An additive manufacturing (AM) system includes a carriage that deposits material in a defined pattern and a building platform that receives material deposited from the carriage. The carriage includes a pre-heating assembly with a plurality of pre-heating chambers and a printing block with a plurality of slots for receiving a plurality of printing heads. The carriage is equipped with more pre-heating chambers than head slots.

A system and process for producing a homogenous extrudate powder coating composition having predetermined properties, the system comprising a color library database that is configured to store one or more input formulation data objects capable of use in controlling the inputs and operation of an electronically controlled homogenous extrudate mixer.

A color three-dimensional shaping apparatus includes a data acquisition unit configured to acquire data on a 3D object as input data, a data creation unit configured to create first data regarding shapes of layers obtained by dividing the 3D object into multiple layers and second data regarding a surface color of the 3D object from the input data, a three-dimensional shaping unit configured to three-dimensionally shape the 3D object, based on the first data, a conveyance unit configured to convey a three-dimensional shaped object three-dimensionally shaped by the three-dimensional shaping unit, and a coloring unit configured to impart the surface color to the three-dimensional shaped object conveyed by the conveyance unit, based on the second data.

A process and system for rapidly fabricating small batches of powder coating compositions having desired colors from one or more solid input filaments. An additive manufacturing filament fabricator feeds one or more single-color solid polymer input filaments into a heated mixer in accordance with an input formulation to be liquefied and mixed to produce a homogenous extrudate mixture. The extrudate mixture is solidified on an extrudate receiving platform and is then comminuted by an extrudate mill into a finished powder coating composition having a desired color.

A slicing and printing method for colour 3D physical model with protective film is provided. The method executes a slicing process to colour 3D object data for generating multiple layers of object slice data and colour slice data, generate multiple layers of body slice data and multiple layers of protection slice data according to multiple layers of the object slice data, manufacture multiple layers of body slice physical models according to multiple layers of the body slice data, color each layer of the manufactured body slice physical model according to the same layer of the colour slice data, and use light-transmissive print materials to manufacture multiple layers of protection slice physical models according to multiple layers of the protection slice data. The method can effectively make the manufactured colour 3D physical model be with light-transmissive protective film, and prevent the colour 3D physical model from decolorization.

A 3D printing method using strengthened auxiliary wall is provided. The method is to control a 3D printer to retrieve multiple layers of object print data corresponding to a 3D object, and multiple layers of wall print data and raft print data, print multiple layers of raft slice physical models on a print platform layer by layer according to the raft print data, print multiple layers of wall slice physical models on the printed raft slice physical models layer by layer according to the wall print data, and print multiple layers of 3D slice physical models layer by layer according to the object print data during printing the raft slice physical models and the wall slice physical models. It can effectively prevent the auxiliary wall form collapsing and failure of printing a whole 3D physical model via making a raft structure be arranged under the auxiliary wall.

A 3D printer having a door lock structure includes a housing, a door panel, a door lock structure, a coloring nozzle set, an actuator, and a controller. The door panel is pivotally connected to the housing. The door lock structure is arranged corresponding to the door panel and has a locking position and an unlocking position. The actuator is connected to the door lock structure and drives the door lock structure to lock or unlock the door panel. The controller is electrically connected to the actuator. The controller controls the actuator to drive the door lock structure to the locking position. The controller activates an unlocking mode after a predetermined time after the coloring nozzle set stops operating. In the unlocking mode, the controller controls the actuator to drive the door lock structure to the unlocking position.

Techniques for integrating a machine-readable matrix with a component of a mechanical structure using three-dimensional (3-D) printing are disclosed. Such techniques include generating at least one data model representing the component, and projecting a matrix pattern identifying one or more features of the component onto a selected surface portion of the component to produce a modified data model for use as an input to a 3-D printer.

Provided are a method of manufacturing a three-dimensional object and an ink for manufacturing a three-dimensional object, which are capable of suppressing the scattering of powder when a three-dimensional object is manufactured by laser sintering. The method of manufacturing a three-dimensional object includes: a building material layer forming step of forming a building material layer on a working surface, and the building material layer including a building material in powdered form, which is a raw material for a three-dimensional object, and a solvent for dispersing the building material; a sintering step of sintering the building material included in a building part of the building material layer corresponding to the three-dimensional object; and a removal step of removing an unsintered building material and the solvent from the building material layer such that a sintered building material is left on the working surface.

A method for fabricating a colored 3D object is provided. The method includes: forming, based on layer-structure data of a target object, a layer-structure product by printing of a molding material; forming a layer-print product by printing color inks on the layer-structure product based on layer-color data; and repeatedly forming the layer-print product to provide a plurality of the layer-print products, and fabricating a colored 3D object from the plurality of the layer-print products, stacked one over another. The color inks are printed synchronously or following the formation of the layer-structure product. A system for fabricating a colored 3D object includes a processing terminal, a print head, and a drive controller. The method and system improve a dimensional accuracy and printing efficiency of the colored 3D object.