Method and apparatus for additive manufacturing

Abstract

The present application relates to a method of additive manufacturing and an additive manufacturing device. An additive manufacturing method is provided, the method comprising: depositing a layer of base material, producing an additive manufactured part from the layer of base material. The method further comprises: depositing a slurry on the layer of base material, wherein the slurry comprises a solvent, particles of a structural material, and a reinforcing agent.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The exemplary embodiments relate generally to additive manufacturing, and more specifically, to additive manufacturing in-situ reinforced structures. Background Technology

[0002] Typically, in additive manufacturing, powder is dispersed on a building plate (or a powder bed formed by a previous layer of powder deposited on the building plate) or material fibers are deposited on the building plate (or on top of the fibers of a previous deposited layer) in a side-by-side arrangement. The powder or fibers are then fused together to form the desired manufactured part / article (referred to herein as a “structure”). The melting of particles can be achieved using a laser or any other suitable energy source configured to fuse the powder or fibers together. When powder is deposited, voids and / or pores are formed between the powder particles and between adjacent layers of powder thus formed. For example, powder particles often have a spherical shape, and when adjacent to each other, the particles may create voids and / or pores. Similarly, when fibers are deposited, the cylindrical shape of the fibers may result in voids and / or pores between adjacent fibers and between adjacent layers of fibers thus formed. Voids and pores can also arise from variations during the deposition process.

[0003] Additively manufactured structures may have poor surface finishes due to voids and / or pores. Furthermore, additively manufactured structures can exhibit anisotropic mechanical properties. For example, consider a three-dimensional (X,Y,Z) structure in which fiber or powder layers are deposited in the XY plane and stacked on top of each other in the Z direction. For illustrative purposes only, the tension in the Z direction of the structure may be approximately 40% to approximately 55% of the tension in the XY plane. This anisotropic behavior may be attributed to voids and / or pores present between the powder or fiber layers.

[0004] In addition to the above, a wide variety of substrate materials (e.g., metals, polymers, and ceramics) can be used to generate structures using additive manufacturing; however, despite the choice of substrate material, conventional additive manufacturing techniques do not provide the ability to fine-tune or modify the properties (e.g., conductivity) of the structures formed from the substrate material. For example, if the substrate material is a conductor, the composite structure formed using that substrate material will be conductive. Similarly, if the substrate material is an insulator, the composite structure formed using that substrate material will be insulating, and conventionally, the additive manufacturing process does not impart conductivity to insulating structures. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Accordingly, apparatus and methods designed to at least address the problems identified above will demonstrate practicality.

[0006] The following is a non-exclusive list of embodiments of the subject matter of this disclosure, which are claimed or not claimed.

[0007] One embodiment of the subject matter of this disclosure relates to a method of additive manufacturing. The method includes: depositing a layer of substrate material, producing an additively manufactured portion from the layer of substrate material; and depositing a slurry onto the layer of substrate material, wherein the slurry includes a solvent, particles of a structural material, and a reinforcing agent.

[0008] Another embodiment of the subject matter of this disclosure relates to a method of additive manufacturing. The method includes: depositing layers of substrate material; and depositing a slurry onto the layers of substrate material, wherein the slurry includes a solvent, particles of a structural material, and a reinforcing agent; and wherein layers of substrate material and slurry are deposited alternately to form stacked layers of substrate material using a slurry disposed interspersed between stacked layers of substrate material, the slurry at least partially filling one or more voids and pores between adjacent layers of substrate material in the stacked layers of substrate material to enhance coupling between adjacent layers of substrate material.

[0009] Another embodiment of the subject matter of this disclosure relates to an additive manufacturing component comprising: at least one layer of a substrate material; and a reinforcing agent disposed on at least one layer of the substrate material, wherein the reinforcing agent is deposited as a slurry on at least one substrate layer to at least partially fill one or more voids and pores in at least one layer of the substrate material, wherein the slurry comprises a solvent, particles of a structural material, and the reinforcing agent.

[0010] Another embodiment of the subject matter of this disclosure relates to an additive manufacturing apparatus, comprising: a frame; a substrate material support bed coupled to the frame; a substrate material deposition unit movably coupled to the frame and disposed above the substrate material support bed, the substrate material deposition unit being configured to deposit one or more layers of substrate material on the substrate material support bed; and a deposition apparatus coupled to the frame for positioning relative to the frame and configured to deposit slurry on one or more layers of substrate material, in situ with one or more layers of substrate material. Attached Figure Description

[0011] The embodiments of this disclosure have been generally described herein. Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and in which similar reference numerals denote the same or similar parts throughout the drawings, and in which:

[0012] Figure 1A This is a schematic block diagram of an additive manufacturing apparatus according to various aspects of this disclosure;

[0013] Figure 1B This is a schematic block diagram of reinforcing agents / materials according to various aspects of this disclosure;

[0014] Figure 1C It is a schematic block diagram of the particles of the structural material according to various aspects of this disclosure;

[0015] Figure 1D It is a schematic block diagram of the conductive materials according to various aspects of this disclosure;

[0016] Figure 1E Based on the various aspects of this disclosure Figure 1A The additive manufacturing apparatus in the process is formed and includes Figure 1B , Figure 1C ,as well as Figure 1D A schematic block diagram of one or more additive manufacturing parts (also referred to here as "additive manufacturing structure") consisting of reinforcing agents, structural material particles, and conductive materials;

[0017] Figure 2A , Figure 2B ,as well as Figure 2C Based on the various aspects of this disclosure Figure 1A An exemplary end view of material fibers deposited by an additive manufacturing apparatus in which the degree of "air gap" between fibers is changed;

[0018] Figure 3A Based on all aspects of this disclosure Figure 1A Exemplary illustration of an additive manufacturing apparatus;

[0019] Figure 3B Based on all aspects of this disclosure Figure 1A Exemplary illustration of an additive manufacturing apparatus;

[0020] Figure 4A , Figure 4B ,as well as Figure 4C The gradual stacking of fiber layers is shown according to various aspects of this disclosure. Figure 1A An exemplary end view of the deposition of material fibers in an additive manufacturing apparatus;

[0021] Figure 5A This is a perspective view of an exemplary additive manufacturing portion according to various aspects of this disclosure;

[0022] Figure 5B Based on all aspects of this disclosure Figure 5A A perspective view of a portion of the augmentation manufacturing section;

[0023] Figure 5C Based on all aspects of this disclosure Figure 5B Example end view of a portion of the augmented manufacturing section;

[0024] Figure 6 Based on all aspects of this disclosure Figure 1A Exemplary illustration of an additive manufacturing apparatus;

[0025] Figure 7A and Figure 7B The gradual stacking of powder layers is shown according to various aspects of this disclosure. Figure 1A An exemplary side view of the additive manufacturing apparatus in the figure shows powder deposition.

[0026] Figure 8 This is an exemplary flowchart of an additive manufacturing method according to various aspects of this disclosure;

[0027] Figure 9 This is an exemplary flowchart of an additive manufacturing method according to various aspects of this disclosure; and

[0028] Figure 10 This is an exemplary flowchart of an additive manufacturing method according to various aspects of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0029] refer to Figure 1A An additive manufacturing apparatus 100 is shown. On one hand, the additive manufacturing apparatus 100 is configured to produce an additive manufacturing section 150 by material extrusion (e.g., molten fiber fabrication, fused deposition modeling, etc.), wherein a substrate material 120 is extruded through a nozzle or orifice into a trajectory or bead shape (i.e., fibers 121F, 122F, 123F), i.e., deposited on a substrate material support bed 103 and then reinforced (e.g., heated to bond the fibers together) to form the additive manufacturing section 150. On the other hand, the additive manufacturing apparatus 100 is configured to produce the additive manufacturing section 150 by directional energy deposition (e.g., laser metal deposition, laser engineering purification, directional metal deposition, etc.), wherein the substrate material 120 (as powder or wire) is fed into a melt pool generated on the surface of the additive manufacturing section 150, wherein it is adhered to the underlying portion or layer by using an energy source 107 such as a laser beam or electron beam. On the other hand, the additive manufacturing apparatus 100 is configured to produce an additive manufacturing section 150 by powder bed melting (e.g., selective laser sintering, directional metal laser sintering, laser melting, selective thermal sintering, multi-jet melting, etc.), wherein a base material 120 in powder form (e.g., powders 121P, 122P, 123P) is deposited on a base material support bed 103 and reinforced using energy 107 (e.g., heating to bind the powder particles together) to form the additive manufacturing section 150.

[0030] Because the substrate material 120 is deposited on the substrate material support bed 103, previously adjacent deposited fibers 121F, 122F, 123F, previously adjacent deposited powders 121P, 122P, 123P, or previously adjacent deposited substrate material 120 (e.g., deposited as a melt pool or slurry and at least partially solidified) are at least partially adhered to each other. In some instances, this partial adhesion forms voids 201 and / or pores 200. Figure 2A , Figure 2B , Figure 2C Particles 600 of powder 121P, 122P, 123P are formed between layers 151 of the substrate material 120 and / or between adjacent fibers 121F, 122F, 123F (see...). Figure 6 ), or form a previously deposited partially cured substrate material 120 within the common layer 151. These voids 201 and / or pores 200 may result in anisotropic mechanical properties in the augmented fabricated portion 150.

[0031] Various aspects of this disclosure provide in-situ reinforcement of the additive manufacturing portion 150 (e.g., during the formation of the additive manufacturing portion 150 using the additive manufacturing apparatus 100). According to various aspects of this disclosure, after the deposition of each (or at least one) layer 151 of the substrate material 120, a reinforcing agent / material 185, 193 is deposited on each (or at least one) layer 151 of the substrate material 120 during the manufacturing of the additive manufacturing portion 150. The reinforcing agents 185, 193 are deposited into the interstitial voids 201 and / or pores 200 created by the unmelted portions and / or partially molten portions of the substrate material 120. Figure 2A , Figure 2B , Figure 2C ), wherein reinforcing agents 185 and 193 at least partially fill voids 201 and / or pores 200 ( Figure 2A , Figure 2B , Figure 2C It also affects the densification of the incremental manufacturing part 150.

[0032] Reinforcing agents 185 and 193 can be deposited in the form of a resin (or polymer) solution 180 or a slurry 190, wherein the resin solution 180 or slurry 190 is sprayed, brushed, rolled, or applied onto the corresponding layer 151 of the substrate material 120 by any other suitable method. The resin solution 180 can be prepared by dissolving any suitable resin, such as thermoplastic resin 183, in a suitable solvent 181 (e.g., to form a dissolved resin 182), with the reinforcing agent 185 remaining in suspension. The slurry 190 can be formed by optimizing the suitable solvent 195 used to compose the slurry (which may include dissolved resin 182, such as thermoplastic resin 183), the particles 194 of the structural material, and the amount of reinforcing agent 193 (e.g., depending on the nozzle design, the desired viscosity of the slurry fed by the dispensing system, etc.).

[0033] Solvents 181 and 195 can be low surface tension solvents such as acetone, ethanol, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), N,N-dimethylformamide, or any other suitable solvent. As an example, the low surface tension solvent can have a surface tension of about 22 mN / m to about 41 mN / m. In other aspects, the solvent can have a surface tension less than about 22 mN / m or greater than about 41 mN / m. In still other aspects, the solvent can have a surface tension less than that of water (e.g., less than about 73 mN / m).

