An additive manufacturing apparatus, a computing system, and a method for operating an additive manufacturing apparatus are provided. The method includes obtaining two or more images corresponding to respective build layers at a build plate, wherein each image comprises a plurality of data points comprising a feature and corresponding location at the build plate; removing variation between the features of the plurality of data points; and normalizing each feature to remove location dependence in the plurality of data points.

Methods and devices enabling an optimized cure cycle with an optimized control of operation parameters in an autoclave. To monitor the curing and providing a real time control, a sample having sensors for measuring a component parameter which depends from the curing state is placed in the autoclave. A first cure cycle is obtained by modelling the component and its curing, especially by GIM and simulations. Then the actual monitored curing rate and measured properties of the cured sample is compared with the model, and the cure cycle is updated when needed. Further, a similar sample may be used for calibrating the curing during a first component production or during further productions of subsequent components.

A method for expanding an end of a pipe made of plastics having shape memory with the aid of an expander tool having a tool head having an expansion member arranged to be insertable inside the end of the pipe. The method includes steps of measuring the temperature of the pipe to be expanded, adjusting at least one of the expansion control parameters of the tool head on the basis the measured temperature of the pipe, and expanding the end of the pipe utilizing the adjusted expansion control parameter of the tool head. The expander tool includes a temperature sensor for measuring temperature of the pipe to be expanded and/or ambient temperature, and an electronic control unit for adjusting at least one of the expansion control parameters of the tool head on the basis the measured temperature value.

In order to provide an imprint device and the like that can efficiently maintain a concentration of a gas when imprinting is sequentially performed, the imprint device includes: a mold holding unit configured to a mold; a substrate holding unit configured to holding a substrate; a gas supply unit configured to supply a gas to an imprint space between the mold and the substrate; and a control unit configured to control the gas supply unit and an imprinting operation, wherein the control unit is configured to sequentially perform imprinting on a plurality of imprint regions of the substrate, and the control unit is configured to, when a moving direction of the substrate between the imprint regions is changed from a first direction to a second direction, supply a gas to the imprint space in the first direction and the second direction using the gas supply unit during the imprinting operation on the imprint region before the change in the moving direction.

The present invention provides an information processing apparatus including a processing unit configured to perform a process of outputting information indicating a contact state between a mold and a composition on a substrate, wherein the processing unit obtains a plurality of points representing a contour shape of a portion where the mold and the composition on the substrate are in contact with each other while at least one process of a contact process and a mold releasing process is performed, and outputs the information indicating the contact state based on the plurality of points.

According to one embodiment, a method, computer system, and computer program product for smoothing one or more surfaces of a 3D-printed object in reduced gravity is provided. The present invention may include positioning one or more radiative heating elements to evenly heat one or more surfaces of a 3D-printed object based on a shape of the 3D-printed object; determining, for at least one of the one or more radiative heating elements, a desired heat output necessary to melt the outermost layers of the one or more surfaces; and pulsing the one or more radiative heating elements to melt the one or more surfaces, wherein the duration and frequency of the pulsing is configured to achieve the desired heat output.

The present invention provides an imprint method of performing, for each of a plurality of shot regions on a substrate, a process of forming a pattern of an imprint material on the substrate using a mold, comprising: obtaining a model configured to receive condition information representing a condition of the process and output an extrusion state of the imprint material from a shot region; estimating the extrusion state of the imprint material from at least one first shot region that has already undergone the process, by the model, based on the condition information obtained in the process of the first shot region; and determining, based on the estimated extrusion state in the first shot region, whether to execute the process for a second shot region scheduled to undergo the process next to the first shot region.

An information processing apparatus includes a shape data acquisition unit configured to acquire shape data indicating a three-dimensional shape of a mold for forming a molded product, a mold release direction acquisition unit configured to acquire a mold release direction in separating the molded product from the mold, a processing parameter acquisition unit configured to acquire a processing parameter for processing to be applied to a surface of the mold, a calculation unit configured to calculate, based on the shape data, the mold release direction and the processing parameter, a difference between a plurality of processing parameter maps each indicating a correspondence between a position on the surface of the mold and the processing parameter, and a notification unit configured to notify information about the difference.

An imprint apparatus performing a pattern formation on an imprint material on a substrate by bringing the imprint material on the substrate and a mold into contact with each other, includes: an imprint unit configured to perform the pattern formation; and a control unit configured to control an operation of the imprint unit, in which the control unit performs a control such that the pattern formation is performed on all shot regions, in which no foreign substance exists, on a plurality of substrates using a first mold based on a foreign substance information on the substrate, and then the pattern formation is performed on all shot regions where the foreign substance exists on the plurality of substrates using a second mold different from the first mold.

An imprint apparatus that performs an imprint process of forming a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using a mold, the apparatus including a control unit configured to control a mold driving unit and a substrate driving unit, and the imprint process including curing the imprint material, and releasing the mold from the cured imprint material, wherein the control unit includes a compensator configured to feedback-control driving of at least one of the mold driving unit and the substrate driving unit such that a positional relationship between the mold and the substrate in the releasing is maintained at a positional relationship between the mold and the substrate in the curing, and makes a gain of the compensator in the releasing smaller than a gain of the compensator in a step of the imprint process other than the releasing.