An apparatus and method for treating a plastic molded article. The apparatus includes a treatment chamber that can be closed and temperature-controlled. A vapor generating unit generates vapor of a treatment liquid. A fluid connection between the treatment chamber and the vapor generating unit feeds vapor to the treatment chamber and returns condensate back to the treatment chamber. A pressure equalizing device transfers waste air at atmospheric pressure and equalizes pressure with the atmospheric pressure during treatment. The pressure equalizing device retains vapor and prevents vapor from escaping into the atmosphere. A vapor phase is generated by heating a treatment liquid to its boiling point. The treatment liquid includes a solvent that dissolves or solubilizes the plastic. The article is exposed to the vapor phase for a predetermined time and removed from the vapor phase. Residual treatment liquid present on the article is removed.

The invention relates to an installation (1) for the three-dimensional printing of a medical device directly at a location where the medical device is to be used.

According to the invention, the installation comprises a container (2) comprising inside it: a production module (3) comprising a 3D printer (6); a clean room (4) comprising means (12) for washing and disinfection of the printed medical device, and a machine (13) for packaging the washed and disinfected medical device.

Apparatus (1) for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects (2) by means of successive layerwise selective consolidation of layers of a build material (3) which can be consolidated by means of an energy source (4), which apparatus (1) comprises an optical unit (10) with at least one optical surface (9) arranged in a process chamber (6) of the apparatus (1), wherein the apparatus (1) comprises at least one determination device (12) with at least one light source (13) and at least one determination unit (14) adapted to determine at least one radiation parameter of radiation (15) emitted from the light source (13) and reflected at the optical surface (9) of the optical unit (10), wherein the determination device (12) is adapted to determine at least one condition information of the optical unit (10) based on the determined radiation parameter.

Described herein are 3D printers capable of printing high-performance materials and uses thereof.

Described herein are 3D printers capable of printing high-performance materials and uses thereof.

Examples of a laser additive manufacturing system are described. The system comprises a laser configured to generate a laser beam, a fiber optic coupled to the laser to transmit the laser beam to a laser optic head that is coupled to the fiber optic and comprises a focus lens to focus the light beam. The laser optic head is configured to slide along a sliding mechanism in X-direction. A powder feeder is used to continuously move in Y-direction and dispense an uniform layer of powdered material onto a powder bad that is positioned on a build plate of the building chamber. The build plate is configured to move in Z-direction. The light beam generated by the laser is focused using the laser optic head onto a small region of the powder bed where the powdered material is positioned producing small volumes of melt pools that are then cooled and a new layer of powdered material is dispensed over it.

Examples of a laser additive manufacturing system are described. The system comprises a laser configured to generate a laser beam, a fiber optic coupled to the laser to transmit the laser beam to a laser optic head that is coupled to the fiber optic and comprises a focus lens to focus the light beam. The laser optic head is configured to slide along a sliding mechanism in X-direction. A powder feeder is used to continuously move in Y-direction and dispense an uniform layer of powdered material onto a powder bad that is positioned on a build plate of the building chamber. The build plate is configured to move in Z-direction. The light beam generated by the laser is focused using the laser optic head onto a small region of the powder bed where the powdered material is positioned producing small volumes of melt pools that are then cooled and a new layer of powdered material is dispensed over it.

A 3D printing system comprising: a selective solidification module to: form a printed article by processing a build material; and form a printed container encompassing the printed article and a portion of unused build material about the printed article, the printed container defining a first port and a second port fluidly connected to the first port. The 3D printing system further comprises a connector to couple to the first port or second port of the printed container; and a pump fluidly connected to the connector to cause a fluid to flow through the printed container from the first port to the second port such that the printed article is cooled by the fluid flow.

A 3D printing system comprising: a selective solidification module to: form a printed article by processing a build material; and form a printed container encompassing the printed article and a portion of unused build material about the printed article, the printed container defining a first port and a second port fluidly connected to the first port. The 3D printing system further comprises a connector to couple to the first port or second port of the printed container; and a pump fluidly connected to the connector to cause a fluid to flow through the printed container from the first port to the second port such that the printed article is cooled by the fluid flow.

In the context of an extrusion deposition modeling to form three-dimensional objects, adhesion of extruded materials to a build surface is achieved by preparing the build surface using an intermediary coating that substantially adheres to the build surface, and a bondable particulate material, applied to the intermediary coating, that becomes affixed to the intermediary coating and provides a surface to which the extruded materials may attach.