[0034] Also refer to Figure 1B Reinforcing agents 185 and 193 can be polymeric reinforcing agent 185A or non-polymeric reinforcing agent 185B. For example, reinforcing agents 185 and 193 can include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: nanoparticles 185D, two-dimensional nanosheets 185E (e.g., organic or inorganic), carbon nanotubes 185F, nanoplatelets 185C (e.g., nanoclay, transition metal dichalcogenides (e.g., such as MoS2 and WS2, etc.)), graphene 185G, graphene-reinforced fibers 185H, and graphene derivatives 185I (e.g., including but not limited to hydrogenated graphene (graphane), fluorinated graphene (fluorinated graphene), graphene oxide (graphene oxide), and graphene introduced via acetylene chains (graphyne and graphdiyne)). See also: Figure 1CThe structural material particles 194 include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: polymeric particles 194B (which differ from the substrate material 120 in one respect but are otherwise identical to the substrate material 120), substrate material particles 194A, metal particles 194C (which differ from the substrate material 120 in one respect but are otherwise identical to the substrate material 120), and ceramic particles 194D. If the structural material particles 194 include metal particles 194C, the slurry 190 may include any suitable organic binder 191 (see Figure 1) (if the structural material particles 194 are, for example, polymeric or polymeric, the structural material particles 194 cannot be used as organic binder 191). On the one hand, the application of heat or any other suitable treatment can facilitate the conversion of the solvent 195, the structural material particles 194, and the reinforcing agent 193 into the slurry 190.

[0035] On one hand, the resin solution 180 and / or slurry 190 include a conductive material 184. Also refer to... Figure 1D The conductive material 184 can be any suitable conductive material, including but not limited to conductive ink 184A, carbon-based nanomaterials 184B (such as, for example, carbon nanotubes 185F, graphene 185G, graphene-reinforced fibers 185H, and graphene derivatives 185I), conductive polymers 184C, and nanosilver 184D (or other nanometals).

[0036] Various aspects of this disclosure are provided in the XY plane (see Figures 5A to 5C The manufacture of an augmented manufacturing portion 150 having substantially the same mechanical properties in the Z direction, wherein a resin solution 180 and / or slurry 190 are deposited (e.g., filled) into voids 201 and / or pores 200 formed by the local melting of the base material 120 (or by any other means). Figure 2A , Figure 2B , Figure 2C In order to densify the augmented manufacturing portion 150. Aspects of this disclosure provide adjacent deposited particles 600 between adjacent layers 151, between adjacent deposited fibers 121F, 122F, 123F, and between powders 121P, 122P, 123P. Figure 6 The bond between them.

[0037] Various aspects of this disclosure also provide for adjustments or tuning of the conductive properties of the augmenting fabrication portion 150. For example, if the augmenting fabrication portion 150 is composed of a non-conductive substrate material 120, the conductive material 184 of the resin solution 180 and / or slurry 190 deposited between one or more layers 151 of the augmenting fabrication portion 150 can provide any suitable thermal and / or electrical conductive pathways through the augmenting fabrication portion 150. If the augmenting fabrication portion 150 is composed of a conductive substrate material 120, the resin solution 180 and / or slurry 190 deposited between one or more layers 151 of the augmenting fabrication portion 150 may have structural material particles 194 or non-conductive material present in sufficient quantities as reinforcing agents 185, 193 to thermally and / or electrically isolate one or more layers 151 of the augmenting fabrication portion from one or more other layers of the augmenting fabrication portion 150. Various aspects of this disclosure may also provide an augmenting fabrication portion 150 having barrier properties such as impermeability. For example, nanoplatelets 185C form barrier materials 199 ( Figure 1B ), the barrier material 199 affects or forms a barrier element 400 on the outer surface 500 of the augmented manufacturing part 150 ( Figure 4C Figure 5 Figure 7B ), or affect or form a barrier 400 between one or more layers 151 of the augmenting manufacturing part 150. Figure 4C , Figure 7B In this device, the barrier 400 adequately prevents fluids (e.g., gases, liquids, etc.) from passing through.

[0038] Various aspects of this disclosure provide in-situ reinforcement of the additive manufacturing portion 150 during manufacturing, i.e., it is not energy-intensive and requires no post-processing of the additive manufacturing portion 150 (e.g., no reinforcement processing steps are required after the part has been manufactured by additive manufacturing). Various aspects of this disclosure can also be retrofitted / integrated into existing 3D printers used for additive manufacturing. Various aspects of this disclosure can also provide the additive manufacturing portion 150 with spatially variable properties (e.g., conduction and / or barrier properties at predetermined regions of the additive manufacturing portion 150).

[0039] For reference Figure 1A , Figure 3A ,as well as Figure 3BThe additive manufacturing apparatus 100 can be configured to manufacture an additive manufacturing section 150 using any suitable polymeric material 121, any suitable metal 122, or any suitable polymer 123. The additive manufacturing apparatus 100 includes a frame 101, a substrate material support bed 103, a substrate material deposition unit 104 (for depositing substrate material 120), a deposition apparatus 105, a storage tank 106, a computer-controlled positioning mechanism 175, a controller 170, a heater 108, and any suitable energy source 107 (e.g., heating the deposited substrate material 120 to melt / reinforce it). The substrate material support bed 103 is coupled to the frame 101 in any suitable manner. The substrate material deposition unit 104 is movably coupled to the frame 101 in any suitable manner and is positioned above the substrate material support bed 103. The substrate material deposition unit 104 is configured to deposit one or more layers 151 of substrate material 120 (in the form of powder 121P, 122P, 123P or fiber 121F, 122F, 123F) on the substrate material support bed 103.

[0040] The deposition apparatus 105 is coupled to the frame for positioning (fixed or movable) relative to the frame 101, and is configured to deposit resin solution 180 and / or slurry 190 onto one or more layers 151 of substrate material 120, in situ with one or more layers 151 of substrate material 120. On one hand, the deposition apparatus 105 includes a support bed 103 fixed relative to the substrate material (e.g., statically coupled to the frame 101 – see [link]). Figure 3A The nozzle 105S. On the other hand, the deposition apparatus 105 is movably coupled to the frame 101. For example, the deposition apparatus 105 and the substrate material deposition unit 104 can be movably coupled to the frame via a computer-controlled positioning mechanism 175 having at least one drive unit 176. On the one hand, the substrate material deposition unit 104 (for Figure 3A and Figure 3B For illustrative purposes, as shown, the deposition unit 105, configured to deposit fiber substrate material, is coupled to a corresponding one of the substrate material deposition unit drive 176B and the deposition device drive 176A, for movement relative to each other and the substrate material support bed 103 (see [reference]). Figure 3A On the other hand, the substrate material deposition unit 104 and the deposition apparatus 105 are configured to move together as a single unit relative to the frame 101 and the substrate material support bed 103 (see [link]). Figure 3BFor example, the deposition apparatus may be coupled to the substrate material deposition unit 104 such that both are moved as a single unit via the substrate material deposition unit drive 176B. The controller 170 is configured to control at least the substrate material deposition unit 104 and the deposition apparatus 105, and in some respects control the positioning movement (such as in the XY plane and / or the Z direction, etc.) of one or more of the substrate material support beds 103 to deposit the substrate material 120, the resin solution 180, and / or the slurry 190 in the manner described herein.

[0041] The deposition apparatus 105 can be configured as, for example, a nozzle 105S (e.g., through which resin solution 180 or slurry 190 exits the deposition apparatus 105), a brush 105B, a roller 105R, or a solution deposition planarization unit 105D (see Figure 1A and Figure 3A Any other suitable deposition apparatus configured to deposit resin solution 180 and / or slurry 190 onto layer 151. On one hand, deposition apparatus 105 is configured to influence the deposition of resin solution 180 onto layer 151 of substrate material 120 by applying low surface tension melt 740 (see [link to image]). Figure 7A (For example, the thermoplastic resin 183 in the resin solution 180 has a lower molecular weight than the substrate material 120 (but is capable of having the same or different chemical properties as the substrate material 120) so that the thermoplastic resin 183 melts at a lower temperature than the substrate material 120). Depending on the configuration of the deposition apparatus 105, if the deposition apparatus 105 is movable, the deposition apparatus drive 176A is suitably configured to move the deposition apparatus 105 so that the resin solution 180 and / or slurry 190 are deposited by spraying, brushing, rolling, or solution deposition planarization. Although the substrate material deposition unit 104 and the deposition apparatus 105 are described as movable relative to the substrate material support bed 103, in other respects, the substrate material support bed 103 may be movable relative to one or more of the substrate material deposition unit 104 and the deposition apparatus 105.

[0042] refer to Figure 1A The frame 101 forms a cavity 102 that at least encloses a portion of the deposition apparatus 105, such as a nozzle 105S, brush 105B, roller 105R, or solution deposition planarization unit 105D of the deposition apparatus 105. On one hand, the cavity 102 at least encloses a portion of the deposition apparatus 105, the substrate material deposition unit 104, and the substrate material support bed 103.

[0043] Storage 106 is configured to store resin solution 180 and / or slurry 190 in any suitable manner. For example, storage 106 may include storage tanks for resin solution 180 and / or slurry 190 (e.g., where resin solution 180 and slurry 190 are stored in respective storage tanks). Storage 106 is coupled to deposition apparatus 105 in any suitable manner, such as via suitable piping, to supply resin solution 180 and / or slurry 190 to deposition apparatus 105. Storage 106 may include any suitable pump controlled by controller 170 to influence the supply of resin solution 180 and / or slurry 190 to deposition apparatus 105. Heater 108 is any suitable heater configured to heat resin solution 180 and / or slurry 190 deposited on layers of substrate material 120 to reduce the amount of solvents 181, 195 in resin solution 180 and / or slurry 190, thereby allowing stacked layers 151S of substrate material 120 (see [link to documentation]). Figure 4C , Figure 5B , Figure 5C ,as well as Figure 7B They are reinforced to each other.

[0044] refer to Figure 1A and Figure 1E According to various aspects of this disclosure, an additive manufacturing portion 150 manufactured by additive manufacturing apparatus 100 includes at least one layer of substrate material 120. At least reinforcing agents 185 and 193 are disposed on at least one layer 151 of substrate material 120, wherein the reinforcing agents are deposited on at least one layer 151 as a resin solution 180 or a slurry 190 to at least partially fill one or more voids 201 and pores 200 in at least one layer 151 of substrate material 120. Figures 2A to 2C On one hand, conductive material 184 is disposed on at least one layer 151 of substrate material 120 (such as polymeric material 121 or polymer 123, etc.), wherein conductive material 184 is deposited on at least one layer 151 as resin solution 180 or slurry 190 (excluding or replacing reinforcing agents 185, 193) to at least partially fill one or more voids 201 and pores 200.

