3-D printing transfers build material and support from an intermediate transfer belt (ITB) to a platen. The build material is the same as the support material, except that the build material includes a photoinitiator and the support material does not. The platen moves to make contact with the ITB, and the ITB transfers successive layers of build material and support material each time the platen contacts the ITB. The platen and a portion of the ITB that is adjacent the platen are heated prior to the platen contacting the ITB, and the same is exposed so as to crosslink polymers of build material, without crosslinking polymers of support material. The polymers of build material being crosslinked and the polymers of support material not being crosslinked makes the support material selectively soluble in a solvent.

Layers of build and support material on an intermediate transfer surface are moved past a transfuse station and a platen moves relative to the intermediate transfer surface to contact the platen to one of the layers on the intermediate transfer surface. The intermediate transfer surface transfers a layer of the build material and the support material to the platen each time the platen contacts the layers on the intermediate transfer surface at the transfuse station to successively form a freestanding stack of the layers of build and support material on the platen. The build material has a higher melting temperature than the support material. A support material removal station heats the stack to a temperature above the melting temperature of the support material, but below the melting temperature of the build material, to melt the support material, but leave a 3-D structure made of only the build material.

A three-dimensional (3D) inkjet printer is configured to build up an object by printing a series of layers and stacking them to form the object. In order to speed printing, drying of each layer is accelerated by using a pressure differential to extract liquid vehicle from the ink, and by moving the printed layer away from the inkjet print heads before drying so that the inkjet print heads may print the next layer. The dried printed layer may also be conditioned and/or cured. Dried printed layers are stacked at a build station to assemble the finished object.

A three-dimensional (3D) inkjet printer is configured to build up an object by printing a series of layers and stacking them to form the object. In order to speed printing, drying of each layer is accelerated by using a pressure differential to extract liquid vehicle from the ink, and by moving the printed layer away from the inkjet print heads before drying so that the inkjet print heads may print the next layer. The dried printed layer may also be conditioned and/or cured. Dried printed layers are stacked at a build station to assemble the finished object.

A method for making an object and an apparatus for making the object in accordance with the method is disclosed. A section of the object is formed by irradiating a layer of material with a radiation, the layer of material being disposed on a material receiving surface of a flexible element shaped by a shaping member contacting the flexible element. The radiation passes through the member and the flexible element. The member is tilted to induce a peeling separation of the member from the element.

A 3-D printer includes development stations that electrostatically transfer first and second materials to an intermediate transfer surface. The development stations can each include a photoreceptor supplying the materials to the intermediate transfer surface, and a boosted developer roll supplying the materials to the photoreceptor. The boosted developer roll comprises an outer roll rotating in a first rotational direction to move with movement of the photoreceptor, and a magnetic roll within the outer roll rotating in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction. The magnetic roll comprises alternating permanent magnets. The intermediate transfer surface transfers a layer of the materials to a platen each time the platen contacts the intermediate transfer surface to successively form a freestanding stack of layers on the platen. A bonding station is positioned to apply light and/or heat to the freestanding stack to bond the layers to one another.

An additive manufacturing method and apparatus is described for the printing of three-dimensional (3D) objects. The approach is based on a composite-based additive manufacturing process, except it uses commercial printing methods to achieve even higher speed and throughput. By using the invention, a prototyping and/or production process may be completed in hours rather than months, and the risks and problems of molds is eliminated. There is substantial improvement in the number and type of geometries that can be produced compared to injection molding, and the range of materials is enlarged as are the material properties. The method involves printing a substrate having at least one sheet using a printing technology, and stacking or folding the at least one sheet to form multiple layers consistent with that formed by a 3D model. The printing step is done using a printing technology such as flexography, lithography, offset, gravure, waterless printing, and silkscreen.

An additive manufacturing method includes removing material from a sheet to create a plurality of individual layer segments formed, placing at least two first layer segments adjacent to each other at the same height to form a first layer having a hollow interior, the at least two first layer segments defining a first portion of an exterior of a part, and placing at least one second layer segment above the at least two first layer segments to form a second layer having a hollow interior, the at least one second layer segment defining a second portion of the exterior of the part. The method includes attaching the first layer to the second layer and removing material from the first layer and from the second layer to form the part having a continuous surface that extends along the first layer and the second layer.

An additive manufacturing method includes removing material from a sheet to create a plurality of individual layer segments formed, placing at least two first layer segments adjacent to each other at the same height to form a first layer having a hollow interior, the at least two first layer segments defining a first portion of an exterior of a part, and placing at least one second layer segment above the at least two first layer segments to form a second layer having a hollow interior, the at least one second layer segment defining a second portion of the exterior of the part. The method includes attaching the first layer to the second layer and removing material from the first layer and from the second layer to form the part having a continuous surface that extends along the first layer and the second layer.

A variety of additive manufacturing techniques can be adapted to fabricate a substantially net shape object from a computerized model using materials that can be debound and sintered into a fully dense metallic part or the like. However, during sintering, the net shape will shrink as binder escapes and the base material fuses into a dense final part. If the foundation beneath the object does not shrink in a corresponding fashion, the resulting stresses throughout the object can lead to fracturing, warping or other physical damage to the object resulting in a failed fabrication. To address this issue, a variety of techniques are disclosed for substrates and build plates that contract in a manner complementary to the object during debinding and sintering.