A screening device and a method for manufacturing a screening device

Abstract

According to an example, an apparatus can include a plurality of structures formed from fused segments of build material particles and a plurality of porous segments supported by the plurality of structures. The plurality of porous segments can be formed from partially fused build material particles, where the partially fused build material particles can include build material particles that can be partially fused together to cause the plurality of porous segments to have at least a predetermined level of porosity.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to a screening device and a method for manufacturing a screening device. BACKGROUND

[0002] In three-dimensional (3D) printing, 3D physical parts can be manufactured from digital models using additive printing processes. Some 3D printing techniques are considered additive processes because they involve applying successive layers or volumes of build material, such as powder or powder-like build material, to an existing surface (or previous layer). 3D printing typically involves solidification of the build material, which for some materials can be achieved through the use of heat, chemical binders, and / or ultraviolet or thermal curing binders. SUMMARY

[0003] A first aspect of the present disclosure provides a device comprising: a plurality of structures formed from fused segments of build material particles; and a plurality of porous segments supported by the plurality of structures, the plurality of porous segments being formed from partially fused build material particles, wherein the partially fused build material particles comprise build material particles that are partially fused together to cause the plurality of porous segments to have at least a predetermined porosity level.

[0004] A second aspect of the present disclosure provides a method comprising: obtaining, by a controller, a predetermined porosity level for a porous segment of a screening device to be manufactured; and determining, by the controller, properties of a three-dimensional (3D) manufacturing process to be implemented in manufacturing the screening device having the porous segment formed from partially fused build material particles that comprise build material particles that are partially fused together during the 3D manufacturing process to cause the porous segment to have at least the predetermined porosity level.

[0005] A third aspect of the present disclosure provides a screening device comprising: structures formed from build material particles that are fused together during a three-dimensional (3D) manufacturing process; and a plurality of porous segments formed between the structures, the plurality of porous segments being formed from partially fused build material particles, wherein the partially fused build material particles comprise build material particles that are partially fused together in the 3D manufacturing process to cause the plurality of porous segments to have at least a predetermined porosity level, the predetermined porosity level corresponding to a size of a fiber that is to be prevented from flowing through the screening device by the screening device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0006] Features of the present disclosure are illustrated by way of example and not limited to the following figure(s) in which like numerals indicate like elements, in which:

[0007] Figure 1A block diagram showing an example apparatus that can include a plurality of porous sections formed from partially fused build material particles;

[0008] Figure 2 A cross-sectional side view showing an example pulp molding mold in which the example apparatus depicted in Figure 1

[0009] Figure 3 An example 3D manufacturing system for the apparatus depicted in Figure 1 and Figure 2 An example 3D manufacturing system for the apparatus depicted in

[0010] Figure 4 An example controller depicted in Figure 3 An example controller depicted in

[0011] Figure 5 A flowchart showing an example method for controlling a manufacturing component to manufacture a screening apparatus having porous sections formed from partially fused build material particles. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] For purposes of simplicity and readability, the present disclosure is described primarily with reference to examples. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, that the present disclosure can be practiced without limitation to these specific details. In other instances, some methods and structures are not described in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure the present disclosure.

[0013] Throughout the present disclosure, the terms "a" and "one" are intended to denote at least one of a particular element. As used herein, the term "includes" means includes but not limited to, the term "including" means including but not limited to. The term "based on" means based at least in part on.

[0014] Screening apparatuses having pores can be employed to filter particles from a fluid, for example, as vacuum pressure is applied on the fluid to force the fluid to flow through the pores. However, some of the particles can flow through the screening apparatus having pores that are larger in size than the solid particles. To prevent the solid particles from flowing through the screening apparatus, the pores of the screening apparatus can be manufactured to have a width or diameter that is smaller than the particles to be filtered by the screening apparatus. However, current manufacturing techniques, such as current three-dimensional (3D) manufacturing techniques, can be limited in the smallest size that the pores can be formed, which can limit the use of the screening apparatus as the screening apparatus at most filters particles of a particular minimum size corresponding to the size of the pores.

