Abstract: An additive manufacturing apparatus includes a dispensing system positionable over a platen to deliver a powder, an actuator to move the dispensing system along a scan axis, and an energy source to fuse a portion of the powder. The dispensing system has a hopper to hold the powder and a dispenser. The dispenser includes a channel extending along a longitudinal axis from a proximal end to a distal end. The proximal end of the channel of the dispenser is configured to receive the powder from the powder source. A powder conveyor is positioned within the channel to move the powder from the proximal end along a length of the channel, and a plurality of apertures are arranged along the longitudinal axis of the channel. The dispenser is configured such that flow of powder through each aperture is independently controllable.

Abstract: In a 3D printing method, a sinterable material is applied and heated to a temperature ranging from about 50° C. to about 400° C. A coalescent agent is selectively applied on a portion of the sinterable material, and a modifying agent is selectively applied on the portion and/or on another portion of the sinterable material. The modifying agent consists of an inorganic salt, a surfactant, a co-solvent, a humectant, a biocide, and water. The sinterable material is exposed to radiation, whereby the coalescent agent at least partially cures the portion of the sinterable material in contact with the coalescent agent, and the modifying agent i) reduces curing of the portion of the sinterable material in contact with both the coalescent agent and the modifying agent ii) prevents curing of the other portion of the sinterable material in contact with the modifying agent, or iii) both i and ii.

Abstract: An additive manufacturing apparatus includes a platform, a dispenser to dispense layers of feed material on the platform, and a fusing system including an energy source to generate an energy beam having an adjustable intensity profile, an actuator to cause the energy beam to traverse across an outermost layer of feed material, and a controller coupled to the actuator and the energy source. The controller is configured to cause the energy source to adjust the intensity profile of the energy beam on the outermost layer of feed material based on a traversal velocity and/or a traversal direction of the light beam across the outermost layer of feed material.

Abstract: Embodiments herein relate to advanced polishing pads with tunable chemical, material and structural properties, and manufacturing methods related thereto. According to one or more embodiments herein, a polishing pad with improved properties may be produced by an additive manufacturing process, such as a three-dimensional (3D) printing process. Embodiments herein thus may provide an advanced polishing pad having discrete features and geometries, formed from at least two different materials that include functional polymers, functional oligomers, reactive diluents, addition polymer precursor compounds, catalysts, and curing agents. For example, the advanced polishing pad may be formed from a plurality of polymeric layers, by the automated sequential deposition of at least one polymer precursor composition followed by at least one curing step, wherein each layer may represent at least one polymer composition, and/or regions of different compositions.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to advanced polishing pads with tunable chemical, material and structural properties, and new methods of manufacturing the same. According to one or more embodiments of the disclosure, it has been discovered that a polishing pad with improved properties may be produced by an additive manufacturing process, such as a three-dimensional (3D) printing process. Embodiments of the present disclosure thus may provide an advanced polishing pad that has discrete features and geometries, formed from at least two different materials that include functional polymers, functional oligomers, reactive diluents, addition polymer precursor compounds, catalysts, and curing agents.

Abstract: An additive manufacturing system includes a platen to support an object being manufactured, a dispenser to deliver a plurality of successive layers of a powder over the platen, and energy source configured to fuse at least a portion of the powder. The dispenser is configured to deliver the powder in a linear region that extends along a first axis. The dispenser and actuator are supported by a support structure, and the actuator is coupled to the support structure to move the support structure along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis such that the dispenser and energy source move as a single unit with the support structure and the linear region sweeps along the second axis to deposit the powder along a swath over the platen to form a layer of powder.

Abstract: Provided in one example herein is a three-dimensional printing method, comprising: (A) forming a layer comprising particles comprising a polymer and cavities between the particles, wherein the particles have an average diameter of between about 5 ?m and about 250 ?m; (B) disposing a liquid suspension over at least a portion of the layer such that the liquid suspension infiltrates into the cavities, wherein the liquid suspension comprises a radiation-absorbing coalescent agent and nanoparticles having an average diameter of less than or equal to about 500 nm; (C) forming an object slice by exposing the infiltrated layer to a radiant energy, wherein the object slice comprises a polymeric matrix comprising the polymeric particles, at least some of which are fused to one another, and the nanoparticles within the polymeric matrix; and (D) repeating (A) to (C) to form the three-dimensional object comprising multiple object slices bound depth-wise to one another.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to advanced polishing pads with tunable chemical, material and structural properties, and new methods of manufacturing the same. According to one or more embodiments of the disclosure, it has been discovered that a polishing pad with improved properties may be produced by an additive manufacturing process, such as a three-dimensional (3D) printing process. Embodiments of the present disclosure thus may provide an advanced polishing pad that has discrete features and geometries, formed from at least two different materials that include functional polymers, functional oligomers, reactive diluents, and curing agents. For example, the advanced polishing pad may be formed from a plurality of polymeric layers, by the automated sequential deposition of at least one resin precursor composition followed by at least one curing step, wherein each layer may represent at least one polymer composition, and/or regions of different compositions.

Abstract: A method of additive manufacturing include delivering at least one layer by either depositing a uniform layer of powder on a support and then removing a portion of the layer with a roller with a surface having spatially controlled electrostatic charge, or by depositing powder onto the surface of the roller and moving the roller relative to a support such that the spatially controllable electrostatic charge on the surface of the roller causes transfer of a corresponding portion of the powder from the roller onto the support or an underlying layer.

