A technique for planarizing build surfaces in three-dimensional printing includes the use of a three-dimensional printer having an extruder with a sensor mechanically coupled thereto, where the sensor is operable to sense a contact force between the extruder and a separate structure. In particular, the sensor may be used to measure the contact force at a plurality of locations across a build surface of the separate structure, so that a difference between the measured contact force at two or more locations can be identified. In response to the difference between the measured contact force at these locations, a control signal may be created to reduce the difference for planarizing the build surface, e.g., by fabricating a layer on the build surface that mitigates irregularities therein, by gap filling on the build surface, or by adjusting a parameter of the three-dimensional printer.

A feed mechanism for feeding a filament into a print head assembly in an FDM printer. The feed mechanism includes a drive assembly that drives the filament into a reservoir where the reservoir is heated by a heater, where the filament is liquefied therein. A pump in the reservoir pumps the liquefied filament material out of the reservoir through an extrusion nozzle to a print head of the printer.

A method is disclosed for producing an apparatus for dispensing a medium. The apparatus includes a cartridge in which a piston is movably receivable. The cartridge includes a cartridge body and a cartridge cover together forming a cartridge housing. The method includes providing a first part in a mold of a molding device, the first part being chosen from at least one of the following parts: cartridge body; piston; cartridge cover. Subsequently, a second part different from the first part is molded in the mold of the molding device, the first part constituting a part of the mold for the second part.

A method of manufacturing bulked continuous carpet filament which, in various embodiments, comprises: (A) grinding recycled PET bottles into a group of flakes; (B) washing the flakes; (C) identifying and removing impurities, including impure flakes, from the group of flakes; (D) passing the group of flakes through an MRS extruder while maintaining the pressure within the MRS portion of the MRS extruder below about 5 millibars; (E) passing the resulting polymer melt through at least one filter having a micron rating of less than about 50 microns; and (F) forming the recycled polymer into bulked continuous carpet filament that consists essentially of recycled PET.

A method of manufacturing bulked continuous carpet filament that includes providing a polymer melt and separating the polymer melt from the extruder into at least eight streams. The multiple streams are exposed to a chamber pressure within a chamber that is below approximately 25 millibars, or another predetermined pressure. The streams are recombined into a single polymer stream. Polymer from the polymer stream is then formed into bulked continuous carpet filament.

Injection molding apparatuses and methods wherein a valve pin is controllably driven upstream and downstream along an axis between a first closed position where the tip end of the valve pin obstructs the gate to prevent the injection fluid from flowing into the cavity, a full open position and one or more intermediate positions, wherein the valve pin is drivable to be disposed or held in a selected intermediate position for a selected period of time during the course of an injection cycle where the tip end of the valve pin restricts flow of injection fluid through the gate to the mold cavity.

An injection molding apparatus comprising a clamp plate, a heated manifold, an actuator, a mold and a cooling device, wherein the cooling device comprises: a heat transmitter comprising a distal arm or member and a proximal base or member, the distal arm or member being mounted by a spring loadable interconnection or engagement to or with the proximal base or member, the clamp plate, the mold, the manifold, the actuator and the heat transmitter being assemblable together in an arrangement wherein the spring loadable interconnection is loaded urging the distal end surface of the distal arm or member into compressed engagement with the clamp plate.

A method of recycling a mixed plastic waste comprising plastics having different melting temperatures includes conveying the mixed plastic waste through an extruder such that at least some of the higher melting point plastic is passes through the extruder without melting and is present in the extrudate as solid material.

An injection molding system for implementing a molding process, comprising: a mold, a controller, a position sensor, wherein during an injection cycle, the system feeds the fluid material to one or more nozzles at one or more predetermined times, the controller being configured to receive and process the output signal from the position sensor to determine one or more actual flow rate indicative parameters, a user interface that displays one or more pin positions and one or more flow rate indicative parameters by which a user of the system can track the one or more pin positions and flow rate indicative parameters in real time during the injection cycle.

An additive manufacturing system has a plurality of manifolds in an extruder. Each manifold is connected to at least one nozzle of the extruder to enable the at least one nozzle to extrude thermoplastic material through a corresponding aperture in a faceplate mounted to the extruder. A plurality of valves is configured between each manifold and each nozzle connected to the manifold to enable the nozzles connected to a manifold to extrude thermoplastic material from the manifold selectively. The faceplate is also configured for rotation about an axis perpendicular to the faceplate to enable different orientations of the nozzles in the apertures of the faceplate. The different manifolds of the extruder enable a plurality of thermoplastic materials having a different property to be extruded simultaneously so the materials can join to one another while the materials are at an elevated temperature.