[0045] On one hand, at least one layer 151 of the substrate material 120 includes more than one layer 151 of the substrate material 120 (see layers 151, 151A, 151B). Reinforcing agents 185, 193, conductive materials 184, and / or barrier materials 199 are disposed interstitially between adjacent layers 151 of the substrate material 120 (see...). Figure 4C , Figure 5C ,as well as Figure 7B ) and / or disposed on the outer surface 500 to at least partially fill one or more voids 201 and holes 200 ( Figures 2A to 2CThe reinforcing agents 185, 193, conductive material 184, and / or barrier material 199 at least partially fill one or more voids 201 and pores 200 to enhance the coupling of adjacent layers 151 of the substrate material 120, provide conductivity (e.g., thermal and / or electrical conductivity), magnetic properties, and / or barrier properties (e.g., such as nanoplatelets 185C included in a slurry) to the augmented fabrication portion 150. On one hand, at least one layer 151 of the substrate material 120 comprises a polymer (e.g., included in polymeric material 121 or polymer 123). On the other hand, at least one layer 151 of the substrate material 120 comprises a metal 122, which, on one hand, comprises metal particles. On one hand, a resin solution 180 or slurry 190 comprising conductive material 184 and / or barrier material 199 is deposited on a predetermined portion 598 of at least one layer 151 of the substrate material 120. Figure 5C The resin solution 180 or slurry 190, excluding conductive material 184 and / or barrier material 199, is deposited on other portions of the at least one layer 151 to alter the conductive and / or impermeable properties of the substrate material 120. The deposit pattern of the resin solution 180 or slurry 190 can be aligned in a predetermined direction to provide any desired anisotropic conductivity.

[0046] Now refer to Figure 1, Figures 2A to 2C , Figure 3A , Figure 3B , Figure 6 Figure 7 and Figure 8 An exemplary method of additive manufacturing using additive manufacturing apparatus 100 will be described. A layer 151 of substrate material 120 is deposited on a substrate material support bed 103. Figure 8 (See block diagram 800), the additive manufacturing part 150 is produced from layer 151 of base material 120. On one hand (such as...) Figure 3A , Figure 3B ,as well as Figures 4A to 4C As shown), a layer 151 of substrate material 120 is formed by depositing multiple fibers 300 (including fibers 121F, 122F, 123F of one of polymeric material 121, metal 122, or polymer 123) in a side-by-side arrangement on a substrate material support bed 103 (e.g., using the nozzle 310 of the substrate material deposition unit 104). The substrate material 120 is deposited in the form of fibers 121F, 122F, 123F, and the spacing or air gaps 250A, 250B, 250C between adjacent fibers 121F, 122F, 123F (e.g., from the center of one fiber to the center of the adjacent fiber) can be adjusted to increase or decrease coupling between adjacent fibers 121F, 122F, 123F. For example, Figure 2A The air gap 250A shown is less than Figure 2B The air gap shown is 250B; and Figure 2B The air gap 250B shown is less than Figure 2C The air gap shown is 250°C. Similarly, Figure 2A The coupling region 260A between adjacent fibers 121F, 122F, and 123F, which is affected by the air gap 250A, is greater than that shown. Figure 2B The coupling region 260B between adjacent fibers 121F, 122F, and 123F, as shown, is affected by air gap 250B; and Figure 2B The coupling region 260B between adjacent fibers 121F, 122F, and 123F, as shown in the figure, affected by air gap 250B, is greater than... Figure 2C The coupling region 260C between adjacent fibers 121F, 122F, and 123F, as shown, is affected by air gap 250C. The voids 201 and / or holes 200 formed by the air gaps can be filled with slurry 190 to allow for adjustment of the air gaps (e.g., making them larger or smaller) while maintaining substantially similar mechanical properties (e.g., tensile strength, etc.) of the augmented manufacturing portion 150. On the other hand (as... Figure 6 , Figure 7A ,as well as Figure 7B As shown), a layer 151 of substrate material 120 is formed by depositing (for example, by spreading using, for example, a doctor blade 620 of substrate material deposition unit 104) powdered substrate material 610 (wherein the powdered substrate material 610 includes powders 121P, 122P, 123P of one of polymeric material 121, metal 122, or polymer 123) onto substrate material support bed 103.

[0047] Also refer to Figures 4A to 4C ,as well as Figure 6 The slurry 190 is deposited (e.g., by spraying, brushing, rolling, solution deposition planarization, etc.) onto layer 151 of substrate material 120. Figure 8 (See block diagram 810). On one hand, depositing slurry 190 onto layer 151 of substrate material 120 includes: spraying slurry 190 onto layer 151 of substrate material 120 using nozzle 105S of deposition apparatus 105. On the other hand, nozzle 105S is statically fixed to frame 101 and substrate material 120 is deposited on substrate material support bed 103. In other aspects, nozzle 105S of deposition apparatus 105 is movable and positioned relative to layer 151 of substrate material 120 using computer-controlled positioning mechanism 175. Slurry 190 fills one or more voids 201 and / or holes 200 on the surface of layer 151 of substrate material 120. Figure 8See diagram 820. Figure 4B and Figure 7A ).from Figure 4B and Figure 7A As can be seen, the slurry 190 planarizes the layers 151 of the substrate material 120 so that when another layer 151 of the substrate material is deposited on top of the slurry 190, any voids 201 and / or holes 200 formed between adjacent layers 151 of the substrate material 120 in the synthesized stacked layers 151S are filled by the slurry 190.

[0048] Another layer 151 of the substrate material 120 (see Figure 4C and Figure 7B ) deposited on top of layer 151 of the substrate material of coating slurry 190 ( Figure 8 (See block diagram 800) to form a stacked layer 151S of substrate material 120 (see block diagram 800) Figure 4C and Figure 7B The slurry 190 is deposited on another layer 151 of the substrate material 120. Figure 8 See diagram 810. Figure 4C and Figure 7B ), so that one or more voids 201 and / or holes 200 on the surface of another layer 151 of the substrate material 120 are filled by the slurry 190. Figure 8 See diagram 820. Figure 4C and Figure 7B The slurry 190 at least partially fills one or more voids 201 and holes 200 between adjacent layers 151 of the substrate material 120 in the stacked layers 151S of the substrate material 120 to enhance the coupling between adjacent layers 151 of the substrate material 120.

[0049] On the one hand, the slurry 190 is used to adjust one or more of the thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, and permeability of the augmented manufacturing portion formed from the substrate material 120. Figure 8 (See block diagram 830). For example, refer to... Figure 5A , Figure 5B ,as well as Figure 5C The slurry 190 includes one or more of the conductive material 184 and the barrier material 199. Figure 1BAs described above, the substrate material 120 is deposited in the form of fibers 121F, 122F, 123F, with air gaps 250A, 250B, 250C between adjacent fibers forming one or more voids 201 and holes 200, for example, extending in the X direction of the augmentation fabrication portion 150. Conductive material 184 is deposited into these voids 201 and / or holes 200 to form conductive pathways 520, also extending in the X direction (e.g., which may be similar to wire conductors, each having an equivalent wire gauge or size). The wire gauge or size of these conductive pathways 520 can be controlled by setting the air gaps 250A, 250B, 250C to influence the predetermined wire gauge of the conductive pathways 520. It should be noted that the available wire gauge may depend on the diameter of the deposited fibers 121F, 122F, 123F. If the substrate material is deposited in the form of powders 121P, 122P, 123P (e.g.... Figure 7B As shown in the diagram, conductive material can be embedded in voids 201 and / or holes 200 to form conductive planes (or sheets) 700 between adjacent layers 151 of the substrate material 120. In this respect, conductive planes 700 can extend in the X and Y directions (e.g., within the XY plane). Barrier material 199 can also be embedded in voids 201 and / or holes 200 to form barrier elements 400 to prevent fluid from flowing between adjacent fibers 121F, 122F, 123F.

[0050] The slurry 190 deposited on layer 151 of substrate material 120 is heated ( Figure 8 (Block diagram 840) to reduce the amount of solvent 195 in slurry 190. The reduction in the amount of solvent 195 facilitates the reinforcement of the layers 151 of the substrate material 120 to each other and facilitates the densification of the augmented fabricated portion 150 by curing the slurry 190 (e.g., one or more of reinforcing agents 193, conductive materials 184, and structural material particles 194 are bonded to adjacent layers 151 of the substrate material 120, adjacent fibers 121F, 122F, 123F of the substrate material 120, and / or adjacent particles 600 of the powders 121P, 122P, 123P of the substrate material 120). Figure 6 As described above, the reinforcement and densification of the augmented manufacturing portion 150 affect the substantially similar mechanical properties of the augmented manufacturing portion 150 in the XY plane and the Z direction.

[0051] Now refer to Figure 1, Figures 2A to 2C , Figure 3A , Figure 3B , Figure 6 Figure 7 and Figure 9 An exemplary method of additive manufacturing using additive manufacturing apparatus 100 will be described. A layer 151 of substrate material 120 is deposited on a substrate material support bed 103. Figure 9 (See block diagram 900), the additive manufacturing part 150 is produced from layer 151 of base material 120. On one hand (such as...) Figure 3A , Figure 3B ,as well as Figures 4A to 4C As shown), a layer 151 of substrate material 120 is formed by depositing multiple fibers 300 (including fibers 121F, 122F, 123F of one of polymeric material 121, metal 122, or polymer 123) in a side-by-side arrangement on a substrate material support bed 103 (e.g., using the nozzle 310 of the substrate material deposition unit 104). The substrate material 120 is deposited in the form of fibers 121F, 122F, 123F, and the spacing or air gaps 250A, 250B, 250C between adjacent fibers 121F, 122F, 123F (e.g., from the center of one fiber to the center of the adjacent fiber) can be adjusted to increase or decrease coupling between adjacent fibers 121F, 122F, 123F. For example, Figure 2A The air gap 250A shown is less than Figure 2B The air gap shown is 250B; and Figure 2B The air gap 250B shown is less than Figure 2C The air gap shown is 250°C. Similarly, Figure 2A The coupling region 260A between adjacent fibers 121F, 122F, and 123F, which is affected by the air gap 250A, is greater than that shown. Figure 2B The coupling region 260B between adjacent fibers 121F, 122F, and 123F, as shown, is affected by air gap 250B; and Figure 2B The coupling region 260B between adjacent fibers 121F, 122F, and 123F, as shown in the figure, affected by air gap 250B, is greater than... Figure 2C The coupling region 260C between adjacent fibers 121F, 122F, and 123F, as shown, is affected by air gap 250C. The voids 201 and / or holes 200 formed by the air gaps can be filled with slurry 190 to allow for adjustment of the air gaps (e.g., larger or smaller) while maintaining substantially similar mechanical properties (e.g., tensile strength, etc.) of the augmented manufacturing portion 150. On the other hand (as... Figure 6 , Figure 7A ,as well as Figure 7B As shown), a layer 151 of substrate material 120 is formed by depositing (for example, by spreading using a scraper 620 of substrate material deposition unit 104) powdered substrate material 610 (wherein the powdered substrate material 610 includes powders 121P, 122P, 123P of one of polymeric material 121, metal 122, or polymer 123) onto substrate material support bed 103.

[0052] Resin 183 is dissolved in solvent 181 to form resin solution 180. Figure 9 (See block diagram 910). Also refer to... Figures 4A to 4C ,as well as Figure 6 The resin solution 180 is deposited (e.g., by spraying, brushing, rolling, solution deposition planarization, etc.) onto layer 151 of substrate material 120. Figure 9 (See block diagram 920). On one hand, depositing the resin solution 180 onto the layer 151 of the substrate material 120 includes: spraying the resin solution 180 onto the layer 151 of the substrate material 120 using a nozzle 105S of the deposition apparatus 105. On the other hand, the nozzle 105S is statically fixed to the frame 101 and the substrate material 120 is deposited on the substrate material support bed 103. In other aspects, the nozzle 105S of the deposition apparatus 105 is movable and positioned relative to the layer 151 of the substrate material 120 using a computer-controlled positioning mechanism 175. The resin solution 180 fills one or more voids 201 and / or holes 200 on the surface of the layer 151 of the substrate material 120. Figure 9 See diagram 930. Figure 4B and Figure 7A ).from Figure 4B and Figure 7A As can be seen, the resin solution 180 planarizes the layer 151 of the substrate material 120 so that when another layer 151 of the substrate material is deposited on top of the resin solution 180, any voids 201 and / or pores 200 formed between adjacent layers 151 of the substrate material 120 in the synthesized stacked layer 151S are filled by the resin solution 180.

[0053] Another layer 151 of the substrate material 120 (see Figure 4C and Figure 7B ) deposited on top of layer 151 of the substrate material coated with resin solution 180 ( Figure 9 (See block diagram 900) to form a stacked layer 151S of substrate material 120 (see block diagram 900) Figure 4C and Figure 7B Resin solution 180 is deposited on another layer 151 of substrate material 120. Figure 9 See diagram 920. Figure 4C and Figure 7B ), such that one or more voids 201 and / or pores 200 on the surface of another layer 151 of the substrate material 120 are at least partially filled by the resin solution 180. Figure 9 See diagram 930. Figure 4C and Figure 7BIn this process, the resin solution 180 at least partially fills one or more voids 201 and holes 200 between adjacent layers 151 of the substrate material 120 in the stacked layers 151S of the substrate material 120 to enhance the coupling between adjacent layers 151 of the substrate material 120.

[0054] On the one hand, the thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, and permeability of the augmented manufacturing portion formed from the substrate material 120 are adjusted using a resin solution. Figure 9 (See block diagram 940). For example, refer to... Figure 5A , Figure 5B ,as well as Figure 5C The resin solution 180 includes one or more of the conductive material 184 and the barrier material 199. Figure 1B As described above, the substrate material 120 is deposited in the form of fibers 121F, 122F, 123F, with air gaps 250A, 250B, 250C between adjacent fibers forming one or more voids 201 and holes 200, for example, extending in the X direction of the augmentation fabrication portion 150. Conductive material 184 is deposited into these voids 201 and / or holes 200 to form conductive pathways 520, also extending in the X direction (e.g., which may be similar to wire conductors, each having an equivalent wire gauge or size). The wire gauge or size of these conductive pathways 520 can be controlled by setting the air gaps 250A, 250B, 250C to influence the predetermined wire gauge of the conductive pathways 520. It should be noted that the available wire gauge may depend on the diameter of the deposited fibers 121F, 122F, 123F. If the substrate material is deposited in the form of powders 121P, 122P, 123P (e.g.... Figure 7B As shown in the diagram, conductive material can be embedded in the voids 201 and / or holes 200 to form conductive planes (or sheets) 700 between adjacent layers 151 of the substrate material 120. In this respect, the conductive planes 700 can extend in the X and Y directions (e.g., within the XY plane). Barrier material 199 can also be embedded in the voids 201 and / or holes 200 to form barrier members 400 to prevent fluid from flowing between adjacent fibers 121F, 122F, 123F.

[0055] The resin solution 180 deposited on layer 151 of substrate material 120 is heated. Figure 9(Block diagram 950) to reduce the amount of solvent 195 in resin solution 180. Reducing the amount of solvent 195 facilitates the reinforcement of the layers 151 of the substrate material 120 and facilitates the densification of the augmented manufacturing portion 150 by curing the resin 183 (e.g., one or more of reinforcing agent 193 and conductive material 184 are bonded to adjacent layers 151 of the substrate material 120, adjacent fibers 121F, 122F, 123F of the substrate material 120, and / or adjacent particles 600 of powder 121P, 122P, 123P of the substrate material 120). Figure 6 As described above, the reinforcement and densification of the augmented manufacturing portion 150 affect the substantially similar mechanical properties of the augmented manufacturing portion 150 in the XY plane and the Z direction.

[0056] Now refer to Figure 1, Figures 2A to 2C , Figure 3A , Figure 3B , Figure 6 Figure 7 and Figure 10 An exemplary method of additive manufacturing using additive manufacturing apparatus 100 will be described. A layer 151 of polymeric material 121 (or polymeric material 123) is deposited on a substrate material support bed 103. Figure 10 (See block diagram 1000), the additive manufacturing part 150 is produced from layer 151 of polymer material 121. On the one hand (such as...) Figure 3A , Figure 3B ,as well as Figures 4A to 4C As shown, a layer 151 of polymeric material 121 is formed by depositing multiple fibers 300 in a side-by-side arrangement on a substrate material support bed 103 (e.g., using the nozzle 310 of the substrate material deposition unit 104). The polymeric material 121 is deposited in the form of fibers 121F, and the spacing or air gaps 250A, 250B, 250C between adjacent fibers 121F (e.g., from the center of one fiber to the center of the adjacent fiber) can be adjusted to increase or decrease coupling between adjacent fibers 121F. For example, Figure 2A The air gap 250A shown is less than Figure 2B The air gap shown is 250B; and Figure 2B The air gap 250B shown is less than Figure 2C The air gap shown is 250°C. Similarly, Figure 2A The coupling region 260A between adjacent fibers 121F, as shown, affected by the air gap 250A, is greater than... Figure 2B The coupling region 260B between adjacent fibers 121F shown is affected by air gap 250B; and Figure 2B The coupling region 260B between adjacent fibers 121F, as shown in the figure, affected by the air gap 250B, is greater than... Figure 2CThe coupling region 260C between adjacent fibers 121F, 122F, and 123F, affected by air gap 250C, is shown. The voids 201 and / or holes 200 formed by the air gaps can be filled with slurry 190 to allow for adjustment of the air gaps (e.g., making them larger or smaller) while maintaining substantially similar mechanical properties (e.g., tensile strength, etc.) of the augmented manufacturing portion 150. On the other hand (as... Figure 6 , Figure 7A ,as well as Figure 7B As shown), a layer 151 of polymeric material 121 is formed by depositing (e.g., by spreading using, for example, a scraper 620 of a substrate material deposition unit 104) a powdered substrate material 610 (wherein the powdered substrate material 610 includes powder 121P of polymeric material 121) on a substrate material support bed 103.

[0057] Also refer to Figures 4A to 4C ,as well as Figure 6 The slurry 190 is deposited (e.g., by spraying, brushing, rolling, solution deposition planarization, etc.) onto the layer 151 of the polymeric material 121 to at least impart conductive properties to the polymeric material 121. Figure 10 (Block diagram 1010), wherein the slurry 190 includes a conductive material 184. In other aspects, the slurry 190 can impart one or more of the following properties to the polymeric material 121: magnetic properties and impermeability. Figure 10 (See block diagrams 1015 and 1016), for example, such as, wherein the slurry comprises the magnetic material and / or nanoplates described above.

[0058] On one hand, depositing slurry 190 onto layer 151 of polymeric material 121 includes spraying slurry 190 onto layer 151 of polymeric material 121 using nozzle 105S of deposition apparatus 105. On the other hand, nozzle 105S is statically fixed to frame 101 and polymeric material 121 is deposited on substrate material support bed 103. In other aspects, nozzle 105S of deposition apparatus 105 is movable and positioned relative to layer 151 of polymeric material 121 using computer-controlled positioning mechanism 175. Slurry 190 fills one or more voids 201 and / or holes 200 on the surface of layer 151 of polymeric material 121. Figure 10 See diagram 1020. Figure 4B and Figure 7A ).from Figure 4B and Figure 7A As can be seen, the slurry 190 planarizes the layers 151 of the substrate material 120 so that when another layer 151 of the substrate material is deposited on top of the slurry 190, any voids 201 and / or holes 200 formed between adjacent layers 151 of the substrate material 120 in the synthesized stacked layers 151S are filled by the slurry 190.

[0059] Another layer 151 of polymer material 121 (see Figure 4C and Figure 7B ) deposited on top of layer 151 of polymer material 121 of coating slurry 190 ( Figure 10 (See block diagram 1000) to form a stacked layer 151S of polymeric material 121 (see block diagram 1000) Figure 4C and Figure 7B In this process, one or more layers 151 of the stacked layers 151S are at least endowed with conductive properties. Layers of polymeric material 121 and slurry 190 are deposited alternately to form stacked layers 151S of polymeric material 121 using slurry 190 disposed interstitially between the stacked layers 151S of polymeric material 121. As described above, slurry 190 may also endow one or more layers 151 of the stacked layers 151S with magnetic properties and / or impermeability. Figure 10 (See block diagrams 1015 and 1016). This allows the slurry 190 to be deposited on another layer 151 of the polymer material 121. Figure 10 See diagram 1010. Figure 4C and Figure 7B ), so that one or more voids 201 and / or pores 200 on the surface of another layer 151 of polymeric material 121 are filled by slurry 190. Figure 10 See diagram 1020. Figure 4C and Figure 7B In this process, the slurry 190 at least partially fills one or more voids 201 and holes 200 between adjacent layers 151 of the substrate material 120 in the stacked layers 151S of the polymer material 121 to enhance the coupling between adjacent layers 151 of the polymer material 121.

[0060] On the one hand, one or more conduction paths 250 are formed in the additive manufacturing section 150. Figure 10 (See block diagram 1030). For example, refer to... Figure 5A , Figure 5B ,as well as Figure 5C The slurry 190 includes at least a conductive material 184. Figure 1BAs described above, polymeric material 121 is deposited in the form of fibers 121F, with air gaps 250A, 250B, 250C between adjacent fibers 121F forming one or more voids 201 and holes 200 extending in the X direction, for example, in the additive manufacturing portion 150. Conductive material 184 is deposited into these voids 201 and / or holes 200 (e.g., slurry 190 at least partially fills one or more voids 201 and / or holes 200 between adjacent layers 151 of polymeric material 121 in the stacked layers 151S of polymeric material 121) to form conductive pathways 520 also extending in the X direction (e.g., which may be similar to wire conductors, each having an equivalent wire gauge or size). The gauge or size of these conductive pathways 520 can be controlled by setting air gaps 250A, 250B, and 250C to influence the predetermined gauge of the conductive pathways 520. It should be noted that the available gauge may depend on the diameter of the deposited fibers 121F, 122F, and 123F. The polymer material 121 is deposited in the form of powder 121P (e.g., ...). Figure 7B As shown in the diagram, conductive material can be embedded in voids 201 and / or holes 200 to form conductive planes (or sheets) 700 between adjacent layers 151 of polymeric material 121. In this respect, conductive planes 700 can extend in the X and Y directions (e.g., within the XY plane).

[0061] The slurry 190 deposited on layer 151 of polymer material 121 is heated ( Figure 10 (Block diagram 1040) to reduce the amount of solvent 195 in slurry 190. The reduction in the amount of solvent 195 facilitates the reinforcement of the layers 151 of polymeric material 121 to each other and facilitates the densification of the augmented fabrication portion 150 by curing slurry 190 (e.g., one or more of reinforcing agent 193, conductive material 184, and structural material particles 194 are bonded to adjacent layers 151 of the base material 120, adjacent fibers 121F of polymeric material 121, and / or adjacent particles 600 of powder 121P of polymeric material 121). Figure 6 As described above, the reinforcement and densification of the augmented manufacturing portion 150 affect the substantially similar mechanical properties of the augmented manufacturing portion 150 in the XY plane and the Z direction.

