A composite material for use as a deposition material in an additive manufacturing system comprises a polymer component, a filler component, and an extrudability component. The extrudability component is present in the composite material is an amount of from 0.05 wt % to 10 wt % based on the weight of the composite material, and can comprise polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS). The polymer component comprises a high temperature polymer such as an engineering polymer or a high performance polymer. The filler component comprises at least one of a conductive component and a strengthening component. In some cases, the conductive component is present in an amount such that the composite material is formed as one of an electrostatic discharge (ESD) material and an EMI/EMC shielding material. The composite material can be deposited in a liquid state on a substrate using an additive manufacturing system, to produce a three-dimensional object.

A method of manufacturing a polymer composite having an embedded functionality includes the following steps: providing a dry non-conductive fiber fabric having a nominal weight from 25-600 g/m.sup.2; selecting a paste having viscosity below 600 Pa-s, the paste being a conductive paste, dielectric paste and/or a sensing paste; and applying the selected paste on the dry non-conductive fiber woven fabric by either screen-printing or micro-dispensing, thus making a printed functionality. The method further includes the step of forming a laminate having the dry non-conductive fiber woven fabric having the printed functionality and at least one additional fabric or core; and obtaining a polymer composite from the laminate.

The present disclosure is drawn to 3-dimensional printed parts that can include a conductive composite portion and an insulating portion. The conductive composite portion can include a matrix of fused thermoplastic polymer particles interlocked with a matrix of sintered elemental transition metal particles. The insulating portion can include a matrix of fused thermoplastic polymer particles that are continuous with the matrix of fused thermoplastic polymer particles in the conductive composite portion. The insulating portion can be substantially free of sintered elemental transition metal particles and can include transition metal oxide bronze particles.

An arrangement includes a fiber-reinforced composite component or assembly and a monitoring device. The composite component or assembly includes at least first and second reinforcing fiber formation sections stitched to each other using a yarn to connect the fiber formation sections along a seam, the yarn being electrically conductive along a length thereof. The monitoring device is configured and coupled to the yarn so as to be capable of sending an electrical input signal along at least a section of the yarn that forms the seam or part thereof and receiving a response signal on the yarn. Furthermore, an aircraft or spacecraft is provided including at least one arrangement of this type, as well as a method of producing an arrangement including a fiber-reinforced composite component or composite assembly, and a method of monitoring the structural integrity of a fiber-reinforced composite component or assembly.

Described herein is electromagnetic shielding that is configured to attenuate electromagnetic interference (EMI) by at least a threshold amount when the EMI has a frequency within a predefined frequency range. The electromagnetic shielding includes a layer of metal, such as aluminum foil, and a layer of thermoplastic polymer fabric (such as woven polyethylene fabric), where the electromagnetic shielding has several apertures that extend therethrough. The electromagnetic shielding is at least partially draped over electronic equipment that is to be shielded from EMI.

A device includes a coater, a dispenser, and a treatment portion. The coater is to coat, layer-by-layer, a build material relative to a build pad to form a 3D object. The dispenser is to at least dispense a fluid including a first at least potentially electrically conductive material in at least some selected locations of an external surface of the 3D object. The treatment portion is to treat the 3D object to substantially increase electrically conductivity on the external surface of the 3D object at the at least some selected locations.

The present disclosure is drawn to material sets for 3-dimensional printing. The material set can include a thermoplastic polymer powder having an average particle size from 20 μm to 200 μm, a conductive fusing agent composition including a transition metal, and nonconductive fusing agent composition. The nonconductive fusing agent composition can include transition metal oxide bronze particles.

A method for fabricating polymeric sheets containing microwires includes encapsulating at least a portion of individual lengths of a plurality of microwires in a non-conductive polymeric sheet while the microwires are attached to the substrate. The microwires are then detached from the substrate without removing the microwires from the polymeric sheet. The detaching step forms a separated polymeric sheet containing the detached microwires. Individual detached microwires of the plurality are approximately perpendicular to the separated polymeric sheet. A microwire array device includes a non-conductive polymeric sheet and a plurality of microwires. Individual microwires of the plurality have an independent length at least partially encapsulated by the polymeric sheet, are approximately perpendicular to the polymeric sheet, and contain magnetic ferrite.

Method of manufacturing a product comprising fiber reinforced polymer material, the method comprising the steps of: providing 10 carbon fibers being embedded in a thermosetting resin, heating 20 the thermosetting resin up to its cure temperature by a current flowing through at least a part of said carbon fibers, letting convert 30 the thermosetting resin to a thermoset polymer. The invention is further directed to a device for performing the method and to a composite sandwich panel structure manufactured according to the method.

A resin member is formed from a resin material containing filler and an insulating base polymer as a main component. The resin member includes an alignment layer close to a surface of the resin member. The alignment layer includes the filler aligned in the surface direction and the base polymer filling the space between pieces of the filler. The alignment layer includes a carbonized portion that is carbonized matter of the base polymer, contains graphite, and provides electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity.