A polymeric material used for 3D printing is preheated, at a first zone in a 3D printer, to a temperature in excess of its glass transition temperature prior to being melted, at a second zone, for incorporation into a build object. This enables the polymer to be processed more rapidly than in the prior art.

The present invention relates to a method of shaping a cured thermosetting resin substrate, and more particularly to a method of shaping a cured thermosetting resin using electromagnetic radiation, said method comprises providing a cured thermosetting resin substrate; providing a confined temperature controlling environment; placing the cured thermosetting resin substrate in the confined temperature controlling environment; providing a source of electromagnetic radiation; irradiating the cured thermosetting resin substrate in the confined temperature controlling environment; and shaping the irradiated thermosetting resin substrate.

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 method of moulding (10; 20) and apparatus (108; 208; 308) therefor, in which a workpiece (100) is preheated and/or post-cooled before and/or after a moulding process, allowing optimal use of the tool for high precision moulding operations.

Provided is an apparatus for heating plastic parisons, including a transport device or transporter, which transports the plastic parisons at least in sections along a predefined transport path, wherein the transport device or transporter has a plurality of holding devices or holders for holding the plastic parisons, with a heating device or heaters for heating the plastic parisons at least at times, while they are being transported by the transport device or transporters, wherein the apparatus has at least one heat shielding device or heat shield which is suitable and intended to counteract the heating of mouth regions of the plastic parisons.

A method for forming a composite part of a gas turbine engine. The method includes assembling the composite part of a first composite material and a second composite material. The second composite material defines an outer surface of the composite part, and is selected to be curable at a cure temperature generated by heat from operation of the engine. The first composite material is selected to have an operating temperature limit less than the cure temperature. The method includes placing the composite part within the engine so that, in use, the second composite material is cured by exposure to the heat generated from operation of the engine. The second composite material thermally shields the first composite material from the heat generated from operation of the engine. The method includes operating the engine to cure the second composite material.

An apparatus for thermally processing a relief image printing element and a method of using the same are described. The printing element comprises at least one photopolymer layer and is selectively exposed to actinic radiation to crosslink portions of the at least one photopolymer layer. The apparatus comprises: (a) means for supporting the printing element; (b) heating means for melting or softening non-crosslinked portions of the at least one photopolymer layer; (c) at least one rotatable roll that is capable of bringing a blotting material into contact with the at least one photopolymer layer to remove the melted or softened non-crosslinked portions of the at least one photopolymer layer; and (d) an element arranged adjacent to the at least one rotatable roll for removing non-crosslinked photopolymer remaining on a surface of the at least one rotatable roll after step c). The apparatus may alternatively be operated without a blotting material.

A method involves heating fiber-reinforced semi-finished products of differing wall thickness to a required temperature above the glass transition range or the matrix melting temperature of a plastic matrix of the semi-finished product to be heated. In a first step, the semi-finished product to be heated is heated by thermal conduction to below the glass transition range or the matrix melting temperature. In a further step, the remaining amount of heat for reaching the required temperature above the glass transition range or the matrix melting temperature is introduced by thermal radiation or thermal convection.

A method for forming a composite part of a gas turbine engine. The method includes assembling the composite part of a first composite material and a second composite material. The second composite material defines an outer surface of the composite part, and is selected to be curable at a cure temperature generated by heat from operation of the engine. The first composite material is selected to have an operating temperature limit less than the cure temperature. The method includes placing the composite part within the engine so that, in use, the second composite material is cured by exposure to the heat generated from operation of the engine. The second composite material thermally shields the first composite material from the heat generated from operation of the engine. The method includes operating the engine to cure the second composite material.

A system for controlling the temperature of a film before and/or during application, the system including: a heat source for heating a film; and stretch rollers; wherein the heat source heats the film from an ambient temperature to a temperature from about 2 C. to about 40 C. above the ambient temperature, wherein the film is heated prior to or simultaneous to being stretched by the stretch rollers, and wherein the ambient temperature is below 15 C. The preheating system may be used to enhance binding and sealing properties of stretch films used for wrapping palletized products in a reduced temperature environment. Other embodiments of the preheating film system, and methods for its use, are described herein.