A continuous reinforcement is disclosed for use in additive manufacturing. The continuous reinforcement may include a plurality of continuous primary fibers oriented in a general axial direction of the continuous reinforcement. The continuous reinforcement may also include a plurality of secondary fibers interspersed with the plurality of continuous primary fibers and oriented generally orthogonal to the plurality of continuous primary fibers.

A system for additively manufacturing a composite structure is disclosed. The system may include a print head configured to discharge a matrix-coated reinforcement, and a support configured to move the print head in multiple dimensions during discharging of the matrix-coated reinforcement. The system may further include at least one cure enhancer located offboard the print head, and a controller in communication with the support and the at least one cure enhancer. The controller may be configured to selectively activate the at least one cure enhancer to expose the matrix-coated reinforcement to a cure energy during discharging of the matrix-coated reinforcement.

An additive manufacturing system is disclosed. The additive manufacturing system may include a moveable support, and a print head connected to the moveable support. The print head may be configured to discharge a continuous reinforcement that is wetted with a liquid matrix. The additive manufacturing system may also include an auto-threader configured to thread the continuous reinforcement through the print head, and a controller in communication with the moveable support, the print head, and the auto-threader. The controller may be configured to selectively activate the auto-threader at a start of a manufacturing process.

A system for additively manufacturing a composite part is disclosed. The system may include a vat configured to hold a supply of resin, and a build surface disposed inside the vat. The system may also include a print head configured to discharge a matrix-coated continuous reinforcement onto the build surface, and an energy source configured to expose resin on a surface of the matrix-coated continuous reinforcement to a cure energy.

An additive manufacturing system is disclosed. The additive manufacturing system may include a matrix reservoir, a primary nozzle fluidly connected to the matrix reservoir, and a primary cure enhancer operatively connected to at least one of the matrix reservoir and the primary nozzle. The primary cure enhancer may be configured to direct a cure energy toward a tip of the primary nozzle. The additive manufacturing system may also include an auxiliary nozzle, an arm configured to mount the auxiliary nozzle at a trailing side of the primary nozzle, and a passage extending from the matrix reservoir to the auxiliary nozzle.

The invention relates to a layer building process for the additive manufacture of at least one wall region of a component including applying at least one powder layer of a material to at least one building-up and joining zone of at least one movable building platform, carrying out a first solidifying step, in which the material is irradiated selectively with at least one energy beam, wherein irradiation parameters of the at least one energy beam are set so a molten bath is produced and a defect-affected wall region of the wall is produced, without applying a further powder layer, carrying out a second solidifying step, in which the defect-affected wall region produced in the first solidifying step is irradiated selectively with the at least one energy beam, lowering the building platform layer by layer by a predefined layer thickness, and repeating the steps above one or more times.

The invention relates to a layer building process for the additive manufacture of at least one wall region of a component including applying at least one powder layer of a material to at least one building-up and joining zone of at least one movable building platform, carrying out a first solidifying step, in which the material is irradiated selectively with at least one energy beam, wherein irradiation parameters of the at least one energy beam are set so a molten bath is produced and a defect-affected wall region of the wall is produced, without applying a further powder layer, carrying out a second solidifying step, in which the defect-affected wall region produced in the first solidifying step is irradiated selectively with the at least one energy beam, lowering the building platform layer by layer by a predefined layer thickness, and repeating the steps above one or more times.

A method comprising depositing, in layers, a shrinking platform formed from a composite including metal particles embedded in a first matrix, depositing shrinking supports of the composite upon the shrinking platform, forming a separation clearance dividing at least one shrinking support into fragments, depositing, from the composite, a part upon the shrinking platform and shrinking supports, depositing a separation material intervening between the part and the shrinking supports, the separation material including a ceramic powder and a second matrix, and forming, from the shrinking platform, shrinking supports, separation material, and part, a portable platform assembly in a green state, wherein the shrinking support is configured to prevent the portable platform assembly from distorting from gravitational force during sintering of the metal particles of the assembly in a brown state, and wherein the ceramic powder of the separation material is configured to separate the shrinking support from the part following sintering.

To reduce distortion in an additively manufactured part, a shrinking platform is formed from a metal particulate filler in a debindable matrix. Shrinking supports of the same material are formed above the shrinking platform, and a desired part of the same material is formed upon them. A sliding release layer is provided below the shrinking platform of equal or larger surface area than a bottom of the shrinking platform to lateral resistance between the shrinking platform and an underlying surface. The matrix is debound sufficient to form a shape-retaining brown part assembly including the shrinking platform, shrinking supports, and the desired part. The shape-retaining brown part assembly is heated to shrink all of the components together at a same rate via atomic diffusion.

According to one aspect, embodiments herein provide a method comprising forming a shrinking platform of model material above a build plate, the model material including sinterable metal particles and a first binder, forming a support structure of the model material extending up from the shrinking platform, forming a first portion of the part from successive layers of the model material above the support structure, forming a release layer intervening between a surface of the part and an opposing surface of the support structure or between a surface of the shrinking platform and an opposing surface of the build plate, the release layer including a dispersed ceramic powder and a second binder, and supporting the part, the release layer, and the support structure upon the shrinking platform to form a platform-integrating part assembly, the support structure being configured to prevent the first portion from distorting from gravitational force during sintering.