A method for producing a functional element of an automobile that can be folded and/or wound up, having the steps of providing a fabric that can be folded and/or wound up, arranging the fabric on an application table or in a casting tool in a level arrangement and molding at least one edge strip made of a polyurethane material to the fabric under atmospheric pressure. Furthermore, a wind deflector element of an automobile is provided to a roller blind panel of an automobile, each comprising a fabric that can be folded and/or wound up and that is provided with an edge strip made of a polyurethane material and forming an edge reinforcement.

[Object] It is an object to provide a method for forming a three-dimensional object that suppresses generation of streaks on the three-dimensional object, which streaks are parallel to a main scanning direction.

[Means of Realizing the Object] A method for forming a three-dimensional object includes a slice information calculation step (step ST23) of dividing three-dimensional data of the three-dimensional object into a plurality of layers so as to calculate cross-sectional slice information of each of the layers; and a unit-layer formation step (step ST27) of forming each of the layers based on the cross-sectional slice information. The unit-layer formation step (step ST27) is repeated a plurality of times. The unit-layer formation step (step ST27) includes a printing step (step ST27A) of extruding inks onto a work surface while moving the extruders in the main scanning direction so as to form a single print path. The printing step and a sub-scanning direction movement step (step ST27B) of moving the work surface in a sub-scanning direction are alternately performed. The print paths are formed in such a manner that a boundary between the print paths between each adjacent pair of layers in a deposition direction of the layers is at least partly deviated in the sub-scanning direction.

Described herein are bioprinters comprising: one or more printer heads, wherein a printer head comprises a means for receiving and holding at least one cartridge, and wherein said cartridge comprises contents selected from one or more of: bio-ink and support material; a means for calibrating the position of at least one cartridge; and a means for dispensing the contents of at least one cartridge. Further described herein are methods for fabricating a tissue construct, comprising: a computer module receiving input of a visual representation of a desired tissue construct; a computer module generating a series of commands, wherein the commands are based on the visual representation and are readable by a bioprinter; a computer module providing the series of commands to a bioprinter; and the bioprinter depositing bio-ink and support material according to the commands to form a construct with a defined geometry.

A connector and a method of retaining a contact in a housing. The method includes: inserting the contact into a contact receiving cavity of the housing; applying extruded material in layers into the contact receiving cavity with a precision controlled nozzle; filling voids in the contact receiving cavity layer by layer until the contact receiving cavity is filled; and cooling or curing the extruded material, allowing the extruded material to bond with a wall of the contact receiving cavity. The contact is securely maintained in the contact receiving cavity of the housing by the extruded material. The connector having a contact positioned in a contact receiving cavity of a housing. Extruded material is positioned in the contact receiving cavity. The extruded material is bond to walls of the contact receiving cavity, wherein the extruded material securely maintains the contact in the contact receiving cavity of the housing.

A dosage device for extruding a monocomponent or a bicomponent polymeric product, particularly for an automatic machine for forming a spacer frame, includes a first dosage assembly and a separate second dosage assembly for the dosage and feeding of the product, which can be activated, in a first feeding step and in a third feeding step, alternately so that one of them provides continuity of flow to an extrusion nozzle while the other one is in the reloading step. The first and second dosage assemblies are activated, in a second swapping step that is intermediate with respect to the first and third feeding steps, simultaneously and jointly, one of them having a flow-rate ramp that passes from the steady-state value to zero and the other one complementarily having a flow-rate ramp that passes from zero to the steady-state value.

In at least one embodiment, a molding method for producing a molded article is provided. The method may include introducing polymer and fiber separately into an extruder in a first ratio to produce a first extruded material having a first fiber content and in a second ratio to produce a second extruded material having a second fiber content different from the first fiber content. The method may further include filling a first region of a mold with the first extruded material and a second region of the mold with the second extruded material. The extruded material may be formed as blanks for use in compression molding or may be introduced into an injection chamber for use in injection molding. The method may be used to form molded articles having a plurality of regions having different fiber contents.

Described herein are bioprinters comprising: one or more printer heads, wherein a printer head comprises a means for receiving and holding at least one cartridge, and wherein said cartridge comprises contents selected from one or more of: bio-ink and support material; a means for calibrating the position of at least one cartridge; and a means for dispensing the contents of at least one cartridge. Further described herein are methods for fabricating a tissue construct, comprising: a computer module receiving input of a visual representation of a desired tissue construct; a computer module generating a series of commands, wherein the commands are based on the visual representation and are readable by a bioprinter; a computer module providing the series of commands to a bioprinter; and the bioprinter depositing bio-ink and support material according to the commands to form a construct with a defined geometry.

A method for fabricating a composite object with a computer-controlled apparatus, and the apparatus therefor. The comprises a reservoir containing liquid, curable first material, means to selectively solidify the first material and means to selectively deposit a second material. The method involves the steps of selectively depositing portions of the second material, and selectively solidifying portions of the first material, such that the solidified portions of the first material and the deposited portions of the second material form the composite object.

A device for producing an edging of a flat extended panel has: a molding tool; a material dispenser which is movable in relation to the molding tool, for dispensing a material for the edging, wherein the molding tool has: a first mold body having a holding region for the panel; a second mold body having a holding region for the panel such that the panel is capable of being held by the first mold body and by the second mold body; a third mold body which with the first mold body shares a common contact region, wherein the first mold body, the second mold body, and the third mold body are configured such that they conjointly with the panel surround a space in which the edging is configurable; an access duct to the space, the former being configured between the second mold body and the third mold body.

Described herein are bioprinters comprising: one or more printer heads, wherein a printer head comprises a means for receiving and holding at least one cartridge, and wherein said cartridge comprises contents selected from one or more of: bio-ink and support material; a means for calibrating the position of at least one cartridge; and a means for dispensing the contents of at least one cartridge. Further described herein are methods for fabricating a tissue construct, comprising: a computer module receiving input of a visual representation of a desired tissue construct; a computer module generating a series of commands, wherein the commands are based on the visual representation and are readable by a bioprinter; a computer module providing the series of commands to a bioprinter; and the bioprinter depositing bio-ink and support material according to the commands to form a construct with a defined geometry.