[0015] ​Disclosed herein are devices (e.g., sieving devices) that can be manufactured to have pores of a size (e.g., width or diameter) that is significantly smaller than sizes achievable by current manufacturing techniques. Also disclosed herein are 3D manufacturing systems and methods that can be used to manufacture devices having significantly smaller pore sizes. In particular, the 3D manufacturing systems and methods disclosed herein can manufacture devices to include a plurality of structures formed from fused build material particles and a plurality of porous segments formed from partially fused build material particles. The partially fused build material particles can be formed from build material particles that are partially fused together such that the plurality of porous segments include pores (or equivalently, voids, channels, etc.) that are significantly smaller than pores achievable by current manufacturing techniques, where the pores can enable fluid to flow through the porous segments. In some examples, the build material particles can have a size on the order of microns, and the partial fusion of the build material particles (e.g., some but not all of the build material particles in the porous segments are fused) can result in the pores in the porous segments having a size on the order of microns or sub-microns. That is, the pores can have a size that is less than about 100 microns, in some examples, less than about 50 microns, and in other examples, less than about 10 microns. Thus, the devices disclosed herein can filter solid particles of a size that is significantly smaller than sizes achievable with sieving devices manufactured using existing techniques.

[0016] The 3D manufacturing system can manufacture the device such that the pores can have at least a predetermined porosity level. The predetermined porosity level can include a range of predetermined sizes at which the pores in the porous segments are to be manufactured, a predetermined rate at which fluid is to flow through the pores in the porous segments when a certain amount of vacuum pressure is applied to the fluid passing through the device, a predetermined diameter or width of the porous segments that achieves the predetermined rate while maintaining a certain level of structural stability, a predetermined size at which the pores are to be manufactured to achieve the predetermined rate, etc.

[0017] As discussed herein, and in accordance with some examples, the 3D manufacturing system can form the porous segments having the predetermined porosity level by preventing the build material particles in the porous segments from fully fusing with one another. For example, the build material particles in the porous segments can be considered to be partially fused (or equivalently, not fully fused) when less than all of the build material particles in the porous segments reach their melting point temperature, fuse, and fuse with all of their adjacent particles. As another example, the build material particles in the porous segments can be considered to be partially fused when a certain percentage of the build material particles in the porous segments reach (or fail to reach) a fused state and thus fuse (or fail to fuse) with all of their adjacent particles.

[0018] In some examples, the 3D fabrication system can prevent the build material particles in the porous section from fully fusing together by depositing a controlled pattern of detailing agents onto the build material particles in the porous section. The detailing agents can reduce the fusion of the build material particles by, for example, preventing some of the build material particles in the porous section from reaching their melting point temperature. In some examples, the 3D fabrication system can additionally or alternatively deposit a controlled pattern of fluxing agents onto those build material particles, while in other examples, no fluxing agents can be applied to those build material particles. In any of these examples, the pattern of detailing agents and / or fluxing agents applied to the build material particles in the porous section can be adjusted to produce a predetermined porosity level.

[0019] Additionally or in other examples, the 3D fabrication system can cause the build material particles in the porous section to partially fuse together by controlling the residual energy or heat applied to those build material particles. That is, for example, the 3D fabrication system can cause the build material particles in a structure surrounding the perimeter of the porous section to be heated to the melting point temperature of the build material particles, and the residual heat (or equivalently, heat loss) from the build material particles in the heated structure can cause the build material particles in the porous section to partially fuse together. The 3D fabrication system can cause the build material particles in the structure to be heated to their melting point temperature by depositing a selected pattern of fluxing agents onto the build material particles in the structure, and subsequently applying energy to heat the build material particles. Optionally, the 3D fabrication system can cause energy to be selectively applied to the build material particles in the structure, without applying energy to the build material particles in the porous section.

[0020] According to examples, the apparatuses disclosed herein can be used as screens, filters, and the like. In particular examples, the apparatuses can be used as pulp molding molds. In this regard, the apparatuses can be used to form products from pulp material. Further, the porous sections of the apparatuses can have a porosity level that is small enough to enable the porous sections to filter fluids from pulp having a relatively small fiber size, while limiting or preventing the flow of fibers into and through the porous sections. Further, the small porosity level can reduce or prevent the porous sections from imprinting onto the molded fiber portions, can enable the porosity of the porous sections located in various regions of the apparatuses to differ from one another, and the like.

