A method and apparatus for the additive manufacturing of three-dimensional objects are disclosed. Two or more materials are extruded simultaneously as a composite, with at least one material in liquid form and at least one material in a solid continuous strand completely encased within the liquid material. A means of curing the liquid material after extrusion hardens the composite. A part is constructed using a series of extruded composite paths. The strand material within the composite contains specific chemical, mechanical, or electrical characteristics that instill the object with enhanced capabilities not possible with only one material.

A method for providing an integrated composite article made of a metal and a resin is provided. A crystalline thermoplastic resin composition is provided as a resin material. A plate material of various kinds of Al alloys having a thickness of 0.5 to 1.5 mm and having been subjected to a chemical treatment of NMT and cut out to be of a form and a dimension is placed in a metallic mold for an injection molding and injecting the crystalline thermoplastic resin composition into the metallic mold to form the integrated composite article having a final plate shape including curved face portion. The integrated composite article is provided as a roof of an automobile, and contribute to promotion of lighter weight of a vehicle, reduction of CO.sub.2, coping with problems of global warming.

An airbag chute-integrated crash pad assembly includes: a main core that includes a door portion expanding when an airbag expands, and a cover portion mounted on a dash board. In particular, the main core is formed with a reinforcement portion extending downward from a lower surface of the cover portion, and the door portion and the cover portion are separated by a hinge groove that is formed in a lower surface of the main core and forms an expansion line. The reinforcement portion is combined with an airbag accommodation body that accommodates a passenger airbag (PAB). Thus, process optimization can be realized by omitting a process of machining a score and fusing a PAB chute, and also a problem of damage to the PAB chute can be solved.

A cam mechanism allows a slide ejector plate and slide ejector pins to move relative to a slide core as the slide core moves. Alternatively, the cam mechanism allows the slide ejector plate and the slide ejector pins to move with the slide core. This eliminates the need for a dedicated hydraulic cylinder for moving the slide ejector plate and the slide ejector pins. The number of parts of the die casting device can thus be reduced.

A device for manufacturing a stiffened panel with reinforcements which each have a final thickness and a final height. The manufacturing device includes tools configured to each support a preform of fibers having a U-shaped or C-shaped cross section with a base and two wings. Each tool comprises, at at least one of its first and second lateral faces, a set-back portion which, when two tools are juxtaposed, delimits a recess configured to form a reinforcement during a consolidation or polymerization step. The tools are dimensioned such that each recess has a width, at the consolidation or polymerization temperature, that is substantially equal to the thickness of the reinforcements. This solution makes it possible to more effectively control the geometry of the stiffened panel by avoiding the formation of beads. A method for manufacturing a stiffened panel using the device is also disclosed.