An article and a method of forming an article are provided. The article includes a thermoplastic build material and a polymeric support material. The polymeric support material is selectively removable from the thermoplastic build material through immersion in a solvent. The method of forming an article includes forming a part through additive manufacturing with a thermoplastic build material and a polymeric support material, immersing the part in a solvent, selectively softening the polymeric support material with the solvent, removing the part from the solvent, and separating the polymeric support material from the thermoplastic build material. Another method of forming an article includes forming a part through additive manufacturing with a thermoplastic build material and a polymeric support material, immersing the part in a solvent, selectively dissolving the polymeric support material with the solvent, and removing the thermoplastic build material from the solvent.

A method of infusing, infiltrating, or impregnating a three dimensional printed, free-form fabricated or additive manufactured object having at least one of pores and voids in or between particles or sheets of material from which the object is manufactured may include immersing the object in a thermoplastics material such that the thermoplastics material penetrates the object. The method may further include controlling a frequency and an amplitude of pressure oscillation such that the thermoplastics material at least partially fills the at least one of pores and voids and bonds the particles or sheets of material from which the object is manufactured.

A device and method for smoothing a surface of an article formed at least partially from plastic, in particular a component of a motor vehicle, is provided. The method includes arranging the article in a vacuum-tight chamber, reducing the pressure in the chamber to a partial vacuum of not more than 50 kPa, in particular not more than 34 kPa, and admitting acetone into the chamber. Some of the acetone is vaporized and the vapor is precipitated on the surface of the article. In one form, the precipitated vapor acts on the article for at least 1 minute. The method further includes opening the chamber, so that at least the ambient pressure prevails in the chamber and removing the article from the chamber.

A debinder provides for debinding printed green parts in an additive manufacturing system. The debinder can include a storage chamber, a process chamber, a distill chamber, a waste chamber, and a condenser. The storage chamber stores a liquid solvent for debinding the green part. The process chamber debinds the green part using a volume of the liquid solvent transferred from the storage chamber. The distill chamber collects a solution drained from the process chamber and produces a solvent vapor from the solution. The condenser condenses the solvent vapor to the liquid solvent and transfer the liquid solvent to the storage chamber. The waste chamber collects a waste component of the solution.

Provided herein are methods of forming a three-dimensional object, which may be carried out by: (a) forming a three-dimensional intermediate by polymerization of a polymerizable liquid in an additive manufacturing process, the polymerizable liquid comprising a light polymerizable component; then (b) contacting at least a portion of the three-dimensional intermediate to a penetrant fluid, the penetrant fluid carrying a solidifiable component, the contacting step carried out under conditions in which the solidifiable component penetrates into the three-dimensional intermediate; (c) optionally but preferably separating the three-dimensional intermediate from the penetrant fluid; and then (d) solidifying and/or curing the solidifiable component in the three-dimensional intermediate to form the three-dimensional object.Provided herein are methods of forming a three-dimensional object, which may be carried out by: (a) forming a three-dimensional intermediate by polymerization of a polymerizable liquid in an additive manufacturing process, the polymerizable liquid comprising a light polymerizable component; then (b) contacting at least a portion of the three-dimensional intermediate to a penetrant fluid, the penetrant fluid carrying a solidifiable component, the contacting step carried out under conditions in which the solidifiable component penetrates into the three-dimensional intermediate; (c) optionally but preferably separating the three-dimensional intermediate from the penetrant fluid; and then (d) solidifying and/or curing the solidifiable component in the three-dimensional intermediate to form the three-dimensional object.

A method of forming a three-dimensional object, which method includes a cleaning or washing step, is carried out by: (a) providing a carrier and a fill level, and optionally an optically transparent member having a build surface defining the fill level, the carrier and the fill level having a build region therebetween; (b) filling the build region with a polymerizable liquid, the polymerizable liquid comprising 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, 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; (d) washing the three-dimensional intermediate; and (e) concurrently with or subsequent to the irradiating step, and/or the washing step, solidifying and/or curing the second solidifiable component in the three-dimensional intermediate to form the three-dimensional object.

The invention relates to a method for producing an at least partially coated object, comprising the step of producing the object from a construction material by means of an additive manufacturing method, the construction material comprising a thermoplastic polyurethane material. Following the production of the object, the method comprises the step of at least partially bringing a preparation into contact with the object, the preparation being selected from: an aqueous polyurethane dispersion; an aqueous dispersion of a polymer comprising OH groups, this dispersion also containing a compound comprising NCO groups; an aqueous preparation of a compound containing NCO groups, but not containing any polymers comprising OH groups; or a combination of at least two thereof. The invention also relates to an at least partially coated object that was obtained by a method according to the invention.

A device comprising; a controller arranged to receive data for an article to print; a sub-device comprising a resin source arranged to provide material for printing the article; a radiation source arranged to direct radiation for the printing of said article; a plurality of stations, said stations including a printing tank in which the article is printed, at least one cleaning station for cleaning the printed article and a curing station arranged to at least partially complete the curing of the printed article; a build surface upon which the article is arranged to be printed; wherein controller is arranged to move the build surface and the plurality of stations relative to each other.

The present invention relates to a process for treating a polyamide-based material comprising silica fibers and/or fillers, by impregnation with at least one hydrophobic additive in supercritical CO.sub.2.

The invention also relates to a polyamide-based material comprising silica fibers and/or fillers and impregnated with at least one hydrophobic additive, obtained via such a process, and to the use thereof as an electrically insulating component in an electrical device, in particular in a circuit breaker.

The present invention relates to a post processing arrangement for shaped bodies manufactured additively by photopolymerization, which has a cleaning station for cleaning and a finishing station for post-exposure of the shaped body, characterized in that the cleaning station and the finishing station are housed in a housing (2), capable of standing on a horizontal stand surface, in which the cleaning station (22) is housed in a lower section (20) and the finishing station (42) is housed in an upper section (40) lying vertically above it, wherein the lower and upper sections can be connected to each other by a passage with a closure (24) which can be opened, in that a vertical lifting apparatus (44) with a vertical guide (46) and a holder (48), vertically displaceable thereon, to which the shaped body (1) can be directly or indirectly secured, runs through the finishing station in order to be able to transport the shaped body back and forth between cleaning station (22) and finishing station (42), in that a control apparatus (4) integrated into the housing is set up to control the operation of the lifting apparatus (44), the closure (24) and the cleaning and finishing stations such that, after the shaped body (1) has been positioned on the holder and after the closure (24) has been opened, the lifting apparatus (44) lowers the shaped body into a basin (26) of the cleaning station (22); to control the operation of the cleaning station for cleaning the shaped body; after completion of the operation of the cleaning station (22), to displace the shaped body (1) upwards into the finishing station (42) using the lifting apparatus (44); to close the closure (24) of the passage and then to control the operation of the finishing station (24) for the post-exposure.