[0021] Reference is first made to Figure 1 and Figure 2 . Figure 1 A block diagram of an example apparatus 100 that can include a plurality of porous sections formed from partially fused build material particles is shown. Figure 2 A cross-sectional side view of an example pulp molding mold 200 in which the example apparatus 100 depicted in Figure 1 is implemented is shown. It should be understood that Figure 1The depicted exemplary apparatus 100 and / or exemplary pulp molding mold 200 can include additional features, and some of the features described herein can be removed and / or modified without departing from the scope of the apparatus 100 and / or pulp molding mold 200.

[0022] Generally, the apparatus 100 can be a screen or other type of device that can be used to filter particles from a fluid. For example, the apparatus 100 can be a screen (or equivalent screening device) that can be used to separate fibrous material from pulp or slurry, where the fibrous material can be immersed in a fluid, which can be a liquid such as water. As a particular example, the apparatus 100 can be used as a screen for the body 210 of the pulp molding mold 200. Thus, although the apparatus 100 is depicted in Figure 1 as having a relatively simple configuration, the apparatus 100 can have a relatively complex configuration that can match the configuration of the body 220, for example, as shown in Figure 2 In other examples, the apparatus 100 can filter particles from a gas.

[0023] As shown in Figure 1 , the apparatus 100 can include a plurality of structures 102 and a plurality of porous sections 104. The porous sections 104 can be formed between the structures 102, such that the structures 102 can support the porous sections 104, for example, the porous sections 104 can be attached to the structures 102, for example, fused with the structures 102. The structures 102 can be formed from build material particles that have been fused together, such that, for example, the structures 102 have a solid cross-section. In other words, the structures 102 can be mostly or entirely non-porous, and thus can prevent fluid flow through the structures 102 while providing structural support for the porous sections 104.

[0024] The porous sections 104 can be formed from partially fused build material particles. The partially fused build material particles can include, or equivalently, be formed from, build material particles that have been partially fused together to provide the porous sections 104 with at least a predetermined level of porosity. The predetermined level of porosity can be a level of porosity that can allow fluid (e.g., water or other liquid and / or gas) to pass through the porous sections 104 while preventing or blocking solid particles (e.g., pulp fibers) from flowing through the porous sections 104 when a vacuum pressure is applied. Thus, for example, the predetermined level of porosity can be based on the type of material to be filtered by the apparatus 100. In other words, for an apparatus to filter larger materials, the predetermined level of porosity can be larger, while for an apparatus to filter smaller materials, the predetermined level of porosity can be smaller. In some examples, the predetermined level of porosity for each of the porous sections 104 can be different from one another.

[0025] According to the example, the predetermined porosity level may include a range of predetermined sizes of the pores in the porous section 104 to be manufactured, a predetermined rate at which fluid will flow through the pores in the porous section 104 when a certain amount of vacuum pressure is applied to the fluid passing through the device 100, a predetermined diameter or width of the porous section 104 to achieve the predetermined rate while maintaining a certain level of structural stability, and a minimum or maximum predetermined size for manufacturing the pores to achieve the predetermined rate when a vacuum pressure is applied to the fluid passing through the device 100 while preventing particles of a certain size from passing through the pores, etc.

[0026] The porosity level can also be lower than a predetermined maximum porosity level (e.g., a second predetermined porosity level), where the predetermined maximum porosity level can correspond to a porosity level that would prevent fluid from flowing through the porous section 104 below a predetermined flow rate. That is, for example, the porosity level can correspond to the minimum pore size that makes the predetermined flow rate achievable. The predetermined flow rate can be a flow rate that causes particles (e.g., fibers) to take longer than expected to take on the specific shape defined by device 100. In any respect, the porous section 104 can have a relatively smaller porosity level than that achievable by pores formed using building material particles without fusion. As an example, the pores formed in the porous section 104 can have micrometer or submicrometer sizes. Furthermore, the pores in the porous section 104 can be formed randomly, for example, such that pores can be formed non-linearly through the porous section 104.

[0027] As described herein, structure 102 can be formed from mostly or entirely fused building material particles, and porous segment 104 can be formed from partially fused building material particles. In this respect, the building material particles forming structure 102 can be fused together to give structure 102 a predetermined structural characteristic greater than that of the porous segment. That is, for example, structure 102 can withstand a greater load than the porous segment 104 before fracture, cracking, etc.

