The invention relates to a mold for manufacturing a plastic part, including a first element and a second element forming, in the closed position of the mold, a cavity corresponding to the part to be manufactured, in which the second element includes at least one system for making molding openings in said part, said system including at least one member forming a cavity of an opening for the finished part, said member being movable relative to the second element in the closing direction of the mold, between a retracted position and an position extending into the cavity. The system includes at least one positioning means for positioning the member in the extended position relative to the first element, said system being sized such that, in the extended position of the member, the distance between a surface of the member bearing on the plastic material and the first element enables the formation of a thin layer of plastic material having a repeatable thickness.

Disclosed is a method for unpacking a component 11, produced by means of an additive manufacturing process, from a particulate material fill 9 of loose, unconsolidated particulate material, which is arranged together with the component 11 in a construction space 5 and surrounds the component 11. In order to unpack the component 11, the particulate material fill 9 surrounding the component 11 is transferred into a fluidized bed, so that the loose, unconsolidated particulate material is fluidized, and the fluidized, unconsolidated particulate material is drained downward off the construction space 5. In addition, a device for use in the method is described.

A tire repairing apparatus includes: a tire support portion rotatably supporting a pneumatic tire; and an application mechanism configured to apply an additive that has a softening effect, to a tread portion of the pneumatic tire supported by the tire support portion, thereby causing the additive to permeate into the tread portion

An imprint apparatus that brings a mold and an imprint material on a substrate into contact with each other to form a pattern of the imprint material on the substrate is provided. The apparatus comprises a supplying unit configured to supply the imprint material to the substrate, and a control unit configured to control the supplying unit in accordance with arrangement data of the imprint material that indicates a position where the imprint material is to be supplied on the substrate, wherein the control unit determines the arrangement data based on a feature related to a spread of a droplet of the imprint material on the substrate.

A process for surface treatment of an object, including the following steps: dipping the object in a solution comprising a concentrated acid or a mixture of concentrated acids, and having a pH of between 0 and 2, in order to impregnate the surface of the object, removing the object from the acid solution, heating the object at a temperature of between 140° C. and 180° C., until melting of the surface is obtained, and cooling the object. The process according to the presently disclosed embodiment applies in particular, but not exclusively, to objects resulting from additive manufacture techniques.

The present application relates to a method for post-processing a powder-based additively manufactured part. The method comprising the steps of providing a powder-based additively manufactured part, the additively manufactured part comprising a material having a melting point, providing a fluid for processing the additively manufactured part in order to improve the surface finish of the additively manufactured part, wherein the fluid comprises at least one solvent selected from an organic ester, an aromatic organic compound or an acetal, a heating step, wherein the fluid is heated; and an application step, wherein the heated fluid is applied to a surface of the additively manufactured part. It has been found this process can help to improve the surface finish of the additively manufactured part, e.g. resulting in a less rough (i.e. smoother) surface finish.

A method of cleaning residual resin from an additively manufactured object, includes: (a) enclosing an additively manufactured object in an inner chamber of a centrifugal separator, the additively manufactured object including a light polymerized resin with a surface coating of viscous, unpolymerized, residual resin; (b) flooding the chamber with a volatile organic solvent vapor without contacting liquid organic solvent to the object, the vapor present in an amount sufficient to reduce the viscosity of the residual resin; and (c) spinning the additively manufactured object in the chamber to centrifugally separate at least a first portion of the residual resin from the object.

The present invention provides methods, processes, and systems for the manufacture of three-dimensional articles made of polymers using 3D printing. A layer of prepolymer is deposited on a build plate to form a powder bed. The deposited powder bed is heated to about 50° C. to about 170° C. Then, a solution of activating agent is printed on the powder bed in a predetermined pattern, and a stimulus is applied converting the prepolymer to the final polymer. After a predetermined period of time, sequential layers are printed to provide the three-dimensional article. The three-dimensional object can be cured to produce the three-dimensional article composed of the final polymers.

Methods are disclosed including thermally processing a scaffold to increase the radial strength of the scaffold when the scaffold is deployed from a crimped state to a deployed state such as a nominal deployment diameter. The thermal processing may further maintain or increase the expansion capability of the scaffold when expanded beyond the nominal diameter.

The present invention provides a process for modifying the surface of a polyvinyl alcohol film or fabric by applying heat and pressure to the film or fabric to increase the moisture on the surface which is held by the fabric and to coalesce the surface fibers and reduce the porosity of the surface.