A production process can produce foam materials from polymer compositions. This process involves preheating in the foaming of polymers containing blowing agents and subsequent foaming by a thermal process assisted by microwaves.

This invention disclosed a resin-based composite material has a three-layer structure and the application thereof. According to the invention, an oriented carbon nanotube bundle/epoxy resin composite material (denoted as layer B) is prepared with the microwave curing method, a barium titanate nanofiber/epoxy resin composite material (denoted as layer E) is prepared by means of a blade coating-heat curing method, and a composite material of a B-E-B three layer structural is formed by means of a layer-by-layer curing technology. Compared to the composite material of the conductor-insulating layer/polymer layer structural prepared in the prior art, the resin-based composite material has a three-layer structure provided by the invention has with high energy storage density, and low dielectric loss and high permittivity; and the preparation process therefor is controllable and easy to operate, short in production cycle, and suitable for large-scale application.

Methods for manufacturing articles of footwear are provided. In various aspects, the methods comprise utilizing additive manufacturing methods with foam particles. In some aspects, the disclosed methods comprise selectively depositing a binding material on foam particles in a target area such that the binding material coats at least a portion of defining surfaces of the foam particles with the binding material. The binding material is then cured to affix foam particles in the target area to one another. In various aspects, the disclosed methods can be used to manufacturer articles with sub-regions that differential levels of affixing between the foam particles, and thereby resulting in sub-regions with different properties such as density, resilience, and/or flexural modulus. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

A fabrication process and apparatus for producing three-dimensional objects by depositing a first polymer layer, printing a first ink layer on to the first polymer layer, depositing a second polymer layer on to the first ink layer, and printing a second ink layer on to the second polymer layer. The deposition and printing steps may be repeated until a three-dimensional object is formed. The inks used to form at least one of the first and second ink layers may include dyes or pigments so that the three-dimensional object may be a colored three-dimensional object.

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for joining a longitudinal seam in a tube, to an apparatus and method of joining a longitudinal seam in a tube in a borehole, to an apparatus and method of repairing a tube and to a pig. In an aspect an apparatus is provided for joining a longitudinal seam in a tube. The apparatus (200) includes a spool (202) for progressively unwinding a coiled member (10) into an extended form (12). The member (10) transitions from a flat form when coiled (11) to a slit tube form when extended (12), in which form the member is resiliently biased. A joining device (214) is positioned downstream of the spool arranged to provide energy to a portion of the member in its extended form to cause heating so as to progressively join together the longitudinal edges of the slit tube as the member passes the joining device. A longitudinal seam (20) is thereby formed in the tube.

The present disclosure relates to systems, methods and resins for additive manufacturing. In one embodiment, a method for additive manufacturing of a ceramic structure includes providing a resin including a preceramic polymer and inorganic ceramic filler particles dispersed in the preceramic polymer. The preceramic polymer is configured to convert to a ceramic phase. The method includes functionalizing inorganic ceramic filler particles with a reactive group and applying an energy source to the resin to create at least one layer of the ceramic phase from the resin.

Provided is a method of forming a three-dimensional object, which may include the steps of: (a) providing a carrier and an optically transparent member having a build surface, the carrier and the build surface defining a build region therebetween; (b) filling the build region with a polymerizable liquid that comprises a reactive blocked monomer and/or prepolymer comprising a self-polymerizing monomer and/or prepolymer blocked with a light-polymerizable blocking group; (c) irradiating the build region with light through said optically transparent member to form a solid polymer scaffold from the reactive blocked monomer and/or prepolymer and also advancing the carrier away from the build surface to form a three-dimensional intermediate; and then (d) heating and/or microwave irradiating, the three-dimensional intermediate sufficiently to degrade the scaffold and regenerate the monomer and/or prepolymer in de-blocked form, which monomer and/or prepolymer in turn self-polymerize, to form said three-dimensional object.

A system is disclosed for additively manufacturing a composite structure. The system may include a head configured to discharge a continuous reinforcement that is at least partially coated with a matrix, and a housing trailing from the head and configured to at least partially enclose the continuous reinforcement after discharge. The system may also include a heat source disposed at least partially inside the oven, and a support configured to move the head during discharging.

The present invention relates to a method of shaping a cured thermosetting resin substrate, and more particularly to a method of shaping a cured thermosetting resin using electromagnetic radiation, said method comprises providing a cured thermosetting resin substrate; providing a confined temperature controlling environment; placing the cured thermosetting resin substrate in the confined temperature controlling environment; providing a source of electromagnetic radiation; irradiating the cured thermosetting resin substrate in the confined temperature controlling environment; and shaping the irradiated thermosetting resin substrate.

The present invention relates to a method for self-repairing an object, wherein the object (O) comprises a matrix of a material in a continuous solid form, with optically resonant particles dispersed there within, and that has been made by fusing together particles and/or particulates of the material in a non-continuous solid form with heat transferred from the optically resonant particles that has been generated thereby when optically resonating induced by their exposure to building electromagnetic radiation. The method comprises exposing a damaged region (D) of the object (O) to repairing electromagnetic radiation (R) to be absorbed by the optically resonant particles that are dispersed therein to optically resonate to generate heat to fuse together portions of the matrix in thermal contact therewith. The system is adapted to implement the method of the invention.