Abstract: An additive manufacturing system includes a platen having a top surface to support an object being manufactured, a support that is movable along a vertical axis, an actuator to move the support along the vertical axis, a dispenser to deliver a plurality of successive layers of feed material over the platen, an energy source configured to fuse at least a portion of the feed material, and a controller. The dispenser and energy source are mounted on the support over the platen such that motion of the support along the vertical axis moves the dispenser and energy source together toward or away from the top surface of the platen. The controller is coupled to the actuator, dispenser and energy source and configured to cause the actuator to move the support to lift the dispenser and actuator away from the top surface after each of the plurality of successive layers is delivered.

Abstract: A module for an additive manufacturing system includes a frame configured to be removably mounted on a movable support, a dispenser configured to deliver a layer of particles on a platen that is separate from the frame or an underlying layer on the platen, a heat source configured to heat the layer of particles to a temperature below a temperature at which the particles fuse, and an energy source configured to fuse the particles. The dispenser, heat source and energy source are positioned on the frame in order along a first axis, and the dispenser, heat source and energy source are fixed to the frame such that the frame, dispenser, heat source and energy source can be mounted and dismounted as a single unit from the support.

Abstract: A method of fabricating an object by additive manufacturing includes forming a green part by successively forming a plurality of layers of the green part, and processing the green part to fuse the powder into a solid mass. For each layer of the green part, a layer of powder is dispensed onto a build area on a platform, wherein the selective dispensing covers less than all of the build area, a binder material is selectively dispensed onto the layer of powder to form a combined layer of powder and binder material, and radiation is directed toward the platform so as to solidify the binder material to form a layer of the plurality of layers of the green part in which the powder is held by the solidified binder material.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to advanced polishing pads with tunable chemical, material and structural properties, and new methods of manufacturing the same. According to one or more embodiments of the disclosure, it has been discovered that a polishing pad with improved properties may be produced by an additive manufacturing process, such as a three-dimensional (3D) printing process. Embodiments of the present disclosure thus may provide an advanced polishing pad that has discrete features and geometries, formed from at least two different materials that include functional polymers, functional oligomers, reactive diluents, addition polymer precursor compounds, catalysts, and curing agents.

Abstract: An additive manufacturing apparatus includes a platform, one or more supports positioned above the platform, an actuator, a first powder dispenser that is attached to and moves with a first support from the one or more supports and is configured to selectively dispense a first powder onto the build area, a first binder material dispenser configured to selectively dispense a first binder material on a voxel-by-voxel basis to an uppermost layer of powder in the build area to form a volume of the layer having powder and binder material and corresponding to a cross-sectional portion of a part being built, a third dispensing system configured to deliver a densification material to the layer of powder or the combined layer of powder and binder material, and an energy source configured to emit radiation toward the platform so as to solidify the binder material.

Abstract: An additive manufacturing apparatus has a platform, one or more supports positioned above the platform, an actuator coupled to at least one of the platform and the one or more supports and configured to create relative motion therebetween such that the one or more supports scan across the platform, a first dispenser system configured dispense a plurality of successive layers of powder onto a build area supported by the platform, a second dispenser system configured to dispense a binder material onto the build area, and an energy source configured to emit radiation toward the platform so as to solidify the binder material. The first dispenser system includes a first powder dispenser that is attached to and moves with a first support from the one or more supports and is configured to selectively dispense a first powder onto the build area.

Abstract: An additive manufacturing apparatus includes a platform, one or more supports positioned above the platform, an actuator, a first dispenser system configured dispense a plurality of successive layers of powder onto a build area supported by the platform, a first binder material dispenser configured to selectively dispense a first binder material on a voxel-by-voxel basis to an uppermost layer of powder in the build area, and an energy source configured to emit radiation toward the platform so as to solidify the binder material. The first dispenser system includes a first powder dispenser that is attached to and moves with a first support from the one or more supports and is configured to selectively dispense a first powder onto the build area, and a second powder dispenser that is configured to selectively dispense the second powder onto the build area.

Abstract: An additive manufacturing system includes a platen having a top surface to support an object being manufactured, a dispenser to deliver a plurality of successive layers of precursor material over the platen, a plurality of lamps disposed below the top surface of the platen to heat the platen, and an energy source to fuse at least some of the outermost layer of precursor material.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a platen and a dispensing system overlying the platen. The dispensing system includes a powder source. The dispensing system further includes a powder conveyor extending over the top surface of the platen, rings arranged coaxially along a longitudinal axis of the powder conveyor, and a cap plate extending along a length of the tube. The powder conveyor is configured to receive powder from the powder source. The powder conveyor is configured to move the powder. The rings form a tube surrounding the powder conveyor to contain the powder. Each concentric ring includes a ring opening. Each ring is configured to be independently rotatable. The cap plate includes a cap plate opening. The powder is dispensed from the tube through the ring opening and the cap plate opening when the ring opening and the cap plate opening are aligned.

Abstract: An additive manufacturing apparatus includes a platform, a dispenser to dispense layers of feed material on the platform, and a fusing system to direct an energy beam to fuse at least a portion of the outermost layer of feed material. The fusing system includes an energy source to emit the energy beam, a deformable mirror to receive the energy beam and reflect the energy beam, wherein a shape of the deformable mirror defines at least in part an intensity profile of the energy beam on the outermost layer of feed material, an actuator coupled to the deformable mirror, and a controller coupled to the actuator and configured to cause the actuator to deform the shape of the deformable mirror to adjust the intensity profile of the energy beam on the outermost layer of feed material in accordance to a desired profile.

Abstract: In one example, an apparatus for generating a three-dimensional object includes an energy source to apply energy to a layer of build material to cause a first portion of the layer to coalesce and solidify, an agent distributor to selectively deliver a cooling agent onto a second portion of the layer, and a controller to control the energy source to apply energy to the layer to cause the first portion to coalesce and solidify in a first pattern and to control the agent distributor to selectively deliver the cooling agent onto the second portion of the layer in a second pattern independent of the first pattern.