[0062] Still refer to Figure 1, Figures 2A to 2C , Figure 3A , Figure 3B , Figure 6 Figure 7 and Figure 10 Another exemplary method of additive manufacturing using additive manufacturing apparatus 100 will be described below. A layer 151 of deposited polymeric material 121 (or polymeric material 123) is deposited on a substrate material support bed 103. Figure 10(See block diagram 1000), the additive manufacturing section 150 is produced from layer 151 of polymer material 121 (or polymer material 123). On one hand (such as...) Figure 3A , Figure 3B ,as well as Figures 4A to 4C As shown, a layer 151 of polymeric material 121 is formed by depositing multiple fibers 300 in a side-by-side arrangement on a substrate material support bed 103 (e.g., using the nozzle 310 of the substrate material deposition unit 104). The polymeric material 121 is deposited in the form of fibers 121F, and the spacing or air gaps 250A, 250B, 250C between adjacent fibers 121F (e.g., from the center of one fiber to the center of the adjacent fiber) can be adjusted to increase or decrease coupling between adjacent fibers 121F. For example, Figure 2A The air gap 250A shown is less than Figure 2B The air gap shown is 250B; and Figure 2B The air gap 250B shown is less than Figure 2C The air gap shown is 250°C. Similarly, Figure 2A The coupling region 260A between adjacent fibers 121F, as shown, affected by the air gap 250A, is greater than... Figure 2B The coupling region 260B between adjacent fibers 121F shown is affected by air gap 250B; and Figure 2B The coupling region 260B between adjacent fibers 121F, as shown in the figure, affected by the air gap 250B, is greater than... Figure 2C The coupling region 260C between adjacent fibers 121F, 122F, and 123F, as shown, is affected by air gap 250C. The voids 201 and / or holes 200 formed by the air gaps can be filled with slurry 190 to allow for adjustment of the air gaps (e.g., making them larger or smaller) while maintaining substantially similar mechanical properties (e.g., tensile strength, etc.) of the augmented manufacturing portion 150. On the other hand (as... Figure 6 , Figure 7A ,as well as Figure 7B As shown, a layer 151 of polymeric material 121 is formed by depositing (e.g., by spreading using, for example, a doctor blade 620 of a substrate material deposition unit 104) a powdered substrate material 610 (wherein the powdered substrate material 610 includes powder 121P of polymeric material 121) on a substrate material support bed 103.

[0063] Also refer to Figures 4A to 4C ,as well as Figure 6 The slurry 190 is deposited (e.g., by spraying, brushing, rolling, solution deposition planarization, etc.) onto the layer 151 of the polymeric material 121 to at least impart barrier properties to the polymeric material 121. Figure 10 (Block diagram 1016), wherein the slurry 190 includes a barrier material 199 ( Figure 1B In other respects, the slurry 190 can impart one or more of the following properties to the polymeric material 121: magnetic properties and conductive properties. Figure 10 (See block diagrams 1010 and 1015), for example, such as, wherein the slurry comprises the magnetic material and / or nanoplates described above.

[0064] On one hand, depositing slurry 190 onto layer 151 of polymeric material 121 includes spraying slurry 190 onto layer 151 of polymeric material 121 using nozzle 105S of deposition apparatus 105. On the other hand, nozzle 105S is statically fixed to frame 101 and polymeric material 121 is deposited on substrate material support bed 103. In other aspects, nozzle 105S of deposition apparatus 105 is movable and positioned relative to layer 151 of polymeric material 121 using computer-controlled positioning mechanism 175. Slurry 190 fills one or more voids 201 and / or holes 200 on the surface of layer 151 of polymeric material 121. Figure 10 See diagram 1020. Figure 4B and Figure 7A ).from Figure 4B and Figure 7A As can be seen, the slurry 190 planarizes the layers 151 of the substrate material 120 so that when another layer 151 of the substrate material is deposited on top of the slurry 190, any voids 201 and / or holes 200 formed between adjacent layers 151 of the substrate material 120 in the synthesized stacked layers 151S are filled by the slurry 190.

[0065] Another layer 151 of polymer material 121 (see Figure 4C and Figure 7B ) deposited on top of layer 151 of polymer material 121 of coating slurry 190 ( Figure 10 (See block diagram 1000) to form a stacked layer 151S of polymeric material 121 (see block diagram 1000) Figure 4C and Figure 7B In this process, one or more layers 151 of the stacked layers 151S are at least endowed with impermeable properties. Layers of polymeric material 121 and slurry 190 are deposited alternately to form stacked layers 151S of polymeric material 121 using slurry 190 disposed interstitially between the stacked layers 151S of polymeric material 121. As described above, slurry 190 can also endow one or more layers 151 of the stacked layers 151S with conductive and / or magnetic properties. Figure 10 (See block diagrams 1010 and 1015). This allows the slurry 190 to be deposited on another layer 151 of the polymer material 121. Figure 10 See diagram 1016. Figure 4C and Figure 7B ), so that one or more voids 201 and / or pores 200 on the surface of another layer 151 of polymeric material 121 are filled by slurry 190. Figure 10 See diagram 1020. Figure 4C and Figure 7B In this process, the slurry 190 at least partially fills one or more voids 201 and holes 200 between adjacent layers 151 of the substrate material 120 in the stacked layers 151S of the polymer material 121 to enhance the coupling between adjacent layers 151 of the polymer material 121.

[0066] On the one hand, one or more conduction paths 250 are formed in the additive manufacturing section 150. Figure 10 (See block diagram 1030), such as, for example, reference Figure 5A , Figure 5B ,as well as Figure 5C When slurry 190 includes conductive material 184 ( Figure 1B As described above, polymeric material 121 is deposited in the form of fibers 121F, with air gaps 250A, 250B, 250C between adjacent fibers 121F forming one or more voids 201 and holes 200 extending in the X direction, for example, in the additive manufacturing portion 150. Conductive material 184 is deposited into these voids 201 and / or holes 200 (e.g., slurry 190 at least partially fills one or more voids 201 and / or holes 200 between adjacent layers 151 of polymeric material 121 in the stacked layers 151S of polymeric material 121) to form conductive pathways 520 also extending in the X direction (e.g., which may be similar to wire conductors, each having an equivalent wire gauge or size). The gauge or size of these conductive pathways 520 can be controlled by setting air gaps 250A, 250B, and 250C to influence the predetermined gauge of the conductive pathways 520. It should be noted that the available gauge may depend on the diameter of the deposited fibers 121F, 122F, and 123F. The polymer material 121 is deposited in the form of powder 121P (e.g., ...). Figure 7B As shown in the diagram, conductive material can be embedded in voids 201 and / or holes 200 to form conductive planes (or sheets) 700 between adjacent layers 151 of polymeric material 121. In this respect, conductive planes 700 can extend in the X and Y directions (e.g., within the XY plane).

[0067] The slurry 190 deposited on layer 151 of polymer material 121 is heated ( Figure 10(Block diagram 1040) to reduce the amount of solvent 195 in slurry 190. The reduction in the amount of solvent 195 facilitates the reinforcement of the layers 151 of polymeric material 121 to each other and facilitates the densification of the augmented fabrication portion 150 by curing slurry 190 (e.g., one or more of reinforcing agent 193, conductive material 184, and structural material particles 194 are bonded to adjacent layers 151 of the base material 120, adjacent fibers 121F of polymeric material 121, and / or adjacent particles 600 of powder 121P of polymeric material 121). Figure 6 As described above, the reinforcement and densification of the augmented manufacturing portion 150 affect the substantially similar mechanical properties of the augmented manufacturing portion 150 in the XY plane and the Z direction.

[0068] In the method described above, on one hand, a resin solution 180 or slurry 190 comprising conductive material 184 and / or barrier material 199 is deposited on a predetermined portion 598 of at least one layer 151 of the substrate material 120. Figure 5C To alter the conductive and / or impermeable properties of at least one layer 151 of the substrate material 120, a resin solution 180 or slurry 190, excluding conductive material 184 and / or barrier material 199, is deposited on other portions of the at least one layer 151. The deposition pattern of the resin solution 180 or slurry 190 can be aligned in a predetermined direction to provide the desired anisotropic conductivity. In the method described above, on the one hand, the resin solution 180 or slurry can be deposited on the outer surface 500 of the augmenting fabrication portion 150 (see [link to description]) compared to the outer surface 500 in which voids 201 and / or pores 200 are not filled with slurry 190 or resin solution 180. Figure 5A To provide a better (e.g., smoother, wherein the voids 201 and / or holes 200 are at least partially filled) surface finish 505.

[0069] The following items are provided in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure:

[0070] A1. A method for additive manufacturing, the method comprising:

[0071] A layer of deposited substrate material is used to produce an additive manufacturing portion from the layer of said substrate material; and

[0072] The slurry is deposited on a layer of substrate material, wherein the slurry includes solvent, particles of structural material, and reinforcing agent.

[0073] A2. According to the method described in paragraph A1, the particles of the structural material include one or more of the following: particles of a substrate material, metal particles having a composition different from that of the substrate material, ceramic particles, and polymeric particles having a composition different from that of the substrate material.

[0074] A3. According to the method described in paragraph A1, wherein depositing a layer of substrate material comprises: depositing a polymeric material, so that the layer of substrate material comprises a polymer.

[0075] A4. According to the method described in paragraph A3, the particles of the structural material are polymeric particles.

[0076] A5. According to the method described in paragraph A1, wherein depositing a layer of substrate material comprises: depositing metal, such that the layer of substrate material comprises metal particles.

[0077] A6. According to the method described in paragraph A1, the particles of the structural material are metal particles.

[0078] A7. The method according to paragraph A1 further includes: depositing another layer of substrate material on top of the layer of substrate material to which the slurry is applied.

[0079] A8. The method described in paragraph A7 further includes: using a slurry to at least partially fill one or more voids and pores between a layer of the substrate material and another layer of the substrate material.

[0080] A9. The method according to paragraph A1 further includes: filling one or more voids and pores on the surface of a layer of substrate material with a slurry.

[0081] A10. The method according to paragraph A1 (or A2 or A5), wherein the reinforcing agent is a polymer reinforcing agent.

[0082] A11. The method according to paragraph A1 (or A2 or A5), wherein the reinforcing agent is a non-polymer reinforcing agent.

[0083] A12. The method according to paragraph A1 (or A2 or A5), wherein the reinforcing agent comprises one or more of nanoparticles, two-dimensional organic or inorganic nanosheets, carbon nanotubes, nanoplatelets, and graphene.

[0084] A13. The method according to paragraph A1 (or A2 or A5), wherein the reinforcing agent comprises one or more of graphene, graphene-reinforced fibers, and graphene derivatives.

[0085] A14. The method according to paragraph A1 (or A2 or A5), wherein the solvent includes a dissolving resin.

[0086] A15. The method according to paragraph A14, wherein the dissolving resin comprises a thermoplastic resin.

[0087] A16. The method according to paragraph A1 (or any of the preceding paragraphs), wherein depositing the layer of substrate material comprises: depositing multiple fibers of the substrate material in a side-by-side arrangement to form a layer of substrate material, wherein,

[0088] The substrate material layer includes one or more voids and pores; and

[0089] The slurry is deposited on a layer of substrate material to at least partially fill one or more voids and pores.

[0090] A17. The method according to paragraph A1 (or A1-A15), wherein depositing the layer of substrate material comprises: depositing a powdered substrate material to form a layer of substrate material, wherein,

[0091] The substrate material layer includes one or more voids and pores; and

[0092] The slurry is deposited on a layer of substrate material to at least partially fill one or more voids and pores.

[0093] A18. The method according to paragraph A1 (or any of the preceding paragraphs), wherein depositing the slurry on a layer of substrate material comprises: spraying the slurry onto the layer of substrate material using a deposition apparatus, wherein the deposition apparatus is movable.

