A felt gripper head contains two regions of felt material each on plates that slide and form a slight angle with respect to each other during engagement with a fibrous substrate material.

A stacker for a 3D printer apparatus contains a positioning conveyor and a support plate hinged to drop on a signal, whereupon a push plate will push a printed and powdered sheet downward and onto registration pins, to form a stacked register of such sheets.

A photocuring printing system. A developing drum is rotatable and is light-transmissive; the developing drum and a carrier are oppositely arranged and movable with respect to each other; the developing drum has a developing surface on which an electrostatic latent image is formed by the developing engine; a feeder and the developing surface are oppositely arranged; during a rotation of the developing drum, a photocurable material provided by the feeder is selectively attracted by the electrostatic latent image to form a material layer on the developing surface; the material layer is applied, by the developing drum, on a forming surface of the carrier or a cured model on the carrier; and a curing light beam emitted by a curing light source passes through a material-laying side of the developing drum to irradiate the material layer between the developing drum and the carrier to form a cured layer.

A photocuring printing system. A developing drum is rotatable and is light-transmissive; the developing drum and a carrier are oppositely arranged and movable with respect to each other; the developing drum has a developing surface on which an electrostatic latent image is formed by the developing engine; a feeder and the developing surface are oppositely arranged; during a rotation of the developing drum, a photocurable material provided by the feeder is selectively attracted by the electrostatic latent image to form a material layer on the developing surface; the material layer is applied, by the developing drum, on a forming surface of the carrier or a cured model on the carrier; and a curing light beam emitted by a curing light source passes through a material-laying side of the developing drum to irradiate the material layer between the developing drum and the carrier to form a cured layer.

In exemplary implementations of this invention, an actuated fabricator deposits structural elements (e.g., tensile structural elements) in a 3D pattern over large displacements. The fabricator is supported by at least three elongated support members. It includes onboard actuators that translate the fabricator relative to the ends of the support members. The fabricator is configured, by actuating different translations along different support members, to translate itself throughout a 3D volume. In some implementations, each of the actuators use fusible material to fuse metal tapes together, edge-to-edge, to form a hollow structure that can be shortened or lengthened.

In exemplary implementations of this invention, an actuated fabricator deposits structural elements (e.g., tensile structural elements) in a 3D pattern over large displacements. The fabricator is supported by at least three elongated support members. It includes onboard actuators that translate the fabricator relative to the ends of the support members. The fabricator is configured, by actuating different translations along different support members, to translate itself throughout a 3D volume. In some implementations, each of the actuators use fusible material to fuse metal tapes together, edge-to-edge, to form a hollow structure that can be shortened or lengthened.

A three-dimensional shaped object using a plurality of materials can be shaped, and replenishment of the materials is implemented during shaping without stopping an apparatus. A three-dimensional laminating and shaping apparatus includes a shaping chamber in which a three-dimensional laminated and shaped object is shaped, at least two material spreaders that are provided in the shaping chamber and spread materials of the three-dimensional laminated and shaped object, at least two material suppliers that supply the materials to the material spreaders, a controller that controls movements of the material spreaders and the material suppliers, and a beam irradiator that irradiates the materials with a beam. The material spreaders and the material suppliers are respectively paired, and the controller controls the movements of the material spreaders and the material suppliers so that each of the material spreaders is supplied, at a predetermined timing, with the material from a paired one of the material suppliers.

The invention includes a method of providing an intermediary layer in a laminated structure, between two adjacent layers, where the intermediary layer contains a fiber having an extrusion coating. The intermediary layer may form a textile constructed from the fibers, the intermediary layer, when the lamination method proceeds, provides the adhesion between the adjacent layers, as well as reinforcement for the laminated structure.

The invention includes a method of providing an intermediary layer in a laminated structure, between two adjacent layers, where the intermediary layer contains a fiber having an extrusion coating. The intermediary layer may form a textile constructed from the fibers, the intermediary layer, when the lamination method proceeds, provides the adhesion between the adjacent layers, as well as reinforcement for the laminated structure.

An additive manufacturing method includes removing material from a sheet to create a plurality of individual layer segments formed, placing at least two first layer segments adjacent to each other at the same height to form a first layer having a hollow interior, the at least two first layer segments defining a first portion of an exterior of a part, and placing at least one second layer segment above the at least two first layer segments to form a second layer having a hollow interior, the at least one second layer segment defining a second portion of the exterior of the part. The method includes attaching the first layer to the second layer and removing material from the first layer and from the second layer to form the part having a continuous surface that extends along the first layer and the second layer.