A mold assembly for forming a film includes a transparent bottom mold, a top mold, a case, and a lighting member. The transparent bottom mold defines a cavity for receiving a workpiece and a plurality of liquid compositions. The top mold is matched with the bottom mold to accommodate the workpiece between the bottom mold and the top mold. The case receives the bottom mold and the top mold placed therein. Air in the case is exhausted from the case to coat the plurality of liquid composition on the workpiece. The lighting member emits light on the liquid compositions to solidify the liquid compositions to form a film on the workpiece.

The invention relates to an irradiation and molding unit which can be cooled for curing light-curable polymer compositions, a method for preparing cured polymer moldings or articles coated with cured polymers by using the irradiation and molding unit which can be cooled, as well as the use of such irradiation unit for preparing polymer moldings or polymer coated articles.

Suspended lenses in a spacer wafer and lens-in-a-pocket structures are replicated from UV-transparent molds. The fabrication of UV-transparent molds can include providing a substrate with pedestals, fabricating a lens on each pedestal using a step-and-repeat process, replicating an intermediate mold from the substrate with pedestals having lenses on the pedestals, and replicating a UV-transparent mold from the intermediate mold. The fabrication of UV-transparent molds can also include providing a substrate with holes, fabricating a lens in each hole and replicating a UV-transparent mold from the substrate with the holes having the lenses.

Evacuable, stable mold having a design obtained by thermal deformation at temperatures 240 C. and corresponding to a fiber composite plastic component to be produced, consisting of an at least two-layered thermoplastic, vacuum-tight plastic film from a surface layer which is made of at least one thermoplastic polyamide or copolyimide, which has optionally functional groups, and a separating layer which form the inner side and is made of at least one thermoplastic fluorinated copolymer which has functional groups.

A method of forming a film on a component includes providing a curing device. The curing device includes a grooved receiving die, a suction device, and a UV curing system. The suction device vacuum-lifts the component into the groove and a gap between the component and the groove is thus created. A vacuum is created in the gap and a UV curing glue is injected into the gap, the UV curing glue being selected from a monomer, an oligomer, and a photoinitiator. The UV curing glue is cured by the UV curing system and the component with a cured film is easily demolded.

A mold assembly for forming a film includes a transparent bottom mold, a top mold, a case, and a lighting member. The transparent bottom mold defines a cavity for receiving a work piece and a plurality of liquid compositions. The top mold is matched with the bottom mold to accommodate the work piece between the bottom mold and the top mold. The case receives the bottom mold and the top mold placed therein. Air in the case is exhausted from the case to coat the plurality of liquid composition on the work piece. The lighting member emits light on the liquid compositions to solidify the liquid compositions to form a film on the work piece.

A method of forming a three-dimensional object is described. The method may use a polymerizable liquid, or resin, useful for the production by additive manufacturing of a three-dimensional object, comprising a mixture of (i) a light polymerizable liquid first component, and (ii) a second solidifiable component that is different from said first component.

A method of forming a three-dimensional object is carried out by: (a) providing a carrier and an optically transparent member having a build surface, the carrier and the build surface defining a build region therebetween; (b) filling the build region with a polymerizable liquid, the polymerizable liquid including a mixture of (i) a light polymerizable liquid first component, and (ii) a second solidifiable component that is different from the first component; (c) irradiating the build region with light through the optically transparent member to form a solid polymer scaffold from the first component and also advancing the carrier away from the build surface to form a three-dimensional intermediate having the same shape as, or a shape to be imparted to, the three-dimensional object, and containing the second solidifiable component carried in the scaffold in unsolidified and/or uncured form; and (d) concurrently with or subsequent to the irradiating step, solidifying and/or curing the second solidifiable component in the three-dimensional intermediate to form the three-dimensional object.

There is provided a method of forming a structure that is in contact with an object, the method comprising: (i) supporting a flowable precursor with a flowable support at a position that allows said flowable precursor to be in contact with the object; and (ii) crosslinking at least part of the flowable precursor that is in contact with the object to form a structure that is in contact with the object, wherein a top surface of the part of the flowable precursor that is to be crosslinked, is in interface with a fluid medium. Also provided is a system for performing the method.

A method of forming a three-dimensional object is carried out by: (a) providing a carrier and an optically transparent member having a build surface, the carrier and the build surface defining a build region therebetween; (b) filling the build region with a polymerizable liquid, the polymerizable liquid including a mixture of (i) a light polymerizable liquid first component, and (ii) a second solidifiable component that is different from the first component; (c) irradiating the build region with light through the optically transparent member to form a solid polymer scaffold from the first component and also advancing the carrier away from the build surface to form a three-dimensional intermediate having the same shape as, or a shape to be imparted to, the three-dimensional object, and containing the second solidifiable component carried in the scaffold in unsolidified and/or uncured form; and (d) concurrently with or subsequent to the irradiating step, solidifying and/or curing the second solidifiable component in the three-dimensional intermediate to form the three-dimensional object.