Disclosed herein are methods, apparatus, and systems for providing an optical beam delivery system, comprising an optical fiber including a first length of fiber comprising a first RIP formed to enable, at least in part, modification of one or more beam characteristics of an optical beam by a perturbation assembly arranged to modify the one or more beam characteristics, the perturbation assembly coupled to the first length of fiber or integral with the first length of fiber, or a combination thereof and a second length of fiber coupled to the first length of fiber and having a second RIP formed to preserve at least a portion of the one or more beam characteristics of the optical beam modified by the perturbation assembly within one or more first confinement regions. The optical beam delivery system may include an optical system coupled to the second length of fiber including one or more free-space optics configured to receive and transmit an optical beam comprising the modified one or more beam characteristics.

A method of forming an implant having a porous tissue ingrowth structure and a bearing support structure. The method includes depositing a first layer of a metal powder onto a substrate, scanning a laser beam over the powder so as to sinter the metal powder at predetermined locations, depositing at least one layer of the metal powder onto the first layer and repeating the scanning of the laser beam.

A method of forming an implant having a porous tissue ingrowth structure and a bearing support structure. The method includes depositing a first layer of a metal powder onto a substrate, scanning a laser beam over the powder so as to sinter the metal powder at predetermined locations, depositing at least one layer of the metal powder onto the first layer and repeating the scanning of the laser beam.

The present invention relates to a gear wheel containing at least one sintered material having a porosity, the gear wheel having, in addition to the porosity, another noise-reducing means.

A metal wick material with hierarchical porous structures, which comprises primary pores, secondary pores, and tertiary pores, wherein the pore sizes of the primary pores are greater than those of the secondary pores and the pore sizes of the secondary pores are greater than those of the tertiary pores; the primary pores are obtained by 3D printing, the secondary pores are obtained by volatilizing a binder during a water bath heating process; and the tertiary pores are obtained by forming pores by diffusion and connection among metal powder particles during sintering. A method for fabricating the metal wick material having hierarchical porous structure, comprising: fabricating ordered primary pores having a three-dimensional network structure by a new-type powder extrusion 3D printing process; and then forming secondary pores and tertiary pores inside a macroporous framework by using subsequent treatment processes such as water bath heating and sintering, thus constructing a three-stage pore material.

One aspect relates to a medical implant, for example, implantable stimulation electrode, having a tight substrate and a porous contact region. One aspect also relates to a lead of a cardiac pacemaker having an implantable stimulation electrode and to a method for manufacturing a medical implant, for example, an implantable stimulation electrode. A medical implant according to one aspect is characterized in that the implant includes a sintered body with graduated porosity.

Porous implant material having a plurality of metal bodies having different porosity rates which are bonded with each other at bonded-boundary surface F parallel to a first direction, wherein: a bonded body of the metal bodies has an entire porosity rate of 50% to 92%; the metal body having higher porosity rate is a porous metal body having a three-dimensional network formed from a continuous skeleton in which a plurality of pores are interconnected; the metal body having lower porosity rate has a porosity rate of 0 to 50% and an area-occupation rate of 0.5% to 50% in a cross-section surface orthogonal to an axial direction which agrees with the first direction along the bonded-boundary surface; and a compressive strength compressing in a direction parallel to the bonded-boundary surface is 1.4 times to 10 times of a compressive strength compressing in a direction orthogonal to the bonded-boundary surface.

Tantalum powders produced using a tantalum fiber precursor are described. The tantalum fiber precursor is chopped or cut into short lengths having a uniform fiber thickness and favorable aspect ratio. The chopped fibers are formed into a primary powder having a controlled size and shape, narrow/tight particle size distribution, and low impurity level. The primary powder is then agglomerated into an agglomerated powder displaying suitable flowability and pressability such that pellets with good structural integrity and uniform pellet porosity are manufacturable. The pellet is sintered and anodized to a desired formation voltage. The thusly created capacitor anode has a dual morphology or dual porosity provided by a primary porosity of the individual tantalum fibers making up the primary powder and a larger secondary porosity formed between the primary powders agglomerated into the agglomerated powder.

Tantalum powders produced using a tantalum fiber precursor are described. The tantalum fiber precursor is chopped or cut into short lengths having a uniform fiber thickness and favorable aspect ratio. The chopped fibers are formed into a primary powder having a controlled size and shape, narrow/tight particle size distribution, and low impurity level. The primary powder is then agglomerated into an agglomerated powder displaying suitable flowability and pressability such that pellets with good structural integrity and uniform pellet porosity are manufacturable. The pellet is sintered and anodized to a desired formation voltage. The thusly created capacitor anode has a dual morphology or dual porosity provided by a primary porosity of the individual tantalum fibers making up the primary powder and a larger secondary porosity formed between the primary powders agglomerated into the agglomerated powder.

A powder-metallurgical body and a method for producing such a body. The powder-metallurgical body is formed with a seating base for seating a sealing element to produce a seal with respect to fluids, such as liquids and/or gases. The body is redensified in a low-lying depth region of the seating base.