Abstract: A method for the manufacture of a three-dimensional object includes the steps of forming a mixture that contains a binder and a least one of aluminum or a first aluminum-base alloy into a green composite, removing the binder from said green composite, forming a porous preform structure, reacting the aluminum or first aluminum base alloy with nitrogen to form a rigid skeleton and infiltrating the porous structure with molten aluminum or second aluminum base alloy to form the three-dimensional object with near theoretical density. The green composite may be formed by an additive process such as computer aided rapid prototyping, for example selective laser sintering. The method facilitates the rapid manufacture of aluminum components by an inexpensive technique that provides high dimensional stability and high density.

Abstract: Apparatus (100) and a method (5) are used for polling asynchronous sensors (1, 2, 3) of a computer system to optimize the data load offered by the sensors to a central processor (4). The polling apparatus and method operate in accordance with time delay status (4200, 4210, 4220) recorded in the sensor buffer stores (420, 421, 422) of the memory unit (42) of the central processor. The system determines the amount of data received in a sensor buffer store during the polling sequence and dynamically varies the value of the time delay status to optimize the load of sensor data offered the central processor.