A mandrel (5) for molding polymer valve leaflets for heart valve prostheses is disclosed, including a body portion (52) including an outer surface with ridges (60) and contoured surfaces (64) corresponding to the leaflets, the upper edge of the contoured surfaces corresponding to the free upper edge of the leaflets, and the mandrel including a mandrel extension (54) above the body portion, and a gap (68) extending around the mandrel between the upper edge of the contoured surface and the mandrel extension. A process for producing these polymer valve leaflets is also disclosed by dip coating with this mandrel and removing the polymer film created at the gap, preferably by applying suction or blowing thereto.

A method of forming a three-dimensional object of polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof is carried out by: (a) providing a carrier and an optically transparent member having a build surface, the carrier and the build surface defining a build region therebetween; (b) filling the build region with a polymerizable liquid, the polymerizable liquid including at least one of: (i) a blocked or reactive blocked prepolymer, (ii) a blocked or reactive blocked diisocyanate, or (iii) a blocked or reactive blocked diisocyanate chain extender; (c) irradiating the build region with light through the optically transparent member to form a solid blocked polymer scaffold and advancing the carrier away from the build surface to form a three-dimensional intermediate having the same shape as, or a shape to be imparted to, the three-dimensional object, with the intermediate containing the chain extender; and then (d) heating or microwave irradiating the three-dimensional intermediate sufficiently to form from the three-dimensional intermediate the three-dimensional object of polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof.

A method for producing a polyimide tubular member includes preparing a polyimide precursor solution, heating the polyimide precursor solution, coating a core with the heated polyimide precursor solution to form a coating film, drying the coating film, and baking the dried coating film to perform imidization.

This disclosure describes a method of printing a 3D printed object. The method comprises: selectively applying a fusing agent onto a portion of a build material, wherein the fusing agent comprises a radiation-absorbing dye dissolved in an aqueous liquid carrier; exposing the selectively applied fusing agent to radiation to produce heat energy to fuse the portion of build material to form a layer of the 3D printed object; and thermally treating the 3D printed object at a temperature of above 70 C.

Disclosed are methods and apparatus for selectively sintering particulate material, the method comprising: providing a layer (6) of particulate material; providing an amount of a radiation absorbent material over a selected surface portion of the layer (6) of particulate material; providing an amount of a material that comprises a plurality of electrically conductive elements (20) over at least part of the selected surface portion of the layer (6) of particulate material; and providing radiation (8) across the selected surface portion of the layer of particulate material so as to sinter a portion of the material of the layer (6) including causing the plurality of electrically conductive elements (20) to become embedded in the sintered portion of material.

A method of manufacturing a three-dimensional object includes imparting a first liquid having a first composition including a solvent and a curable material and a second liquid having a second composition to form a liquid film, curing the liquid film, and repeating the imparting and the curing to obtain the three-dimensional object, wherein the imparting position and the imparting amount of each of the first liquid and the second liquid are controlled in such a manner that the liquid film includes multiple areas where at least one of post-curing compression stress and post-curing modulus of elasticity is different.

An artificial structure for promoting microalgae growth includes a 3D-printed structure formed by positioning a printing surface on a movable stage of a 3D bioprinter in contact with a bio-ink that includes a mixture of a pre-polymer material with one or more of cellulose-derived nanocrystals (CNC), and microalgae cells. By projecting modulated light onto the printing surface while moving the stage, the bio-ink is progressively polymerized to define layers of an artificial coral structure with microalgae cells disposed thereon, where the artificial coral structure is configured to scatter light within the structure.

A film forming method of forming a film of a curable composition on a substrate using a mold is provided. The method includes discretely arranging a plurality of droplets of the curable composition on the substrate, after the arranging, bringing the plurality of droplets on the substrate and the mold into contact with each other, thereby forming a liquid film between the substrate and the mold, after the bringing the droplets and the mold into contact with each other, curing the liquid film, thereby forming a cured film, and after the curing, separating the cured film and the mold from each other, wherein a viscosity [mPa.Math.s] of a nonvolatile composition in the curable composition and an average liquid film thickness h [m] formed by the nonvolatile composition have values satisfying predetermined expressions.

A polymer film, in which in a case where a moisture transmission rate at 80 C. and a relative humidity of 90% in a first direction parallel to a main surface is defined as a first moisture transmission rate and a moisture transmission rate at 80 C. and a relative humidity of 90% in a second direction which is a thickness direction orthogonal to the first direction is defined as a second moisture transmission rate, a ratio of the first moisture transmission rate to the second moisture transmission rate is more than 1.00.

The disclosed embodiments provide a system that performs molecular assembly. During operation, the system delivers one or more droplets of a fluid onto a surface using a nanofluidic delivery probe and an associated high-precision positioning device, wherein the solution comprises a solvent and one or more solute molecules, and wherein delivery of the droplets onto the surface facilitates evaporation-driven assembly of one or more structures on the surface. Moreover, while delivering a droplet onto the surface, the system controls a size of the droplet and a shape of the droplet during evaporation to produce a variety of shapes in resulting structures.