A method for manufacturing a deflection member is disclosed. The method may include the steps of providing an additive manufacturing apparatus that includes at least one radiation source and a vat containing a photopolymer resin, providing a reinforcing member, contacting a surface of the reinforcing member with the photopolymer resin, and directing radiation from the at least one radiation source towards a surface of the reinforcing member to at least partially cure photopolymer resin in contact with the surface of the reinforcing member to create at least a portion of a lock-on layer.

A method for manufacturing a deflection member is disclosed. The method may include the step of incorporating a monomer, a photoinitiator system, a photoinhibitor, and/or a reinforcing member. A further step includes blending the monomer, photoinitiator, and/or photoinhibitor to form a blended photopolymer resin. Further steps may be emitting a first wavelength and emitting a second wavelength. A further step may be polymerizing the monomer to form a resinous framework comprising protuberance locked-on to the reinforcing member.

A deflection member that includes a reinforcing member and a plurality of tiles fastened to the reinforcing member.

A seamless unitary deflection member. The seamless unitary deflection member can have a backside defining an X-Y plane and a thickness in a Z-direction. The seamless unitary deflection member may also have a reinforcing member and a plurality of protuberances positioned on the reinforcing member. Each protuberance may have a three-dimensional shape such that any cross-sectional area of the protuberance parallel to the X-Y plane can have an equal or lesser area than any cross-sectional area of the protuberance being a greater distance from the X-Y plane in the Z-direction.

A method for manufacturing a deflection member is disclosed. The method may include the steps of providing an additive manufacturing apparatus that includes at least one radiation source and a vat containing a photopolymer resin, providing a reinforcing member, contacting a surface of the reinforcing member with the photopolymer resin, and directing radiation from the at least one radiation source towards a surface of the reinforcing member to at least partially cure photopolymer resin in contact with the surface of the reinforcing member to create at least a portion of a lock-on layer.

A method for manufacturing a deflection member is disclosed. The method may include the step of incorporating a monomer, a photoinitiator system, a photoinhibitor, and/or a reinforcing member. A further step includes blending the monomer, photoinitiator, and/or photoinhibitor to form a blended photopolymer resin. Further steps may be exposing the photopolymer resin to radiation form a first radiation source and/or a second radiation source.

A unitary deflection member. The unitary deflection member can have a fluid pervious reinforcing member and a patterned framework. The patterned framework can have a plurality of regularly spaced protuberances extending from the reinforcing member. At least two of said protuberances can be similar in size and shape, and can have linear segments having different cross-sectional areas along the z-direction.

A deflection member. The deflection member can be a unitary structure having a plurality of discrete primary elements and a plurality of secondary elements. At least one of the secondary elements can be an elongate member having a major axis having both a machine direction vector component and a cross machine direction vector component. Each discrete primary element can be an open structure having at least two linking segments, with at least one of the plurality of linking segments having a Z-direction vector component. In an example, either of the secondary elements or the linking segments can be arranged in a Voronoi pattern.

A deflection member. The deflection member can be a unitary structure having a plurality of discrete primary elements and a plurality of secondary elements. At least one of the secondary elements can be an elongate member having a major axis having both a machine direction vector component and a cross machine direction vector component. In an example, the secondary elements can be arranged in a Voronoi pattern.

A unitary deflection member. The unitary deflection member can have a fluid pervious reinforcing member and a patterned framework. The patterned framework can have a plurality of regularly spaced protuberances extending from the reinforcing member. At least two of said protuberances can be similar in size and shape, and each protuberance can have a transition portion having a transition portion width and a forming portion having a forming portion width. The transition portion width can be less than the forming portion width.