A method of manufacturing a porous part includes controlled freeze casting of a slurry. After freezing, a solvent in the slurry is removed by sublimation and the remaining material is sintered to form the porous part. Spatial and temporal control of thermal conditions at the boundary and inside of the mold can be controlled to create parts with controlled porosity, including size, distribution, and directionality of the pores. Porous parts with near-net-shape from ceramics, metals, polymers and other materials and their combinations can be created.

An additive manufacturing system includes a platform to support an object to be fabricated, a dispenser to deliver a plurality of layers of a feed material over the platform, a controller configured to store digital data representing a pre-defined pattern, a laser configured to generate a laser beam to impinge an outermost layer of the feed material and coupled to the controller to fuse the feed material in the pre-defined pattern, and a plurality of independently controllable infrared lamps, each infrared lamp directed to a different section of an outermost layer of the feed material.

An additive manufacturing system includes a platform to support an object to be fabricated, a dispenser to deliver a plurality of layers of a feed material over the platform, a controller configured to store digital data representing a pre-defined pattern, a laser configured to generate a laser beam to impinge an outermost layer of the feed material and coupled to the controller to fuse the feed material in the pre-defined pattern, and a plurality of independently controllable infrared lamps, each infrared lamp directed to a different section of an outermost layer of the feed material.

An additive manufacturing system includes a platform to support an object to be fabricated, a dispenser to deliver a plurality of layers of a feed material over the platform, a controller configured to store digital data representing a pre-defined pattern, a laser configured to generate a laser beam to impinge an outermost layer of the feed material and coupled to the controller to fuse the feed material in the pre-defined pattern, and a plurality of independently controllable infrared lamps, each infrared lamp directed to a different section of an outermost layer of the feed material.

An additive manufacturing system includes a platform to support an object to be fabricated, a dispenser to deliver a plurality of layers of a feed material over the platform, a controller configured to store digital data representing a pre-defined pattern, a laser configured to generate a laser beam to impinge an outermost layer of the feed material and coupled to the controller to fuse the feed material in the pre-defined pattern, and a plurality of independently controllable infrared lamps, each infrared lamp directed to a different section of an outermost layer of the feed material.

A method for manufacturing reinforced steel structural components is described. The method comprises providing a previously formed steel structural component, selecting one or more reinforcement zones of the previously formed structural component, and locally depositing a material on the reinforcement zone to create a local reinforcement on a first side of the structural component. Locally depositing a material on the reinforcement zone comprises supplying a metal filler material to the reinforcement zone, and substantially simultaneously applying laser heat to melt the metal filler material and create the reinforcement by drawing specific geometric shapes on the first side of the structural component with the metal filler material and the laser heating. And the method further comprises providing cooling to areas on an opposite side of the structural component. The disclosure further relates to a tool for manufacturing reinforced steel structural components and to the components obtained using such methods.

A method for manufacturing reinforced steel structural components is described. The method comprises providing a previously formed steel structural component, selecting one or more reinforcement zones of the previously formed structural component, and locally depositing a material on the reinforcement zone to create a local reinforcement on a first side of the structural component. Locally depositing a material on the reinforcement zone comprises supplying a metal filler material to the reinforcement zone, and substantially simultaneously applying laser heat to melt the metal filler material and create the reinforcement by drawing specific geometric shapes on the first side of the structural component with the metal filler material and the laser heating. And the method further comprises providing cooling to areas on an opposite side of the structural component. The disclosure further relates to a tool for manufacturing reinforced steel structural components and to the components obtained using such methods.

An additive manufacturing system utilizing an epitaxy process, and method of manufacture, utilizes a heating source and a cooling source to control thermal gradients and a solidification rate of each slice of a workpiece manufactured from a seed having a directional grain microstructure. An energy gun is utilized to melt selected regions of each successive layer of a plurality layers of a powder in a powder bed to successively form each solidified slice of the workpiece.

The disclosure discloses a polycrystalline diamond composite sheet having a continuous gradient transition layer and a 3D printing preparation method thereof. The polycrystalline diamond composite sheet consists of a polycrystalline diamond layer, a continuous gradient transition layer, and a cemented carbide substrate from top to bottom, in which the continuous gradient transition layer consists of diamond and cemented carbide. Along a direction from the cemented carbide substrate to the polycrystalline diamond layer, a content of the cemented carbide in the continuous gradient transition layer decreases from 100% to 0, and a content of the diamond increases from 0 to 100%. By designing and combining the continuous gradient transition layer with 3D printing technology, the disclosure realizes a continuous change in the two materials of diamond and cemented carbide, thereby eliminating the sudden change interface of the materials inside the diamond composite sheet.

The disclosure discloses a polycrystalline diamond composite sheet having a continuous gradient transition layer and a 3D printing preparation method thereof. The polycrystalline diamond composite sheet consists of a polycrystalline diamond layer, a continuous gradient transition layer, and a cemented carbide substrate from top to bottom, in which the continuous gradient transition layer consists of diamond and cemented carbide. Along a direction from the cemented carbide substrate to the polycrystalline diamond layer, a content of the cemented carbide in the continuous gradient transition layer decreases from 100% to 0, and a content of the diamond increases from 0 to 100%. By designing and combining the continuous gradient transition layer with 3D printing technology, the disclosure realizes a continuous change in the two materials of diamond and cemented carbide, thereby eliminating the sudden change interface of the materials inside the diamond composite sheet.