[0028] like Figure 1 As shown, the porous section 104 can have a circular shape, which can result in a relatively high level of strength in the device 100 because the circular shape does not include sharp corner stress gradients. In these examples, the porous section 104 can have a diameter between about 0.2 mm and about 1 mm. However, in other examples, the porous section 104 can have other shapes and / or sizes, such as rectangular, hexagonal, triangular, elliptical, etc. Furthermore, some of the porous sections 104 can have shapes and / or sizes that differ from each other.

[0029] like Figure 2As shown, the body 210 can include solid portions 212 and open portions 214. The body 210 can be formed of a substantially rigid material, such as a metal, a plastic, a ceramic, etc. Further, the open portions 214 can be formed between the solid portions 212 by any suitable manufacturing technique. For example, the open portions 214 (which can also be referred to herein as openings, pores, through-holes, etc.) can be formed by drilling, by using a mold, etc. In other examples, the body 210 can be formed by implementing a 3D manufacturing technique. In particular, for example, the body 210 can be manufactured simultaneously with the device 100 during a 3D manufacturing operation. In any of these examples, the open portions 214 can extend from one side of the body 210 to an opposite side of the body 210.

[0030] According to an example, and as shown in Figure 2 The open portions 214 can have a circular cross-section with a diameter that can be relatively larger than the porous segments 104. In other examples, the open portions 214 can have other cross-sectional shapes, such as rectangular, hexagonal, triangular, elliptical, etc., with a width that can be relatively larger than the porous segments 104. In operation, when the pulp molding mold 200 is immersed in a pulp or slurry containing material, a vacuum pressure can be applied from an opposite side of the body 210 from the device 100. As fluid in the pulp or slurry flows through the porous segments 104 in the device 100 and the open portions 214 in the body 210, the material in the pulp or slurry can be compressed onto the device 100 and can take the shape of the device 100.

[0031] According to an example, the device 100 can be manufactured by implementing a three-dimensional (3D) manufacturing process. Referring now to Figure 3 which shows an example 3D manufacturing system 300 that can be used to manufacture the device 100 depicted in Figure 1 and Figure 2 The 3D manufacturing system 300 can also be referred to as a 3D printing system, a 3D manufacturing machine, etc., and can be implemented to manufacture 3D objects by selectively binding and / or solidifying building material particles 302 together. During manufacture of the device 100, the building material particles 302 can form a building material layer 304 on a build platform 306. It should be understood that the building material particles 302 can be bound together by a binding agent, such as a liquid, a powder, etc. In other examples, the building material particles 302 can be solidified together by a solidification agent, such as a laser, an electron beam, etc. Figure 3 The example 3D manufacturing system 300 depicted in

[0032] The build material particles 302 can include any suitable material for forming a 3D object. The build material particles 302 can include, for example, a polymer, a plastic, a nylon, a metal, combinations thereof, and the like, and can be in the form of a powder or a powder-like material. Further, the build material particles 302 can have a size (e.g., width, diameter, etc.) that is generally between about 5 pm and about 100 pm. In other examples, the build material particles 302 can have a size that is generally between about 30 pm and about 60 pm. The build material particles 302 can have any of a variety of shapes, for example, as larger particles are ground into smaller particles. In some embodiments, the build material particles 302 can be formed from or can include short fibers, which can be cut into short lengths, for example, from a long rope or thread of material. Further, or in other examples, the particles can be partially transparent or opaque. According to one example, a suitable build material can be a PA11 and / or PA12 build material available from HP Inc.

[0033] As shown, the 3D manufacturing system 300 can include an applicator 308 that can spread, spray, or otherwise form the build material layer 304 of build material particles 302. As an example, the applicator 308 can be a roller, spreader, or the like that can spread the build material particles 302 into the build material layer 304 as the applicator 308 moves (e.g., scans) over the build platform 306 as indicated by arrow 310. As another example, the applicator 308 can include a sprayer or the like that can spray the build material particles 302 to form the build material layer 304 as the applicator 308 moves over the build platform 306 as indicated by arrow 310. According to an example, the build platform 306 can provide a build area for the build material particles 302 to be spread into a successive layer 304 of build material particles 302. The build platform 306 can move in a direction away from the applicator 308 during formation of the successive build material layer 304.

