Methods for making inflatable interior panel arrangements for motor vehicles are provided. In one example, a method for making inflatable interior panel arrangement for a motor vehicle includes introducing a molding material into a molding tool that has tooling surfaces. The molding material is contacted with a first tooling surface of the tooling surfaces having a tooling surface temperature different than tooling surface tempe. The molding tool is closed such that the tooling surfaces define a substantially enclosed cavity in the molding tool. An inflatable interior panel is formed comprising rotating the molding tool to cover the tooling surfaces of the substantially enclosed cavity with the molding material. The inflatable interior panel comprises an inflatable bladder section and an outer panel section that is integrally coupled to the inflatable bladder section and that has a panel portion stiffness greater than a bladder portion stiffness of the inflatable bladder section.

Liquid radiation curable compositions are disclosed which are suitable for hybrid (i.e. cationic and free-radical) polymerization when processed via additive fabrication equipment utilizing sources of actinic radiation with peak spectral intensities in the UV/vis region. Also disclosed are methods of creating three-dimensional parts via additive fabrication processes utilizing sources of actinic radiation with peak spectral intensities in the UV/vis region employing liquid radiation curable compositions suitable for hybrid polymerization, and the parts cured therefrom.

A process for forming a register box has a body formed with a plurality of side panels arranged in a generally square or rectangular configuration with a wall extending transverse to the side panels. A plurality of circular areas are cut into the wall. An expandable polymeric foam material is introduced into an interior of the body. The body is positioned in a fixture such that the wall is juxtaposed against a surface of the fixture. A plug is inserted into the interior of the body. The expandable polymeric foam material is expanded in the interior of the body such that the expandable polymeric foam material solidifies across the wall and around the plug. The plug is then removed from the body and the body is then removed from the fixture.

An imaging system for a three-dimensional printer includes a light source component, at least one pattern determining element, a light splitter, a light directing component, and a lens component. The light source component emits a first light and a second light having different wavelengths. The pattern determining element provides the first light and the second light with a first pattern and a second pattern respectively. The light splitter directs the first light and the second light to different directions respectively. The light directing component guides at least one of the first light and the second light, such that the first light and the second light go to a first plane and a second plane respectively. The lens component includes a first lens group and a second lens group, configured to image the first pattern and the second pattern onto the first plane and the second plane respectively.

A three-dimensional printing apparatus that forms a three-dimensional object using cross-sectional shapes of the object includes a controller that is configured or programmed to include a dividing unit that divides a cross-sectional shape into a plurality of blocks, a shape determining unit that determines whether one of the blocks has a predetermined shape and defines the block having the predetermined shape as a characteristic block, a count determining unit that determines whether the proportion of the number of the characteristic blocks to the total number of the blocks is equal to or greater than a predetermined proportion, and a light application unit that sets the energy of light from a light source to a first energy or to a second energy being lower than the first energy depending on the proportion, when applying the light to a photocurable resin in a region corresponding to the characteristic blocks.

A three-dimensional object printer varies the finish in exposed surfaces of a printed object. The printer includes a controller operatively connected to at least two ejector heads, a leveling device, a curing device, and an actuator that is operatively connected to a member to which the at least two ejector heads, the leveling device, and the curing device are mounted. The controller is configured to detect a next layer to be formed being within a predetermined number of layers before an exposed surface is formed, to modify rendered data for the layers within the predetermined number of layers received from the source of rendered data, and to operate a plurality of ejectors in the at least two ejector heads with reference to the modified rendered data to apply a finish to the exposed surface.

Provided among other things is a method of forming a composite glove with a grip texture, comprising: (a) providing a coagulant-coated support layer that is a fabric layer or a polymeric layer; (b) dip applying to the support layer a foamed polymer dispersion comprising about 0.5% to about 2.0% by weight hygroscopic agent; (c) allowing a portion of the applied foamed polymer dispersion to coagulate based the coagulant diffusing from the support layer to form a partially coagulated foam layer; (d) washing the partially coagulated foam layer to remove uncoagulated polymer to form a coagulated foam layer; and (e) vulcanizing the coagulated foam layer to form a vulcanized open foam layer laminated to the support.

An enhanced digital light processing-based mask projection stereolithography method and apparatus are disclosed, where the apparatus comprises: a control platform capable of slicing a model of a to-be-prototyped object into layers, converting the layer into a bitmap, and further dividing the layer into a main body area and boundary filling areas; a digital light processing unit that is controlled by the control platform and capable of emitting a first light beam used for the corresponding main body area of the layer of the to-be-prototyped object; and a laser marking unit that is controlled by the control platform and capable of emitting a second light beam used for the corresponding boundary filling areas of the layer of the to-be-prototyped object. The present invention can not only implement high-speed prototyping but also avoid an edge distortion, thereby improving precision of object prototyping.

A solid freeform fabrication material set includes a first solid freeform fabrication liquid material including a solvent, a resin A soluble in the solvent, and an inorganic particle; and a second solid freeform fabrication liquid material including a resin B soluble in water and a second colorant.

Three-dimensional objects are formed by photo-curing a liquid polymer by exposure to a radiation in a space between a sheet transparent to the radiation and a supporting plate. On a side of the sheet facing towards the photo-curing liquid polymer, a membrane is arranged. The membrane is transparent to the radiation and covered by a layer of liquid lubricant. The membrane is displaceable with respect to an area in which said liquid polymer is undergoing curing by exposure to the radiation, which radiation (e.g., at 410 nm) may be provided by a collimated light source composed of an array of light emitting diode (LED) sources, an array of baffles, and an array of lenses. The baffles limit beam widths of each individual LED source in the array of LED, and the array of lenses is located one focal length from said array of LED sources.