Abstract: A method of compensating for sintering warpage due to powder spreading density variations in binder jetting additive manufacturing, including receiving an initial design file defining an object geometry, representing the object geometry as a part mesh and filling the mesh with a grid of voxels to create a voxel grid, each voxel having at least one shrinkage coefficient. For each voxel, determining a distortion factor caused by a powder density variation induced during a powder spreading process and adjusting the at shrinkage coefficient of each voxel according to its respective distortion factor. Next, a shrinkage of the grid of voxels is simulated according to a sintering process. A negative compensation is applied to the voxel grid, according to the simulated shrinkage of the grid of voxels, to form a compensated voxel grid. Lastly, the change in the voxel grid is mapped to the compensated voxel grid onto the part mesh to create a pre-processed compensated part mesh.

Abstract: A method of compensating for shrinking and distortion of an object resulting from a manufacturing process. A scan is performed of an object following a manufacturing process to produce scan data. The scan data is aligned to a part mesh of the object. The part mesh is adjusted to substantially coincide with the scan data by moving part mesh vertices. Delta vectors are computed by subtracting initial part mesh vertex positions from final part mesh vertex positions. The inverse of the delta vectors are applied to the preprocessed part mesh to give a scan adjusted pre-processed shape.

Abstract: Support substrates are used in certain additive fabrication processes to permit processing of an object. For additive fabrication processes with materials that are sintered into a final part, a multi-layer support substrate of interleaved support and interface layers is fabricated to support an object while reducing an impact of friction on shrinkage of the part during the sintering process.

Abstract: Techniques for depowdering additively fabricated parts are described in which powder is separated from parts by creating a large pressure differential between the powder and parts and a nearby location. The pressure differential may cause gas to quickly flow into and/or around the powder and parts, thereby producing a force against the powder and parts. Since the powder is generally much lighter than the parts, this force may be much more effective at moving the powder than moving the parts. As a result, the powder and parts may be separated from one another. The pressure differential may be created in various ways, such as by holding the parts and part in a chamber that is pressurized with air and/or other gas(es). Rapid depressurization of the chamber may produce the aforementioned pressure differential, leading to powder movement away from the parts.

Abstract: A system and corresponding method to move build material in a three-dimensional (3D) printing system uses a gripper. The gripper is arranged to apply at least two opposing lateral forces to the build material. The at least two opposing lateral forces are applied to the build material, in conjunction with linear motion of the gripper, for at least a portion of a path the build material travels toward an extrusion head.

Abstract: A method of conditioning layers of build material powder for metal additive manufacturing including depositing an amount of build material powder on a work surface, the amount of build material powder having a lower surface separated from an upper surface by a height. A roller is traversed across the work surface in a first direction while rotating the roller in a direction opposed to the first direction. During the step of traversing the roller, a lower surface of the roller extends below the upper surface of the amount of build material powder by a distance. The roller has a surface conditioning configured to, in conjunction with a controlled speed of the rotation of the roller, provide a powder density in a compacted layer within a predetermined powder density range.

Abstract: A de-powdering basket comprises an enclosure of at least one side wall and a bottom wall. The enclosure is configured such that, when the enclosure is disposed within a build box, the outer surfaces of the at least one side wall are substantially adjacent to the interior walls of the build box. The enclosure further comprises one or more apertures disposed within the at least one side wall, each of the apertures comprising a void that extends through the at least one side wall from an interior surface of the side wall to an exterior surface of the side wall. The enclosure may be configured to accommodate a build plate situated within the enclosure. Outer edges of the build plate may cooperate with inner surfaces of the side walls of the enclosure to prevent loose powder from passing between the outer edges of the build plate and the side walls.

Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods are directed to the use of vapor phase change in binder jetting processes for forming three-dimensional objects. In general, a vapor of a first fluid may be directed to a layer of a powder spread across a build volume. The vapor may condense to reduce mobility of the particles of the powder of the layer. For example, the condensing vapor may reduce the likelihood of particle ejection from the layer and, thus, may reduce the likelihood of clogging or otherwise degrading a printhead used to jet a second fluid (e.g., a binder) to the layer. Further, or instead, the condensing vapor may increase the density of the powder in the layer which, when repeated over a plurality of layers forming a three-dimensional object, may reduce the likelihood of slumping of the part during sintering.

Abstract: Complexity of a geometry of a desired (i.e., target) three-dimensional (3D) object being produced by an additive manufacturing system, as well as atypical behavior of the processes employed by such a system, pose challenges for producing a final version of the desired 3D object with fidelity relative to the desired object. An example embodiment enables such challenges to be overcome as a function of feedback to enable the final version to be produced with fidelity. The feedback may be at least one value that is associated with at least one characteristic of a printed object following processing of the printed object. Such feedback may be obtained as part of a calibration process of the 3D printing system or as part of an operational process of the 3D printing system.