[0094] A19. The method described in paragraph A18 further includes: using a computer-controlled positioning mechanism to position the deposition equipment relative to a layer of substrate material.

[0095] A20. The method according to paragraph A1 (or A2-A17), wherein depositing the slurry on a layer of substrate material comprises: spraying the slurry onto a layer of substrate material using a deposition apparatus fixed relative to the substrate material.

[0096] A21. The method according to paragraph A1 (or any of the preceding paragraphs) further includes: using a slurry to modify one or more of the thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, and permeability of the augmented manufacturing portion formed from the substrate material.

[0097] A22. The method according to paragraph A1, wherein the layer of deposited substrate material comprises: depositing a polymer.

[0098] A23. The method according to paragraph A1 (or any of the preceding paragraphs) further includes: heating the slurry deposited on a layer of substrate material to reduce the amount of solvent in the slurry.

[0099] B1. A method of additive manufacturing, the method comprising:

[0100] Layers of deposited substrate material; and

[0101] The slurry is deposited on a layer of substrate material, wherein the slurry includes a solvent, particles of structural material, and a reinforcing agent;

[0102] In this process, layers of substrate material are deposited alternately with slurry to form stacked layers of substrate material using slurry disposed between stacked layers of substrate material in a gap-filling manner. The slurry at least partially fills one or more voids and pores between adjacent layers of substrate material in the stacked layers of substrate material to enhance the coupling between adjacent layers of substrate material.

[0103] B2. According to the method described in paragraph B1, the particles of the structural material include one or more of the following: particles of a substrate material, metal particles having a composition different from that of the substrate material, ceramic particles, and polymeric particles having a composition different from that of the substrate material.

[0104] B3. According to the method described in paragraph B1, wherein depositing a layer of substrate material comprises: depositing a polymeric material, so that the layer of substrate material comprises a polymer.

[0105] B4. According to the method described in paragraph B3, the particles of the structural material are polymeric particles.

[0106] B5. According to the method described in paragraph B1, wherein depositing a layer of substrate material comprises: depositing metal, such that the layer of substrate material is a layer comprising metal particles.

[0107] B6. According to the method described in paragraph B1, the particles of the structural material are metal particles.

[0108] B7. The method according to paragraph B1 (or B2 or B5), wherein the reinforcing agent is a polymer reinforcing agent.

[0109] B8. The method according to paragraph B1 (or B2 or B5), wherein the reinforcing agent is a non-polymer reinforcing agent.

[0110] B9. The method according to paragraph B1 (or B2 or B5), wherein the reinforcing agent comprises one or more of nanoparticles, two-dimensional organic or inorganic nanosheets, carbon nanotubes, nanoplatelets, and graphene.

[0111] B10. The method according to paragraph B1 (or B2 or B5), wherein the reinforcing agent comprises one or more of graphene, graphene-reinforced fibers, and graphene derivatives.

[0112] B11. The method according to paragraph B1 (or B2 or B5), wherein the solvent includes a dissolving resin.

[0113] B12. The method according to paragraph B11, wherein the dissolving resin comprises a thermoplastic resin.

[0114] B13. The method according to paragraph B1 (or any of the preceding paragraphs), wherein depositing a layer of substrate material comprises: depositing multiple fibers of substrate material in a side-by-side arrangement to form a layer of substrate material, wherein the layer of substrate material comprises one or more voids and pores.

[0115] B14. The method according to paragraph B1 (or B1-B13), wherein depositing a layer of substrate material comprises: depositing a powdered substrate material to form a layer of substrate material, wherein the layer of substrate material comprises one or more voids and pores.

[0116] B15. The method according to paragraph B1 (or any of the preceding paragraphs), wherein depositing the slurry on a layer of substrate material comprises: spraying the slurry onto the layer of substrate material using a deposition apparatus, wherein the deposition apparatus is movable.

[0117] B16. The method described in paragraph B15 further includes: using a computer-controlled positioning mechanism to position the deposition equipment relative to a layer of substrate material.

[0118] B17. The method according to paragraph B1 (or B2-B14), wherein depositing the slurry on a layer of substrate material comprises: spraying the slurry onto a layer of substrate material using a deposition apparatus fixed relative to the substrate material.

[0119] B18. The method according to paragraph B1 (or any of the preceding paragraphs) further includes: using a slurry to alter one or more of the thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, and permeability of the augmented fabricated portion formed from the substrate material.

[0120] B19. The method according to paragraph B1, wherein the layer of deposited substrate material comprises: depositing a polymer.

[0121] B20. The method according to paragraph B1 (or any of the preceding paragraphs) further includes: heating the slurry deposited on a layer of substrate material to reduce the amount of solvent in the slurry.

[0122] C1. An additive manufacturing part, comprising:

[0123] At least one layer of substrate material; and

[0124] A reinforcing agent is disposed on at least one layer of a substrate material, wherein the reinforcing agent is deposited as a slurry on at least one layer to at least partially fill one or more voids and pores in at least one layer of the substrate material, wherein the slurry includes a solvent, particles of a structural material, and the reinforcing agent.

[0125] C2. The additive manufacturing portion as described in paragraph C1, wherein the particles of the structural material include one or more of the following: particles of a base material, metal particles having a composition different from that of the base material, and polymeric particles having a composition different from that of the base material.

[0126] C3. The additive manufacturing part according to paragraph C1, wherein at least one layer of the substrate material comprises more than one layer of the substrate material, and the reinforcing agent is disposed interstitially between adjacent layers of the substrate material, at least partially filling one or more voids and pores to enhance the coupling between adjacent layers of the substrate material.

[0127] C4. The additive manufacturing portion as described in paragraph C1 (or C2-C3), wherein at least one layer of the base material comprises a polymeric material, and thus the layers of the base material comprise a polymer.

[0128] C5. The additive manufacturing part as described in paragraph C4, wherein the particles of the structural material are polymeric particles.

[0129] C6. The additive manufacturing portion according to paragraph C1 (or C2-C3), wherein at least one layer of the substrate material comprises a metal, and thus the layer of the substrate material comprises metal particles.

[0130] C7. The additive manufacturing part as described in paragraph C6, wherein the particles of the structural material are metal particles.

[0131] C8. The additive manufacturing part as described in paragraph C1 (or C2-C6), wherein the reinforcing agent is a polymer reinforcing agent.

[0132] C9. The additive manufacturing part as described in paragraph C1 (or C2-C6), wherein the reinforcing agent is a non-polymer reinforcing agent.

[0133] C10. The additive manufacturing part as described in paragraph C1 (or C2-C6), wherein the reinforcing agent includes one or more of nanoparticles, two-dimensional organic or inorganic nanosheets, carbon nanotubes, nanoplatelets, and graphene.

[0134] C11. The additive manufacturing portion as described in paragraph C1 (or C2-C6), wherein the reinforcing agent comprises one or more of graphene, graphene-reinforced fibers, and graphene derivatives.

[0135] C12. The additive manufacturing part as described in paragraph C1 (or C2-C6), wherein the solvent includes a dissolving resin.

[0136] D1. An additive manufacturing apparatus, comprising:

[0137] frame;

[0138] The substrate material supports the bed and is coupled to the frame;

[0139] A substrate material deposition unit, movably coupled to a frame and disposed above a substrate material support bed, is configured to deposit one or more layers of substrate material onto the substrate material support bed; and

[0140] A deposition apparatus, coupled to a frame for positioning relative to the frame, and configured to deposit slurry on one or more layers of substrate material, or to deposit in situ with one or more layers of substrate material.

[0141] D2. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to paragraph D1, wherein the frame forms a cavity that at least closes the nozzle of the deposition apparatus, wherein the slurry exits the deposition apparatus through the nozzle.

[0142] D3. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to paragraph D1 (or D2), wherein the slurry includes a solvent, particles of a structural material, and a reinforcing agent, wherein the particles of the structural material include one or more of particles of a substrate material, metal particles having a composition different from that of the substrate material, and polymeric particles having a composition different from that of the substrate material.

[0143] D4. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to paragraph D1 (or D2-D3) further includes a controller configured to control the positioning movement of one or more of the substrate material deposition unit and deposition apparatus.

[0144] D5. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to paragraph D4, wherein the substrate material deposition unit and the deposition equipment are configured to move together with the frame as a single unit.

[0145] D6. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to paragraph D1, wherein the deposition equipment includes a nozzle fixed relative to a bed of substrate material.

[0146] D7. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to paragraph D1 (or D2-D6) further includes a reservoir configured to store slurry and coupled to a deposition apparatus to supply the slurry to the deposition apparatus.

[0147] D8. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to paragraph D1 (or D2-D7) further includes a heater configured to heat a slurry deposited on a layer of substrate material to reduce the amount of solvent in the slurry.

[0148] In the figures referring to the foregoing, solid lines (if any) connecting various elements and / or components may represent mechanical, electrical, fluid, optical, electromagnetic, wireless, and other couplings and / or combinations thereof. As used herein, “coupling” means direct and indirect association. For example, element A may be directly associated with element B, or indirectly associated with it via another element C. It should be understood that not all relationships between the various disclosed elements need to be represented. Accordingly, couplings other than those described in the figures may also exist. Dashed lines (if any) connecting block diagrams specifying various elements and / or components represent couplings similar in function and purpose to those elements and / or components represented by solid lines; however, couplings represented by dashed lines may be selectively provided or associated with alternative embodiments of this disclosure. Similarly, elements and / or components (if any) represented by dashed lines represent alternative embodiments of this disclosure. One or more elements shown by solid and / or dashed lines may be omitted in specific embodiments without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Dotted lines represent environmental elements (if any). Virtual (hypothetical) elements are also shown for clarity. Those skilled in the art will recognize that, even if the one or more combinations are not explicitly shown herein, some of the features shown in the figures can be combined in various ways without including the figures, other accompanying drawings, and / or other features described in the appended disclosure. Similarly, additional features, not limited to the presented embodiments, can be combined with some or all of the features shown and described herein.

[0149] Referring to the above content Figures 8 to 10 In this document, block diagrams may represent operations and / or parts thereof, and the lines connecting the various block diagrams do not imply any specific order or dependency of the operations or their parts. Block diagrams represented by dashed lines represent alternative operations and / or parts thereof. Dashed lines connecting the various block diagrams (if any) represent alternative dependencies of operations or their parts. It should be understood that it is not necessary to represent all dependencies between the various public operations. The operations describing the methods illustrated herein... Figures 8 to 10 The accompanying disclosure should not be construed as requiring a determination of the order in which the operations are performed. Indeed, although an illustrative order is shown, it should be understood that the order of operations can be changed if necessary. Accordingly, specific operations can be performed in different orders or substantially simultaneously. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will recognize that it is not necessary to perform all the operations described.

[0150] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a full understanding of the disclosed concepts, which can be implemented without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, details of known devices and / or processes have been omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring this disclosure. Although some concepts will be described in conjunction with specific embodiments, it should be understood that these embodiments are not intended to be limiting.

[0151] Unless otherwise indicated, the terms “first,” “second,” etc., used herein as labels are not intended to impose any order, position, or hierarchy requirements on the items referenced by these terms. Moreover, for example, reference to an item “second” does not require or exclude the existence of an item such as “first” or a lower-numbered item and / or an item such as “third” or a higher-numbered item.

[0152] Herein, the reference to "an embodiment" means that at least one implementation includes one or more features, structures, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment. The phrase "an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification may or may not refer to the same embodiment.

