Abstract: The laser-induced dispensing system includes a cartridge assembly having a supply reel for supplying a foil having a light transmissive layer wound around the supply reel, and a take-up reel for taking up the foil. There is provided a coating device for coating the foil by a donor material during a motion of the foil. The laser-induced dispensing system also includes an irradiation head having optics configured for focusing a laser beam. Additionally, a controller, for controlling the cartridge assembly to establish motion of the foil, and the optics to focus the laser beam onto the foil at a location downstream of the outlet of the coating device so as to release droplets of the donor material from the foil is provided.

Abstract: Systems and methods that prevent oxygen inhibition of a light-initiated polymerization reaction by forcing the oxygen away from the reaction surfaces. In some embodiments, oxygen is purged by bringing a planarizing surface (e.g., a thin transparent film and/or a transparent planar surface) into contact with a layer of UV curable material disposed on a workpiece and then moving the planarizing surface away from the workpiece once the UV material is cured.

Abstract: Systems and methods in which dot-like portions of a material (e.g., a viscous material such as a solder paste) are printed or otherwise transferred onto an intermediate substrate at a first printing unit, the intermediate substrate having the dot-like portions of material printed thereon is transferred to a second printing unit, and the dot-like portions of material are transferred from the intermediate substrate to a final substrate at the second printing unit. Optionally, the first printing unit includes a coating system that creates a uniform layer of the material on a donor substrate, and the material is transferred in the individual dot-like portions from the donor substrate onto the intermediate substrate at the first printing unit. Each of the first and second printing units may employ a variety of printing or other transfer technologies. The system may also include material curing and imaging units to aid in the overall process.

Abstract: Manufacture of a 3D object by a printing method that enables the use of several reactive materials sequentially. A laser-enhanced jetting-based 3D printer forms successive layers of reactive compositions on one another and the first and subsequent layers are allowed to crosslink between the printings to ultimately form the 3D object. Additional reactive compositions may be printed prior to the crosslinking. The crosslinking may be effected by heating, with or without a catalyst, and post printing curing may be employed after the 3D object is formed.

Abstract: A dispensing unit for dispensing liquid material includes a hollow reservoir for accommodating a syringe and having an elongated nipple at one end of the reservoir, a piston including a shaft disposed therein, and a bracket adapted to receive the nipple of the reservoir and the piston. The reservoir nipple provides a fluid path for liquid material dispensed from the syringe supported in the reservoir. The bracket receives the nipple of the reservoir such that the fluid path for the liquid material is oriented towards a nozzle disposed in the bracket. The nipple also has holes disposed near an end thereof, and the bracket is adapted to receive the piston oriented with respect to the reservoir nipple such that the shaft of the piston is aligned with the holes in the nipple and the nozzle. The shaft is displaceable through the holes in the nipple towards the nozzle.

Abstract: A leveling system for a 3D printing system for laser dispensing includes inner and outer frames, each supported at its corners by respective actuators of first and second sets of actuators. The outer frame supports an optical plane within which material to be dispensed by laser irradiation is disposed. The inner frame supports a receiving medium plane within which a substrate on which said material to be dispensed by laser irradiation is disposed. Each actuator operates independently to displace a respective frame corner in the vertical direction. The inner and outer frames each is attached at their respective corners to a respective actuator by a rod, thus allowing the inner and outer frames to freely rotate with respect to one another. An additional frame may support sensors for monitoring the 3D printing system.

Abstract: A method for solid free form fabrication includes providing a dispensing head, printing one or more support material layer(s) with the dispensing head and forming vacancies within the one or more support material layer(s), and filling the vacancies within the one or more support material layer(s) with a modeling material. The method also includes straightening the modeling material with a leveler to form a three-dimensional shaped object and removing at least a portion of the one or more support material layer(s) from the three-dimensional shaped object.

Abstract: A printer pressing assembly for forming material layers is provided. The printer pressing assembly includes a support assembly having a support surface, a driver and a press stop. The driver is able to change an elevation of the support surface relative to an elevation of the press stop. A nozzle is capable of dispensing a material onto the support surface. Further, a press is positionable opposite to the support surface and capable of moving relative to the support. Additionally, the press stop is capable of being elevated above the support surface so as to engage an abutment surface of the press to set a pre-determined distance between the contact surface of the press and the support surface.

Abstract: Systems for material deposition. One such system includes a number of containers arranged relative to one another in a conical or other shape, pointing toward a common deposition point. When not actively depositing material, the containers are held at a distance from the deposition point. Another system has a rod disposed within a container and a flexible tip on the rod seals a material exit of the container when biased closed. Pressurized gas introduced into the container forces the rod away from the material exit and material from the container. In yet another system, a container includes a barrel adapter having a one-way air valve that seals the container and creates a vacuum, preventing material from leaking from the container. Upon application of a pressurized gas, the one-way valve is forced open and material is deposited from the container. The valve closes automatically in the absence of the gas.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for the fabrication of solid three-dimensional objects from liquid polymerizable materials at high resolution. A material is coated on a film non-digitally, excess material is removed digitally, by laser, leaving an image of a layer to be printed, and the image is then engaged with existing portions of an object being fabricated and exposed to a non-digital UV curing light source. Since the only part of the process that is digital is the material removal, and this part is done by laser, the speed of printing and the robustness of the manufacturing process is improved significantly over conventional additive or 3D fabrication techniques.