Abstract: A system for generating a user-adjustable furnace profile, comprises a user interface configured to receive one or more materials properties from a user, a processor, and a memory with computer code instructions stored thereon. The memory is operatively coupled to the processor such that, when executed by the processor, the computer code instructions cause the system to implement communicating with a furnace to ascertain one or more thermal processes associated with the furnace, identifying one or more object characteristics associated with an object to be processed by furnace, and determining a thermal processing parameter profile of at least one thermal processing parameter corresponding to each of the thermal processes, based on (i) the one or more part characteristics and (ii) the one or more materials properties, the thermal processing parameter profile characterizing a cycle of the one or more thermal processes.

Abstract: A 3D printer includes a build plate providing a surface on which an object is printed. Prior to printing, a sheet is fixed to the surface of the build plate. The sheet is composed of a material that adheres to a binder component of the feedstock used to print the object. During printing, the first layer of the printed object forms a bond with the sheet, which secures the location of the first layer and resists movement of the object during printing. Following printing and the object gaining sufficient rigidity, the object and sheet can be removed together from the printer. The sheet may then be peeled from the object, and the object can undergo debinding and/or sintering to create a finished object.

Abstract: A method for improving part quality in additive manufacturing involving jetting liquid metal. Limiting the amounts of magnesium and zinc in a meniscus material to below predetermined thresholds improves jetting quality. Further, ensuring an amount of Strontium is above a predetermined threshold further improves jetting of the liquid metal.

Abstract: 3D-printed parts may include binding agents to be removed following an additive manufacturing process. A debinding process removes the binding agents by immersing the part in a solvent bath causing chemical dissolution of the binding agents. The time of exposure of the 3D-printed part to the solvent is determined based on the geometry of the part, wherein the geometry is applied to predict the diffusion of the solvent through the 3D-printed part. The 3D-printed part is then immersed in the solvent bath to remove the binding agent, and is removed from the solvent bath after the time of exposure.

Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods are directed to applying magnetohydrodynamic forces to liquid metal to eject liquid metal along a controlled pattern, such as a controlled three-dimensional pattern as part of additive manufacturing of an object. Electric current delivered to a meniscus of the liquid metal in a quiescent state can be directed to exert a pullback force on the liquid metal. The pullback force can be sufficient to draw the liquid metal, in the quiescent state, in a direction toward the nozzle to reduce the likelihood of unintended wetting of surfaces of the nozzle between uses of the nozzle.

Abstract: Embodiments described herein relate to methods and systems for controlling the packing behavior of powders for additive manufacturing applications. In some embodiments, a method for additive manufacturing includes adding a packing modifier to a base powder to form a build material. The build material may be spread to form a layer across a powder bed, and the build material may be selectively joined along a two-dimensional pattern associated with the layer. The steps of spreading a layer of build material and selectively joining the build material in the layer may be repeated to form a three-dimensional object. The packing modifier may be selected to enhance one or more powder packing and/or powder flow characteristics of the base powder to provide for improved uniformity of the additive manufacturing process, promote sintering, and/or to enhance the properties of the manufactured three-dimensional objects.

Abstract: Improved formulations of an interface material are described. These formulations may, in at least some cases, match and/or accommodate dimensional changes in the part and/or support structure throughout thermal processing (e.g., debind and sintering, or sintering only). Furthermore, these formulations may also maintain the property of resisting bonding between the interface and the part and/or support structure while also maintaining a physical separation between the part and support structure. In some cases, an improved interface material may accommodate strain associated with the shrinkage of a part (and optionally support structure) during sintering while also minimally impacting the ability of the part (and optionally support structure) to shrink or otherwise change in dimension. In some cases, the interface material may include one or more fugitive phases that are removed during thermal processing (e.g., through pyrolysis of the fugitive phase(s)).

Abstract: This invention relates to three-dimensional printing. This invention in particularly relates to a method of fabricating a three-dimensional object using a support edifice and also using a mold material with structural additives. The support edifice is fabricated in the same crafting material as the final three-dimensional object in the same manner as the printing of the final three-dimensional object (mold and crafting in a layer by layer manner). This method enables the support edifice to also transform during post processing in the same manner as the final three-dimensional object, thus supporting the object until finished. The system for fabricating the object comprises a dual printhead comprising a first dispensing nozzle for depositing the filament material in a flowable fluid form and a second dispensing nozzle for depositing the crafting medium, which is in a paste form. The printhead can also include a heating system or a drying apparatus.

Abstract: A debinder provides for debinding printed green parts in an additive manufacturing system. The debinder can include a storage chamber, a process chamber, a distill chamber, a waste chamber, and a condenser. The storage chamber stores a liquid solvent for debinding the green part. The process chamber debinds the green part using a volume of the liquid solvent transferred from the storage chamber. The distill chamber collects a solution drained from the process chamber and produces a solvent vapor from the solution. The condenser condenses the solvent vapor to the liquid solvent and transfer the liquid solvent to the storage chamber. The waste chamber collects a waste component of the solution.

Abstract: A method of metal additive manufacturing, including forming a three-dimensional object as a successive series of layers. At least some of the successive layers is formed by depositing a layer of build material powder on a work surface, depositing a predetermined pattern of fugitive fluid and depositing a predetermined pattern of binder fluid, wherein the predetermined pattern of fugitive fluid improves at least one characteristic of the three-dimensional part.