina; 8-30 wt % zirconia; and 3-20 wt % magnesia, wherein the powdered composition comprises less than 12.5 wt % reactive alumina, calcined alumina or a mixture thereof, and wherein the remainder of the alumina is tabular alumina. The method comprises: providing a powdered composition in accordance with the invention; forming a filter precursor from the powdered composition and a liquid component; and firing the filter precursor to form a refractory filter.

A ceramic core (40) for an investment casting process (80) including a subsurface internal channel (50) for the introduction of leachate (98) to improve the effectiveness of a leaching process used to remove the core (94) from a cast alloy component (100). The subsurface internal channel may be completely hollow, or it may include one or more ribs (54). The core may be formed (82) using a 3D printing process wherein a carrier material (68) is deposited in a central region of the channel for the purpose of supporting an overlying layer (62) of core material, with the carrier material later being removed to reveal the hollow internal channel (52).

The invention relates to an arrangement for the layer-by-layer formation of mouldings from a particulate material, comprising at least one process unit which can be guided to and installed in the arrangement, preferably automatically, and which comprises a printing unit and a coating system with a dynamic filling system; or/and a receiving device for a building container; a preferably automatic feeder for the building container; and an adjustment device for offline preparation of the process unit.

The present disclosure provides three-dimensional (3D) printing methods, apparatuses, systems and/or software to form one or more 3D objects, some of which may be complex. In some embodiments, the one or more 3D objects comprise an overhang portion, such as a ledge or ceiling of a cavity. The methodologies may be used to form overhang portions with diminished deformation, defects and/or auxiliary support structures.

An additive manufacturing apparatus includes a platform, a dispenser configured to deliver a plurality of successive layers of feed material onto the platform, at least one light source configured to generate a first light beam and a second light beam, a polygon mirror scanner, an actuator, and a galvo mirror scanner. The polygon mirror scanner is configured to receive the first light beam and reflect the first light beam towards the platform. Rotation of the first polygon mirror causes the light beam to move in a first direction along a path on a layer of feed material on the platform. The actuator is configured to cause the path to move along a second direction at a non-zero angle relative to the first direction. The galvo mirror scanner system is configured to receive the second light beam and reflect the second light beam toward the platform.

The present disclosure provides a method of making a ceramic article. The method includes (a) obtaining a photopolymerizable slurry or sol including a plurality of ceramic particles distributed in the photopolymerizable slurry or sol and (b) selectively polymerizing the photopolymerizable slurry or sol using actinic radiation and continuous movement of a build substrate through the photopolymerizable slurry or sol to form a gelled article. The method also includes (c) extracting solvent from the gelled article to form an aerogel article or a xerogel article; (d) heat treating the aerogel article or the xerogel article to form a porous ceramic article; and (e) sintering the porous ceramic article to form a sintered ceramic article. The sintered ceramic article exhibits a particular density. Further, additive manufactured ceramic articles are provided that exhibit a particular density, opacity, or both. Preferably, all cross-sectional portions of an interior of the ceramic article having selected dimensions are free of a frequency analysis signal maxima larger than a background signal.

Embodiments relate to the methodology of direct manufacture of a customized labial/lingual orthodontic tube by using a ceramic slurry-based additive manufacturing (AM) technology. For example, a method of manufacturing customized ceramic labial/lingual orthodontic tubes by additive manufacturing may comprise measuring dentition data of a profile of teeth of a patient, based on the dentition data, creating a three-dimensional computer-assisted design (3D CAD) model of the patient's teeth, and saving the 3D CAD model, designing a virtual 3D CAD tube structure model for a single labial or lingual tube structure based upon said 3D CAD model, importing data related to the 3D CAD tube structure model into an additive manufacturing machine, and directly producing the tube with the additive manufacturing machine by layer manufacturing from an inorganic material including at least one of a ceramic, a polymer-derived ceramic, and a polymer-derived metal.

A casting core containing a ceramic and having sufficient mechanical strength to withstand a casting process over a long period of time and good solubility in alkaline solutions. The casting core includes a core, a surface layer, and an intermediate layer between the core and the surface layer. The intermediate layer has a lower relative density than the surface layer and the core.

The present disclosure provides three-dimensional (3D) printing methods, apparatuses, and systems using, inter alia, a controller that regulates formation of at least one 3D object (e.g., in real time during the 3D printing); and a non-transitory computer-readable medium facilitating the same. For example, a controller that regulates a deformation of at least a portion of the 3D object. The control may be in situ control. The control may be real-time control during the 3D printing process. For example, the control may be during a physical-attribute pulse. The present disclosure provides various methods, apparatuses, systems and software for estimating the fundamental length scale of a melt pool, and for various tools that increase the accuracy of the 3D printing.