[0153] As used herein, a system, apparatus, structure, article, element, component, or hardware “configured” to perform a specified function, without any alteration, is indeed capable of performing the specified function, and not merely possesses the potential to perform the specified function after further modification. In other words, the system, apparatus, structure, article, element, component, or hardware “configured” to perform the specific function is selected, created, implemented, utilized, programmed, and / or designed specifically for the purpose of performing the specified function. As used herein, “configured to” means an existing characteristic of the system, apparatus, structure, article, element, component, or hardware that enables the system, apparatus, structure, article, element, component, or hardware to perform the specified function without further modification. For the purposes of this disclosure, a system, apparatus, structure, article, element, component, or hardware described as “configured” to perform a specific function may additionally or alternatively be described as “adapted to” and / or “operable to” perform that function.

[0154] The various embodiments of the apparatus and methods disclosed herein include a wide variety of components, features, and functions. It should be understood that the various embodiments of the apparatus and methods disclosed herein may include any components, features, and functions of any other embodiments of the apparatus and methods in any combination thereof, and all such possibilities are intended to fall within the scope of this disclosure.

[0155] Furthermore, this disclosure includes embodiments as described in the following provisions:

[0156] A1. A method for additive manufacturing, the method comprising:

[0157] The deposited substrate material layer, the additively manufactured part is produced from the substrate material layer; and

[0158] The slurry is deposited on a layer of substrate material, wherein the slurry includes solvent, particles of structural material, and reinforcing agent.

[0159] A2. According to the method described in A1, the structural material particles include one or more of the following: particles of a substrate material, metal particles having a composition different from that of the substrate material, ceramic particles, and polymeric particles having a composition different from that of the substrate material.

[0160] A3. The method according to A1 further includes: depositing another layer of substrate material on top of the layer of substrate material to which the coating slurry is applied.

[0161] A4. The method according to A3 further includes: using a slurry to at least partially fill one or more voids and pores between a layer of the substrate material and another layer of the substrate material.

[0162] A5. The method according to any one of A1 to A4, wherein depositing a layer of substrate material comprises: depositing multiple fibers of the substrate material in a side-by-side arrangement to form a layer of substrate material; wherein,

[0163] The substrate material layer includes one or more voids and pores; and

[0164] The slurry is deposited on a layer of substrate material to at least partially fill one or more voids and pores.

[0165] A6. The method according to any one of A1 to A4, wherein depositing a layer of substrate material comprises: depositing a powdered substrate material to form a layer of substrate material; wherein,

[0166] The substrate material layer includes one or more voids and pores; and

[0167] The slurry is deposited on a layer of substrate material to at least partially fill one or more voids and pores.

[0168] A7. The method according to any one of A1 to A6, wherein depositing the slurry on a layer of substrate material comprises: spraying the slurry onto the layer of substrate material using a deposition apparatus, wherein the deposition apparatus is movable.

[0169] A8. The method according to any one of A1 to A6, wherein depositing the slurry on a layer of substrate material comprises: spraying the slurry onto a layer of substrate material using a deposition apparatus fixed relative to the substrate material.

[0170] A9. The method according to any one of A1 to A8 further includes: using a slurry to modify one or more of the thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, and permeability of the augmented manufacturing portion formed from the base material.

[0171] A10. An additive manufacturing element comprising:

[0172] At least one layer of substrate material; and

[0173] A reinforcing agent is disposed on at least one layer of a substrate material, wherein the reinforcing agent is deposited as a slurry on at least one layer to at least partially fill one or more voids and pores in at least one layer of the substrate material, wherein the slurry includes a solvent, particles of a structural material, and the reinforcing agent.

[0174] A11. The additive manufacturing part as described in A10, wherein the particles of the structural material include one or more of the following: particles of a base material, metal particles having a composition different from that of the base material, and polymeric particles having a composition different from that of the base material.

[0175] A12. The additive manufacturing part according to A10, wherein at least one layer of the substrate material comprises more than one layer of the substrate material, and the reinforcing agent is disposed interstitially between adjacent layers of the substrate material, at least partially filling one or more voids and pores to enhance the coupling between adjacent layers of the substrate material.

[0176] A13. An additive manufacturing part according to any one of A10 to A12, wherein at least one layer of the base material comprises a polymeric material, and thus the layers of the base material comprise a polymer.

[0177] A14. An additive manufacturing part according to any one of A10 to A12, wherein at least one layer of the base material comprises a metal, and thus the layer of the base material comprises metal particles.

[0178] A15. An additive manufacturing part according to any one of A10 to A14, wherein the reinforcing agent comprises one or more of nanoparticles, two-dimensional organic or inorganic nanosheets, carbon nanotubes, nanoplatelets, and graphene.

[0179] A16. An additive manufacturing apparatus, comprising:

[0180] frame;

[0181] The substrate material supports the bed and is coupled to the frame;

[0182] A substrate material deposition unit, movably coupled to a frame and disposed above a substrate material support bed, is configured to deposit one or more layers of substrate material onto the substrate material support bed; and

[0183] A deposition apparatus, coupled to a frame for positioning relative to the frame, and configured to deposit slurry on one or more layers of substrate material, or to deposit in situ with one or more layers of substrate material.

[0184] A17. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to A16, wherein the frame forms a cavity that at least encloses the nozzle of the deposition apparatus, wherein the slurry exits the deposition apparatus through the nozzle.

[0185] A18. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to any one of A16 to A17 further includes a controller configured to control the positioning movement of one or more of the substrate material deposition unit and deposition apparatus.

[0186] A19. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to A16, wherein the deposition equipment includes a nozzle fixed relative to a bed of substrate material.

[0187] A20. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to any one of A16 to A19 further includes a heater configured to heat a slurry deposited on a layer of substrate material to reduce the amount of solvent in the slurry.

[0188] Section B1. A method of additive manufacturing, the method comprising:

[0189] A layer of deposited substrate material is used to produce an additive manufacturing portion from the layer of said substrate material;

[0190] The resin is dissolved in a solvent to form a resin solution; and

[0191] This allows the resin solution to be deposited onto a layer of the substrate material.

[0192] Section B2. According to the method described in Section B1, the resin is a thermoplastic resin.

[0193] B3. The method according to B1 further includes: depositing another layer of substrate material on top of the layer of substrate material on which the resin solution has already been deposited.

[0194] B4. The method according to B3 further includes: using a resin solution to at least partially fill one or more voids and pores between a layer of the substrate material and another layer of the substrate material.

[0195] B5. The method according to any one of B1 to B4, wherein depositing a layer of substrate material comprises: depositing multiple fibers of the substrate material in a side-by-side arrangement to form a layer of substrate material; wherein,

[0196] The substrate material layer includes one or more voids and pores; and

[0197] The resin solution is deposited on a layer of substrate material to at least partially fill one or more voids and pores.

[0198] B6. The method according to any one of B1 to B4, wherein depositing a layer of substrate material comprises: depositing a powdered substrate material to form a layer of substrate material, wherein,

[0199] The substrate material layer includes one or more voids and pores; and

[0200] The resin solution is deposited on a layer of substrate material to at least partially fill one or more voids and pores.

[0201] B7. The method according to any one of B1 to B6, wherein depositing the resin solution on a layer of substrate material comprises: spraying the resin solution onto the layer of substrate material using a deposition apparatus, wherein the deposition apparatus is movable.

[0202] B8. The method described in B7 further includes: using a computer-controlled positioning mechanism to position the deposition equipment relative to a layer of substrate material.

[0203] B9. The method according to any one of B1 to B6, wherein depositing the resin solution on a layer of substrate material comprises: spraying the resin solution onto a layer of substrate material using a deposition apparatus fixed relative to the layer of substrate material.

[0204] Section B10. The method according to Section B1, wherein the resin solution includes a reinforcing agent.

[0205] Section B11. An additive manufacturing part comprising:

[0206] At least one layer of substrate material; and

[0207] A reinforcing agent is disposed on at least one layer of a substrate material, wherein the reinforcing agent is deposited as a resin solution on at least one substrate layer to at least partially fill one or more voids and pores in at least one layer of the substrate material, wherein the resin solution affects the coupling of at least one layer of the substrate material, thereby increasing the mechanical strength of the manufactured portion to be substantially isotropic.

[0208] Section B12. The additive manufacturing part as described in Section B11, wherein the resin solution includes a thermoplastic resin.

[0209] B13. An augmentation manufacturing part according to any one of B11 and B12, wherein at least one layer of the base material comprises more than one layer of the base material, and the reinforcing agent is disposed interstitially between adjacent layers of the base material, at least partially filling one or more voids and pores to enhance the coupling between adjacent layers of the base material.

[0210] Section B14. An additive manufacturing part according to any one of Sections B11 to B13, wherein at least one layer of the base material comprises a polymer.

[0211] Article B15. An additive manufacturing part according to any one of Articles B11 to B13, wherein at least one layer of the base material comprises a metal.

[0212] Section B16. An additive manufacturing apparatus comprising:

[0213] frame;

[0214] The substrate material supports the bed and is coupled to the frame;

[0215] A substrate material deposition unit, movably coupled to a frame and disposed above a substrate material support bed, is configured to deposit one or more layers of substrate material onto the substrate material support bed; and

[0216] A deposition apparatus, coupled to a frame for positioning relative to the frame, and configured to deposit a resin solution on one or more layers of substrate material, or to deposit one or more layers of substrate material in situ.

[0217] Clause B17. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to Clause B16, wherein the frame forms a cavity that at least encloses the nozzle of the deposition apparatus, wherein the resin solution exits the deposition apparatus through the nozzle.

[0218] B18. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to any one of B16 and B17 further includes a controller configured to control the positioning movement of one or more of the substrate material deposition unit and deposition apparatus.

[0219] B19. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to any one of B16 to B18 further includes a heater configured to heat a resin solution deposited on a layer of substrate material to reduce the amount of solvent in the resin solution.

[0220] B20. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to any one of B16 to B19 further includes a reservoir configured to store a resin solution and coupled to a deposition apparatus to supply the resin solution to the deposition apparatus.

[0221] Section B21. A method of additive manufacturing, the method comprising:

[0222] Layers of deposited substrate material;

[0223] The resin is dissolved in a solvent to form a resin solution; and

[0224] This allows the resin solution to be deposited onto a layer of the substrate material;

[0225] In this process, layers of substrate material are deposited alternately with a resin solution to form stacked layers of substrate material using a resin solution disposed between stacked layers of substrate material in a gap-filling manner. The resin solution at least partially fills one or more voids and pores between adjacent layers of substrate material in the stacked layers of substrate material to enhance the coupling between adjacent layers of substrate material.

[0226] C1. A method of additive manufacturing, the method comprising:

[0227] A layer of deposited substrate material is used to produce an additive manufacturing portion from the layer of said substrate material; and

[0228] A slurry is deposited on a layer of polymeric material, wherein the slurry includes a conductive material that imparts conductive properties to the layer of polymeric material.

[0229] Clause C2. The method according to Clause C1, wherein the slurry comprises a barrier material that imparts the property of impermeability to the layer of the polymeric material.

[0230] Clause C3. According to the method described in Clause C1, the deposition of the polymeric material layer comprises: depositing multiple fibers of the polymeric material in a side-by-side arrangement to form a layer of the polymeric material, wherein...

[0231] The polymeric material layer includes one or more voids and pores; and

[0232] The slurry is deposited on a layer of polymeric material, at least partially filling one or more voids and pores.

