An apparatus for manufacturing a composite article from a composite material. The apparatus comprising: a pulsed broadband radiation source comprising a flashlamp and a light guide adapted to guide light emitted by the pulsed broadband radiation source to a target area. The light guide comprises at least a portion ahead of the pulsed broadband radiation source, relative to the target area, comprising a light transmitting material.

A method for forming a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic part may comprise the steps of locating a lightning strike protection layer on a mold surface of a mold tool, locating a thermoplastic layer over the mold tool, heating the thermoplastic layer to a pliable forming temperature, conforming the thermoplastic layer to a mold surface of the mold tool, and depositing a plurality of fiber strips over the thermoplastic layer.

A tank assembly for a 3D printing system may include a membrane assembly that is releasably secured to a bottom rim of a tank sidewall of the tank assembly. The securing mechanism may include one or more of a friction-fit coupling and a magnetic coupling. The membrane assembly may include a frame, a radiation-transparent flexible membrane and a membrane securing member. A peripheral portion of the flexible membrane may be secured within a groove of the frame by the membrane securing member. The tank sidewall may include one or more components for supplying fresh resin to the tank assembly and one or more components for draining used resin from the tank assembly.

In example implementations, a method for extracting layers of build material into a carrier. The method includes providing a layer of build material onto a bed. Portions of the layer of build material on the bed are digitally printed with a liquid functional material (LFM). The method repeats providing the layer of build material and digitally printing without applying energy to the LFM to define a structure in layers of build material on the bed. The layers of build material are extracted into a carrier and the carrier is removed.

A fiber application head comprising a compaction system including several independent compaction rollers and compaction cylinders and, for each fiber, cutting means and rerouting means. For each fiber, the head comprises a functional module including cutting means and rerouting means. Each functional module is mounted so as to be movable in translation along a compaction direction on a support element of the head. Each compaction roller is mounted on one or more adjacent functional modules. A compaction cylinder is associated with the functional module(s) associated with a compaction roller for the displacement in translation of the functional module(s). The compaction rollers are arranged in a single row.

A method for reconditioning a rollable wheel includes coupling a polymeric wheel to a reconditioning system, the polymeric wheel having an outer surface including an abraded area, the abraded area having a first average surface roughness, and applying heat to the abraded area of the outer surface with one or more heater of the reconditioning system, such that a substantial portion of the abraded area is transformed to have a second average surface roughness, the second average surface roughness less than the first average surface roughness.

An apparatus for forming an object comprises an extruding device (2) for supplying a continuous extrudate of polymeric material, at least one separating element for cutting the continuous extrudate thereby separating a dose (6; 106) of polymeric material from the continuous extrudate, at least one mould (5; 105; 205; 305; 405) comprising a first mould part (9; 109; 209; 309) and a second mould part (8; 108; 508) which are movable relative to one another between an open position, in which the dose (6; 106) is rested on a receiving part selected from the first mould part (9; 109; 209; 309) and the second mould part (8; 108; 508), and a closed position, in which a forming chamber is defined between the first mould part (9; 109; 209; 309) and the second mould part (8; 108; 508), the forming chamber having a shape corresponding to said object. The apparatus further comprises a thermal conditioning device (11; 111; 211; 311; 411) configured to act on the dose (6; 106) while the dose (6; 106) is positioned in said at least one mould (5; 105; 205; 305; 405) and before the closed position is reached, by thermally conditioning at least one surface portion (20; 120) of the dose (6; 106) which is distinct from a resting portion (17; 117) of the dose (6; 106) which is resting on the receiving part.

An automated fiber bundle placement apparatus is configured to lay a strip-like fiber bundle impregnated with a thermoplastic resin on a stacking surface on an upper side of a placement die by moving a placement head and by emitting a laser from an emitting device to deposit the fiber bundle on the stacking surface incompletely. The emitting device is configured to emit the laser toward the fiber bundle laid on the stacking surface to its surface that is a reverse side of its surface facing the stacking surface.

A structural color image includes a metallic layer, a nanocomposite film, and a dielectric layer between and in direct contact with the metallic layer and the nanocomposite film. The metallic layer reflects visible light. The nanocomposite film reflects visible light and includes metallic nanoparticles in a polymeric material.

The invention relates to a crack-split moulding tool for producing a foam particle part, having two mould halves (2, 3). The mould halves (2, 3) are pivotably mounted relative to one another such that they can be arranged at a varying distance from each other in certain sections when being filled with foam particles and when pressing together, are moved together at a varying distance until in a closed position, due to a pivoting movement. As a result, it is possible to homogeneously compress areas of the moulding cavity (6) having a different thickness and to compress in a different manner, area having the same thickness.