Freeform, additive manufacturing equipment, processes and products, including residential, commercial and other buildings. A movable extruder places extrudate that solidifies in open space to create scaffolding or skeletons of buildings and other products. Elongated extrudate elements are fused to each other or connected by other means to form a cellular structure. Filler material such as polymeric insulating foam may simultaneously or thereafter be placed within the cellular structure to contribute desired strength, rigidity, insulative, barrier or other properties. Finish materials may also be applied.

A truss-formation apparatus comprising two truss makers and a lateral stage, wherein the truss makers create trusses and each truss maker comprises thermal dies, heaters with temperature sensors, and mandrels; wherein the truss makers form trusses that comprise parallel truss elements and battens; wherein a pultrusion actuator pulls parallel truss elements down along a mandrel; wherein a batten actuator causes a thermal die to rotate around a mandrel forming battens that connect parallel truss elements to one another; and wherein the lateral stage comprises a thermal die and traverses the gap between the parallel trusses forming cross members that connect the trusses.

Apparatus and methods are provided for creating tubular devices, e.g., as components for catheters, sheaths, and or other devices sized for introduction into a patient. In one embodiment, a method is provided for making a tubular device using a sheet of material including a coated first surface. The sheet is rolled around a mandrel until longitudinal edges of the sheet are disposed near or adjacent one another, e.g., without attaching the longitudinal edges together. A tubular braid is positioned over the sheet-wrapped mandrel, one or more tubular segments are positioned over the tubular braid, and heat shrink tubing is positioned over the tubular segments. The resulting assembly is heated to cause the tubular segments to at least partially reflow and/or otherwise laminate the tubular segments to the tubular braid and sheet. The heat shrink tubing and mandrel are then removed to create the tubular device.

A hollow fiber membrane fluid transport device is disclosed wherein the fibers are comprised of Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and the potting materials are comprised of fluorocopolymer and or fluoroterpolymer based materials. The potting of the device utilizes a compressed chemically resistant fluorocopolymer and or fluoroterpolymer film, allows for ease of manufacture without destruction of the PTFE hollow fibers, with high packing densities, and without the processing complexity of pre-melting, extruding, or chemical crosslinking of any polymeric adhesives. Furthermore, the PTFE hollow fibers can be treated with a fluoropolymeric solvent solution before the chemically resistant film is applied to enhance the adhesion of the PTFE fiber to the film. PTFE hollow fibers, and its respective fluoro-co and terpolymers as potting films impart high packing densities, superb chemical resistance and temperature resistance without membrane contamination, or low fiber pull strength, as is sometimes observed with standard potting materials such as polyurethane and epoxy.

A hollow fiber membrane fluid transport device is disclosed wherein the fibers are comprised of Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and the potting materials are comprised of fluorocopolymer and or fluoroterpolymer based materials. The potting of the device utilizes a compressed chemically resistant fluorocopolymer and or fluoroterpolymer film, allows for ease of manufacture without destruction of the PTFE hollow fibers, with high packing densities, and without the processing complexity of pre-melting, extruding, or chemical crosslinking of any polymeric adhesives. Furthermore, the PTFE hollow fibers can be treated with a fluoropolymeric solvent solution before the chemically resistant film is applied to enhance the adhesion of the PTFE fiber to the film. PTFE hollow fibers, and its respective fluoro-co and terpolymers as potting films impart high packing densities, superb chemical resistance and temperature resistance without membrane contamination, or low fiber pull strength, as is sometimes observed with standard potting materials such as polyurethane and epoxy.

A multilumen catheter assembly and method of making the catheter assembly is provided that involves providing a plurality of tubes, each tube having a first end, a second end, at least one lumen, and at least one surface, selectively heating at least a portion of the surface of at least a first tube of the plurality of tubes, and contacting the selectively heated portion of the tube with a portion of the surface of a second tube to form a multilumen catheter shaft that is joined together along at least a portion of the length of the catheter shaft.

Devices and methods for fusing materials using a heating element, where the overall mass to be sealed varies along the length of the seal. According to the invention, the heating element has a different profile in different areas. According to some aspects, the thickness and/or cross section of the heating element is different in different areas so that when a current is passed through the heating element, each area heats to a different degree. In some aspects, the heating element is shaped to conform to the shape of the parts to be fused together. The transition between areas of different thickness or cross-sectional area, or between areas of different shape may be sharply defined. This abrupt transition may be created by machining the heating element to a finished shape rather than bending flat stock to shape.

Devices and methods for fusing materials using a heating element, where the overall mass to be sealed varies along the length of the seal. According to the invention, the heating element has a different profile in different areas. According to some aspects, the thickness and/or cross section of the heating element is different in different areas so that when a current is passed through the heating element, each area heats to a different degree. In some aspects, the heating element is shaped to conform to the shape of the parts to be fused together. The transition between areas of different thickness or cross-sectional area, or between areas of different shape may be sharply defined. This abrupt transition may be created by machining the heating element to a finished shape rather than bending flat stock to shape.