[0233] Clause C4. According to the method described in Clause C1, the deposition of the polymeric material layer comprises: depositing a powdered polymeric material to form a layer of polymeric material, wherein...

[0234] The polymeric material layer includes one or more voids and pores; and

[0235] The slurry is deposited on a layer of polymeric material, at least partially filling one or more voids and pores.

[0236] C5. The method according to any one of C1 to C4 further comprises: depositing another layer of polymeric material on top of a layer of polymeric material on which slurry has already been deposited.

[0237] C6. The method according to C5 further includes: using a slurry to at least partially fill one or more voids and pores between the polymer layer and another layer of polymeric material.

[0238] C7. The method according to C6, wherein the slurry fills one or more voids and pores such that one or more conductive pathways are formed by the stacking of layers of polymeric material formed by layers of polymeric material and another layer of polymeric material.

[0239] C8. The method according to any one of C1 to C7, wherein the conductive properties include one or more of thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity.

[0240] C9. The method according to any one of C1 to C8, wherein the slurry includes a reinforcing agent.

[0241] C10. The method according to any one of C1 to C9, wherein a slurry is deposited on a predetermined portion of a layer of polymeric material to alter the conductivity of the layer of polymeric material.

[0242] C11. A method of additive manufacturing, the method comprising:

[0243] To deposit layers of polymeric material; and

[0244] A slurry is deposited on a layer of polymeric material, wherein the slurry includes a conductive material that imparts conductive properties to the layer of polymeric material;

[0245] In this process, layers of polymeric material are deposited alternately with slurry to form stacked layers of polymeric material using slurry disposed between the stacked layers of polymeric material in a gap-filling manner. The slurry at least partially fills one or more voids and pores between adjacent layers of polymeric material in the stacked layers of polymeric material to form conductive pathways between adjacent layers of polymeric material.

[0246] According to the method described in section C11, the slurry includes a barrier material that imparts the property of impermeability to the layers of the polymeric material.

[0247] According to the method of C11, the deposition of a layer of polymeric material comprises: depositing multiple fibers of polymeric material in a side-by-side arrangement to form a layer of polymeric material, wherein the layer of polymeric material includes one or more voids and pores.

[0248] According to the method of C11, the deposition of a layer of polymeric material comprises: depositing a powdered polymeric material to form a layer of polymeric material, wherein the layer of polymeric material includes one or more voids and pores.

[0249] C15. The method according to C11 further includes: filling voids on the surface of the stacked layers of polymeric material with a slurry.

[0250] C16. The method according to any one of C11 to C15, wherein depositing the slurry on the layer of polymeric material comprises: spraying the slurry onto the layer of polymeric material using a deposition apparatus.

[0251] C17. An additional manufacturing element comprising:

[0252] At least one layer of polymeric material; and

[0253] A conductive material is disposed on at least one layer of a polymeric material, wherein the conductive material is deposited as a slurry on at least one layer of the polymeric material to at least partially fill one or more voids and pores in at least one layer of the polymeric material, wherein the conductive material imparts conductive properties to the layer of the polymeric material.

[0254] Clause C18. The additive manufacturing part according to Clause C17, wherein at least one layer of polymeric material comprises more than one layer of polymeric material, and conductive material is disposed interstitially between adjacent layers of polymeric material, at least partially filling one or more voids and pores to form conductive pathways between adjacent layers of polymeric material.

[0255] Clause C19. The additive manufacturing part as described in Clause C17, wherein at least one layer of polymeric material comprises more than one layer of polymeric material, and a slurry is disposed interstitially between adjacent layers of polymeric material, at least partially filling one or more voids and pores, wherein the slurry includes a reinforcing agent to enhance the coupling between adjacent layers of polymeric material.

[0256] Article C20. An additive manufacturing portion according to any one of Articles C17 to C19, wherein a slurry is deposited on a predetermined portion of at least one layer of a polymeric material to alter the conductivity of at least one layer of the polymeric material.

[0257] C21. A method of additive manufacturing, the method comprising:

[0258] A layer of deposited polymeric material is used to produce an additive manufacturing portion from the layer of said polymeric material; and

[0259] The slurry is deposited on a layer of polymeric material, wherein the slurry includes a barrier material that imparts impermeability to the layer of polymeric material.

[0260] Section C22. The method described in Section C21, wherein the barrier material includes nano-clay plates.

[0261] Clause C23. According to the method described in Clause C21 or C22, the deposition of the polymeric material layer comprises: depositing multiple fibers of the polymeric material in a side-by-side arrangement to form a layer of the polymeric material, wherein...

[0262] The polymeric material layer includes one or more voids and pores; and

[0263] The slurry is deposited on a layer of polymeric material, at least partially filling one or more voids and pores.

[0264] Section C24. According to the method of Section C21 or C22, wherein depositing a layer of polymeric material comprises: depositing a powdered polymeric material to form a layer of polymeric material, wherein...

[0265] The polymeric material layer includes one or more voids and pores; and

[0266] The slurry is deposited on a layer of polymeric material, at least partially filling one or more voids and pores.

[0267] C25. A method of additive manufacturing, the method comprising:

[0268] To deposit layers of polymeric material; and

[0269] The slurry is deposited on a layer of polymeric material, wherein the slurry includes a barrier material that imparts impermeability to the layer of polymeric material.

[0270] In this process, layers of polymeric material are deposited alternately with slurry to form stacked layers of polymeric material using slurry disposed between stacked layers of polymeric material in a gap-filling manner. The slurry at least partially fills one or more voids and pores between adjacent layers of polymeric material in the stacked layers of polymeric material to form one or more barriers between adjacent layers of polymeric material, wherein the one or more barriers include impermeable properties.

[0271] C26. An additional manufacturing component, comprising:

[0272] At least one layer of polymeric material; and

[0273] A barrier material is disposed on at least one layer of a polymeric material, wherein the barrier material is deposited as a slurry on at least one layer of the polymeric material to at least partially fill one or more voids and pores in at least one layer of the polymeric material, wherein the barrier material imparts the layer of the polymeric material with the property of impermeability.

[0274] Clause C27. The additive manufacturing portion as described in Clause C26, wherein at least one layer of polymeric material comprises more than one layer of polymeric material, and a barrier material is disposed interstitially between adjacent layers of polymeric material, at least partially filling one or more voids and pores to form one or more barrier elements between adjacent layers of polymeric material, wherein the one or more barrier elements include impermeable properties.

[0275] Clause C28. The additive manufacturing part according to Clause C26, wherein at least one layer of polymeric material comprises more than one layer of polymeric material, and a slurry is disposed interstitially between adjacent layers of polymeric material, at least partially filling one or more voids and pores, wherein the slurry includes a reinforcing agent to enhance the coupling between adjacent layers of polymeric material.

[0276] Article C29. An augmentation manufacturing part according to any one of Articles C26 to C28, wherein a slurry is deposited on a predetermined portion of a layer of polymeric material to alter the impermeability of at least one layer of the polymeric material.

[0277] Those skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains will recognize that various variations of the embodiments set forth herein have the benefits of the teachings presented in the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings.

[0278] Therefore, it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments shown, and variations and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, although embodiments of the disclosure have been described for the foregoing description and associated drawings in the context of specific illustrative combinations of elements and / or functions, it should be recognized that different combinations of elements and / or functions may be provided through alternative implementations without departing from the scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, reference numerals within parentheses in the appended claims are presented for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter to the specific embodiments provided in this disclosure.

Claims

1. A method of additive manufacturing, the method comprising: A layer (151) of deposited substrate material (120) is formed, and an additive manufacturing portion (150) is produced from the layer (151) of said substrate material (120); and A slurry (190) is deposited on a layer (151) of the substrate material (120), wherein the slurry (190) comprises a solvent (195), particles of structural material (194), and a reinforcing agent (193). The deposition of the layer (151) of the substrate material (120) includes: depositing multiple fibers (300) of the substrate material (120) in a side-by-side arrangement to form the layer (151) of the substrate material (120); wherein, The layer (151) of the substrate material (120) includes one or more voids (201) and pores (200); and The slurry (190) is deposited on a layer (151) of the substrate material (120) to at least partially fill the one or more voids (201) and pores (200). In this process, layers (151) of the substrate material (120) and the slurry (190) are deposited alternately to form the stacked layers (151S) of the substrate material (120) using the slurry (190) which is disposed between the stacked layers (151S) of the substrate material (120). In this process, another layer (151A) of the substrate material (120) is deposited on top of the layer (151) of the substrate material (120) on which the slurry (190) is applied to form a stacked layer of the substrate material. The slurry (190) at least partially fills one or more voids (201) and pores (200) between adjacent layers of the substrate material (120) in the stacked layers (151S) of the substrate material (120) to enhance the coupling between adjacent layers of the substrate material. The air gaps between adjacent fibers form one or more voids and pores that extend in one direction of the augmented fabrication portion, and conductive material is deposited in the voids and / or pores to form conductive pathways that also extend in that direction.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The structural material particles (194) include one or more of the following: the base material particles (194A), metal particles (194C) having a composition different from that of the base material, ceramic particles (194D), and polymeric particles (194B) having a composition different from that of the base material.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, Depositing the slurry (190) onto the layer (151) of the substrate material includes: spraying the slurry (190) onto the layer (151) of the substrate material using a deposition device (105), wherein the deposition device (105) is movable.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, Depositing the slurry (190) onto a layer (151) of the substrate material (120) includes spraying the slurry (190) onto the layer (151) of the substrate material (120) using a deposition apparatus (105) fixed relative to the substrate material (120).

5. An additive manufacturing apparatus, comprising: Frame (101); A base material support bed (103) is coupled to the frame (101). A substrate material deposition unit (104) is movably coupled to the frame (101) and disposed above the substrate material support bed (103), the substrate material deposition unit (104) being configured to deposit one or more layers (151) of substrate material (120) onto the substrate material support bed (103); as well as A deposition apparatus (105), coupled to the frame (101) for positioning relative to the frame (101), and configured to deposit slurry (190) onto one or more layers (151) of the substrate material (120) and to deposit in situ with one or more layers (151) of the substrate material (120). The deposition of the layer (151) of the substrate material (120) includes: depositing multiple fibers (300) of the substrate material (120) in a side-by-side arrangement to form the layer (151) of the substrate material (120); wherein, The layer (151) of the substrate material (120) includes one or more voids (201) and pores (200); and The slurry (190) is deposited on a layer (151) of the substrate material (120) to at least partially fill the one or more voids (201) and pores (200). The additive manufacturing apparatus is configured to alternately deposit layers (151) of the substrate material (120) with the slurry (190) to form the stacked layers (151S) of the substrate material (120) using the slurry (190) which is disposed between the stacked layers (151S) of the substrate material (120). In this process, another layer (151A) of the substrate material (120) is deposited on top of the layer (151) of the substrate material (120) on which the slurry (190) is applied to form a stacked layer of the substrate material. The slurry (190) at least partially fills one or more voids (201) and pores (200) between adjacent layers of the substrate material (120) in the stacked layers (151S) of the substrate material (120) to enhance the coupling between adjacent layers of the substrate material. The air gaps between adjacent fibers form one or more voids and pores that extend in one direction of the augmented fabrication portion, and conductive material is deposited in the voids and / or pores to form conductive pathways that also extend in that direction.

6. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, The frame (101) forms a cavity (102) that at least closes the nozzle (105S) of the deposition device (105), wherein the slurry (190) exits the deposition device (105) through the nozzle (105S).

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