[0034] According to an example, the 3D manufacturing system 300 can include a platform 312 from which build material particles 302 can be supplied to form a build material layer 304. For example, the platform 312 can supply an amount of build material particles 302 on top of the platform 312, which the applicator 308 can push onto the build platform 306 as the applicator 308 moves over the build platform 306 as indicated by the arrow 310 to form a build material layer 304 on the build platform 306 or on a previously formed build material layer 304. In some examples, the 3D manufacturing system 300 can include another platform 314 from which build material particles 302 can be supplied to form a build material layer 304. The 3D manufacturing system 300 can include the platforms 312, 314 to enable the formation of build material layers 304 as the applicator 308 moves in either or both directions indicated by the arrow 310. In other examples, however, build material particles 302 can be sprayed or otherwise deposited onto or above the build platform 306.

[0035] As shown, the controller 320 can control the operation of the applicator 308. The controller 320 can be a computing system, such as a server, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a desktop computer, etc. In other examples, the controller 320 can be a semiconductor-based microprocessor, a central processing unit (CPU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and / or other suitable hardware devices. In any of these examples, the controller 320 can control the operation of the applicator 308, for example, to form a build material layer 304 and / or another build material layer that can be formed after the build material layer 304, e.g., on or above the top of the build material layer 304. In any respect, the controller 320 can be part of the 3D manufacturing system 300 or can be separate from the 3D manufacturing system 300.

[0036] The controller 320 can store instructions and / or other data on the memory 322. The memory 322 can be an electronic, magnetic, optical, or other physical storage device that contains or stores executable instructions. The memory 322 can be, for example, random access memory (RAM), an electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a storage device, an optical disc, etc. In particular, the memory 322 can have stored thereon instructions that the controller 320 can execute in controlling the applicator 308. The memory 322 can also have stored thereon instructions that the controller 320 can execute in controlling other components of the 3D fabrication system 300. For example, the 3D fabrication system 300 can include a fabrication component 330, and the memory 322 can have instructions that the controller 320 can execute to control the fabrication component 330. In particular, the controller 320 can control the fabrication component 330 to cause the build material particles 302 to bind and / or fuse together at selected locations of the build material layer 304 to form a portion of a 3D object in the build material layer 304. For example, the controller 320 can control the fabrication component 330 to fabricate the device 100 to include the structure 102 and the porous section 104 as discussed herein.

[0037] The fabrication component 330 can include a reagent delivery apparatus that the controller 320 can control to selectively deliver a reagent onto the build material layer 304. For example, the controller 320 can control the reagent delivery apparatus to deliver a fusing agent, e.g., according to a pattern, onto selected locations of the build material layer 304 to be bound / fused together to form the structure 102. In some examples, the controller 320 can also control the reagent delivery apparatus to deliver a fusing agent onto other selected locations of the build material layer 304 to be partially fused together to form the porous section 104, e.g., according to a pattern. As a specific example, the reagent delivery apparatus can be a print head having a plurality of nozzles, where droplet ejectors (e.g., resistors, piezoelectric actuators, etc.) can be provided to eject droplets of the reagent through the nozzles.

[0038] According to an example, the reagent can be a fusing agent to selectively bind and / or solidify build material particles 302 on which the reagent has been deposited. In a specific example, the reagent can be a fusing agent that can increase absorption of energy to cause build material particles 302 on which the reagent has been deposited to melt and become fused during cooling and solidification.

[0039] According to one example, a suitable fluxing agent can be an ink-type formulation including carbon black, for example, the fluxing agent formulation commercially known as V1Q60A HP Fluxing Agent available from HP Inc. In one example, the fluxing agent can additionally include an infrared light absorber. In one example, the fluxing agent can additionally include a near-infrared light absorber. In one example, the fluxing agent can additionally include a visible light absorber. In one example, the fluxing agent can additionally include a UV light absorber. Examples of fluxing agents including visible light enhancers are dye-based colored inks and pigment-based colored inks, such as the inks commercially known as CE039A and CE042A available from HP Inc.

[0040] The manufacturing component 330 can also include another reagent delivery device that the controller 320 can control to selectively deliver another type of reagent onto the build material layer 304. The other type of reagent can be a detailing agent, which can inhibit or prevent build material particles 302 on which the detailing agent is deposited from fusing, for example, by altering the effect of the fluxing agent, by cooling build material particles 302 on which the detailing agent is deposited, etc. According to one example, a suitable detailing agent can be the formulation commercially known as V1Q61A HP Detailing Agent available from HP Inc.

