Porous and microporous parts prepared by additive manufacturing as disclosed herein are useful in medical and non-medical applications. The parts are prepared from a composition containing both a solvent soluble component and a solvent insoluble component. After a part is printed by an additive manufacturing process it is exposed to solvent to extract solvent soluble component away from the printed part, resulting in a part having surface cavities.

An imprint apparatus that brings a mold and an imprint material on a substrate into contact with each other to form a pattern of the imprint material on the substrate is provided. The apparatus comprises a supplying unit configured to supply the imprint material to the substrate, and a control unit configured to control the supplying unit in accordance with arrangement data of the imprint material that indicates a position where the imprint material is to be supplied on the substrate, wherein the control unit determines the arrangement data based on a feature related to a spread of a droplet of the imprint material on the substrate.

The present invention provides methods, processes, and systems for the manufacture of three-dimensional articles made of polymers using 3D printing. A layer of prepolymer is deposited on a build plate to form a powder bed. The deposited powder bed is heated to about 50° C. to about 170° C. Then, a solution of activating agent is printed on the powder bed in a predetermined pattern, and a stimulus is applied converting the prepolymer to the final polymer. After a predetermined period of time, sequential layers are printed to provide the three-dimensional article. The three-dimensional object can be cured to produce the three-dimensional article composed of the final polymers.

A method for desalinating a salt-containing polymer is provided. The salt-containing polymer contains a polyaryl ether and a salt. The method includes the steps of mechanically increasing the surface area of the salt-containing polymer to obtain a salt-containing polymer of increased surface area, and contacting the salt-containing polymer of increased surface area with an extractant to obtain a desalinated polymer containing the polyaryl ether, and a salt-containing extractant containing the extractant and the salt.

Methods are disclosed including thermally processing a scaffold to increase the radial strength of the scaffold when the scaffold is deployed from a crimped state to a deployed state such as a nominal deployment diameter. The thermal processing may further maintain or increase the expansion capability of the scaffold when expanded beyond the nominal diameter.

A method of forming a three-dimensional object, wherein said three-dimensional object is an insert for use between a helmet and a human body, is described. The method may use a polymerizable liquid, or resin, useful for the production by additive manufacturing of a three-dimensional object, comprising a mixture of (i) a light polymerizable liquid first component, and (ii) a second solidifiable component that is different from said first component.

A method of forming a three-dimensional object is carried out by: (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, the polymerizable liquid including a mixture of (i) a light polymerizable liquid first component, and (ii) a second solidifiable component that is different from the first component; (c) irradiating the build region with light through the optically transparent member to form a solid polymer scaffold from the first component and also advancing the carrier away from the build surface to form a three-dimensional intermediate having the same shape as, or a shape to be imparted to, the three-dimensional object, and containing the second solidifiable component carried in the scaffold in unsolidified and/or uncured form; and (d) concurrently with or subsequent to the irradiating step, solidifying and/or curing the second solidifiable component in the three-dimensional intermediate to form the three-dimensional object.

A build plate for a three-dimensional printer includes: a rigid, optically transparent, gas-impermeable planar base having an upper surface and a lower surface; and a flexible, optically transparent, gas-permeable sheet having an upper and lower surface, the sheet upper surface comprising a build surface for forming a three-dimensional object, the sheet lower surface positioned on the base upper surface. The build plate includes a gas flow enhancing feature configured to increase gas flow to the build surface.

A polymer body includes a first thermoplastic polymer, and a second thermoplastic polymer. The first thermoplastic polymer and the second thermoplastic polymer form a continuous solid structure. The first thermoplastic polymer forms an external supporting structure that at least partially envelops the second thermoplastic polymer. A first flow temperature of the first thermoplastic polymer is at least 10° C. higher than a second flow temperature of the second thermoplastic polymer. The first thermoplastic polymer may be removable by exposure to a selective solvent.

A polymer body includes a first thermoplastic polymer, and a second thermoplastic polymer. The first thermoplastic polymer and the second thermoplastic polymer form a continuous solid structure. The first thermoplastic polymer forms an external supporting structure that at least partially envelops the second thermoplastic polymer. A first flow temperature of the first thermoplastic polymer is at least 10° C. higher than a second flow temperature of the second thermoplastic polymer. The first thermoplastic polymer may be removable by exposure to a selective solvent.