Embodiments of the present disclosure are drawn to additive manufacturing methods. An exemplary method may include generating a tool path for forming a component via additive manufacturing, and assessing the tool path to identify a change in direction. The method may also include determining if the change in direction exceeds a predetermined angle, and adding a tangent arc to the tool path before the change in direction if the change in direction exceeds the predetermined angle.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are drawn to additive manufacturing methods. An exemplary method may include generating a tool path for forming a component via additive manufacturing, and assessing the tool path to identify a change in direction. The method may also include determining if the change in direction exceeds a predetermined angle, and adding a tangent arc to the tool path before the change in direction if the change in direction exceeds the predetermined angle.

An additive manufacturing system is capable of extruding poly-fiber strand having a fiber core coated with a polymer with a high range of flexibility in positioning and orienting extruded fibers. Extruded fibers may be laid in a single direction, or may curve or turn to be laid in multiple directions. Structures of devices and components may be created using interconnected extruded strands having interstitial spaces between and around the strands. This structure may be infused with resin or polymer using a pressure or vacuum based infusion system. In this manner, durable polymeric objects can be created without requiring expensive molds. Other techniques are also possible, including varying the types of strands used in an object to create areas of the object that will preferentially twist or flex in certain ways or directions, as well as producing objects with zones having different types of resin or no resin.

An additive manufacturing system is capable of extruding poly-fiber strand having a fiber core coated with a polymer with a high range of flexibility in positioning and orienting extruded fibers. Extruded fibers may be laid in a single direction, or may curve or turn to be laid in multiple directions. Structures of devices and components may be created using interconnected extruded strands having interstitial spaces between and around the strands. This structure may be infused with resin or polymer using a pressure or vacuum based infusion system. In this manner, durable polymeric objects can be created without requiring expensive molds. Other techniques are also possible, including varying the types of strands used in an object to create areas of the object that will preferentially twist or flex in certain ways or directions, as well as producing objects with zones having different types of resin or no resin.

Apparatus and methods for forming and printing hollow bodies from amorphous materials to form three-dimensional objects are provided. Apparatus provide a hollow body forming and printing machine, and methods for determining a desired amount of impact deformation for the hollow spheres, including calculating specific characteristics of the hollow spheres and the amorphous material, deriving a target viscosity range, adjusting the apparatus to satisfy the target viscosity range, and using the apparatus to form a plurality of hollow spheres with controlled deformation.

Apparatus and methods for forming and printing hollow bodies from amorphous materials to form three-dimensional objects are provided. Apparatus provide a hollow body forming and printing machine, and methods for determining a desired amount of impact deformation for the hollow spheres, including calculating specific characteristics of the hollow spheres and the amorphous material, deriving a target viscosity range, adjusting the apparatus to satisfy the target viscosity range, and using the apparatus to form a plurality of hollow spheres with controlled deformation.

A system for detecting three-dimensional (3D) part drag includes an infrared image capture device to capture a plurality of thermal images of a 3D part build region of a 3D printing device on which a part is built, and an image analysis module to detect drag of the part based on a difference image produced by subtracting a first thermal image from a second thermal image.

Photonic annealing is used to treat electrically-conductive thermoplastic. The thermoplastic forms, partially or wholly, a part which may be formed by additive manufacturing, like fused filament fabrication (FFF). The photonic annealing improves part conductivity and also alter, enhance, or give rise to other material properties while taking significantly less time than other conventional post-process methods. For instance, the baseline conductivity of the electrically-conductive thermoplastic material may be on the order of 10.sup.3 S/m or lower. After the photonic annealing, its conductivity may be raised to the order of 10.sup.4-10.sup.5 S/m or more. This represents an improvement of 10-100× or even more of conductivity of the electrically-conductive thermoplastic compared to electrically-conductive thermoplastic prior to the photonic annealing.

A method, product, apparatus, and article of manufacture for the application of the Composite Based Additive Manufacturing (CBAM) method to produce objects in metal, and in metal fiber hybrids or composites. The approach has many advantages, including the ability to produce more complex geometries than conventional methods such as milling and casting, improved material properties, higher production rates and the elimination of complex fixturing, complex tool paths and tool changes and, for casting, the need for patterns and tools. The approach works by slicing a 3D model, selectively printing a fluid onto a sheet of substrate material for each layer based on the model, flooding onto the substrate a powdered metal to which the fluid adheres in printed areas, clamping and aligning a stack of coated sheets, heating the stacked sheets to melt the powdered metal and fuse the layers of substrate, and removing excess powder and unfused substrate.

A method, product, apparatus, and article of manufacture for the application of the Composite Based Additive Manufacturing (CBAM) method to produce objects in metal, and in metal fiber hybrids or composites. The approach has many advantages, including the ability to produce more complex geometries than conventional methods such as milling and casting, improved material properties, higher production rates and the elimination of complex fixturing, complex tool paths and tool changes and, for casting, the need for patterns and tools. The approach works by slicing a 3D model, selectively printing a fluid onto a sheet of substrate material for each layer based on the model, flooding onto the substrate a powdered metal to which the fluid adheres in printed areas, clamping and aligning a stack of coated sheets, heating the stacked sheets to melt the powdered metal and fuse the layers of substrate, and removing excess powder and unfused substrate.