Abstract: Systems and methods that prevent oxygen inhibition of a light-initiated polymerization reaction by purging the oxygen from reaction surfaces using inert gas flow. In some embodiments, oxygen is purged using a gas diffusion system that introduces, via a diffuser, an inert gas into a workspace between a UV light source and a UV curable layer of a workpiece. The diffuser may be made of a transparent or diffuse material to allow UV light to pass through it, and includes an array of micro-holes for the gas to pass through towards the workpiece. The inert gas flow may be heated to maintain a desired and uniform reaction temperature.

Abstract: A three-dimensional dental device is fabricated in a layer-by-layer approach using a support material. The support material is deposited in a liquid form on a surface, hardened by cooling or ultraviolet (UV) curing, and selectively ablated to create an area within which the desired structure of the dental device will be formed. Active dental material is deposited into this area, and the layer-by-layer process repeated until the three-dimensional dental device has been completed. Thereafter, any remaining support material is removed by water or other solvent.

Abstract: Laser jetting of droplets of a viscous material, such as an ink, is performed by coating a layer of ink on a mesh-like transport screen, with the ink being retained within spaces of the mesh-like transport screen. The ink-coated mesh-like transport screen is conveyed to a working area and a laser beam is used to heat the ink within the spaces of the mesh-like transport screen, thereby causing ink droplets to be jetted from the spaces of the mesh-like transport screen. Structures are formed on a receiving substrate arranged near the working area by jetting the ink droplets, either in an aggregation or sequentially, across a gap from the mesh-like transport screen to the receiving substrate and displacing the mesh-like transport screen and the laser beam relative to one another at times between the jetting of the droplets, or by directly printing ink droplets onto the receiving substrate.

Abstract: A touch conductive film, a touch module, a display device is provided in the present invention. The touch conductive film comprises a substrate and an electrically-conductive grid formed on the substrate. The conductive grids comprise a conductive grid in a visible region of the substrate and a conductive grid in a non-visible region of the substrate. The visible region is arranged with a plurality of conductive channels insulated from each other and a plurality of non-conductive channels formed by cutting the conductive grid, and the non-visible region is arranged with a plurality of lead channels insulated from each other. The touch conductive film of the invention has a simple structure, can be manufactured conveniently, and has lower costs. Moreover, the invention has better light transmission uniformity.

Abstract: A leveling system for a 3D printing system for laser dispensing includes inner and outer frames, each supported at its corners by respective actuators of first and second sets of actuators. The outer frame supports an optical plane within which material to be dispensed by laser irradiation is disposed. The inner frame supports a receiving medium plane within which a substrate on which said material to be dispensed by laser irradiation is disposed. Each actuator operates independently to displace a respective frame corner in the vertical direction. The inner and outer frames each is attached at their respective corners to a respective actuator by a rod, thus allowing the inner and outer frames to freely rotate with respect to one another. An additional frame may support sensors for monitoring the 3D printing system.

Abstract: Systems and methods for dispensing liquid materials as may be used in applications for coating flexible films and the like. Such a film may be coated by dispensing a rheological material onto its surface while drawing the film through a gap between a pair of rollers. The gap defines the thickness of a layer of the material applied to the film and is maintained at a desired width by microwires positioned through the gap. Another film across the gap from that to which the rheological material is applied aids in the coating of the layer and a contact area of the second film may be adjusted relative to the gap, e.g., when changing materials or when the coating film becomes abraded or deformed.

Abstract: A container assembly (10) for a pump is described, provided with at least one pumping group (12, 14, 16, 18) and with at least one system (20) for transmitting power to such pumping group (12, 14, 16, 18). The container assembly (10) comprises at least one elastic element (26) sealingly housed inside such container assembly (10) at a predefined internal wall (28) thereof. Inside the elastic element (26), at least one cavity (32) is obtained which defines a corresponding air chamber configured for damping the variations of volume and the expansion of the fluid contained inside the pump following a possible change of state of the fluid itself when subjected to temperatures lower than its freezing point.

Abstract: A touch conductive film, a touch module, a display device is provided in the present invention. The touch conductive film comprises a substrate and an electrically-conductive grid formed on the substrate. The conductive grids comprise a conductive grid in a visible region of the substrate and a conductive grid in a non-visible region of the substrate. The visible region is arranged with a plurality of conductive channels insulated from each other and a plurality of non-conductive channels formed by cutting the conductive grid, and the non-visible region is arranged with a plurality of lead channels insulated from each other. The touch conductive film of the invention has a simple structure, can be manufactured conveniently, and has lower costs. Moreover, the invention has better light transmission uniformity.

Abstract: A method for solid free form fabrication includes providing a dispensing head, printing one or more support material layer(s) with the dispensing head and forming vacancies within the one or more support material layer(s), and filling the vacancies within the one or more support material layer(s) with a modeling material. The method also includes straightening the modeling material with a leveler to form a three-dimensional shaped object and removing at least a portion of the one or more support material layer(s) from the three-dimensional shaped object.