[0041] As an example, the controller 320 can control the other reagent delivery device to selectively deposit the detailing agent onto areas of the build material layer 304 that are not to be fused to form a portion of the device 100. For example, the controller 320 can control the other reagent delivery device to deposit the detailing agent onto areas of the layer 304 adjacent to areas that are to be fused together to form the structure 102 of the device 100. Further, the controller 320 can control the other reagent delivery device to deposit the detailing agent onto build material particles 302 positioned in areas of the layer 304 that are to be partially fused to form the porous section 104 of the device 100. In this regard, the controller 320 can control the pattern in which the detailing agent can be applied to reduce or otherwise control the amount of thermal drain or equivalent thermal residue applied to build material particles 302 in areas that are to form the porous section 104. That is, the controller 320 can control the pattern in which the fluxing agent and the detailing agent are deposited onto selected locations of the layer 304 to form the structure 102 and the porous section 104 as described herein.

[0042] The manufacturing component 330 can also include an energy source that can apply energy (e.g., heating energy, fusing energy, etc.) to the build material layer 304, for example, to heat the build material particles 302 in the build material layer 304 to a desired temperature. The energy source can output energy, for example, in the form of light and / or heat, and can be supported on a carriage that can move over the build platform 306. In this way, for example, as the carriage moves over the build platform 306, the energy source can output energy onto the build material layer 304 to cause the build material particles 302, on which fusing agent has been deposited, to melt and then fuse together.

[0043] In some cases, the build material particles 302, on which fusing agent has been deposited, can be heated to a level at or above the melting point temperature of the build material particles 302 when energy is applied to the build material particles 302. As the build material particles 302 are heated, heat from the build material particles 302 can be transferred to other build material particles 302 that are adjacent to the heated build material particles 302. For example, build material particles 302 located in areas that will form the porous section 104, on which fusing agent can not have been deposited, can be heated by residual heat. Thus, and in cases where the porous section 104 has a relatively small diameter or width, the residual heat can cause most or all of the build material particles 302 located in the areas that will form the porous section 104 to reach their melting point temperature. Thus, in cases where the porous section 104 will have a relatively small diameter or width, most or all of the build material particles 302 that will form the porous section 104 can melt and solidify due to residual heat.

[0044] To prevent the build material particles 302 that will form the porous section 104 from solidifying, the controller 320 can control another reagent delivery device to deposit a predetermined pattern of a detailing agent on the build material particles 302. The predetermined pattern of detailing agent can be, for example, a pattern of average density of applied detailing agent that can cause the build material particles 302 to partially fuse together such that the porous section 104 can have a desired level of porosity. The predetermined pattern of detailing agent that can cause the porous section 104 to have a desired level of porosity can be determined by testing, modeling, historical data, etc., and can depend on the type of material used.

[0045] In some embodiments, the build material particles 302 that will form the porous section 104 can be partially fused by implementing other techniques relative to the deposition of detailing agent onto the build material particles 302 that will form the porous section 104. For example, the controller 320 can control the manufacturing component 330 to deposit fusing agent onto the build material particles 302 in a particular pattern, e.g., to cause the fusing agent to be deposited at a particular average density to form the porous section 104. In these examples, the residual heat from the build material particles 302 that will form the structure 102 can not be sufficient to cause the build material particles 302 that will form the porous section 104 to partially fuse to a level that causes the porous section 104 to have a predetermined level of porosity. The predetermined pattern of fusing agent that can be deposited onto the build material particles 302 that will form the porous section 104 can be determined by testing, modeling, historical data, etc., and can depend on the type of material being used. The amount of fusing agent that can be deposited onto the build material particles 302 that will form the porous section 104 can be adjusted to an amount of residual heat that is predicted or known to be available from adjacent build material particles 302 during the heating of the build material particles 302 to form the structure 102.

[0046] In other examples, the manufacturing component 330 can include a laser source relative to the reagent delivery device(s), and the controller 320 can control the laser source to heat the build material particles 302 to form the structure 102. In these examples, the residual heat generated by the heating of the build material particles 302 to form the structure 102 with the laser source can cause the build material particles 302 in the porous section 104 to partially fuse. In these examples, the size of the porous section 104 can be adjusted to an amount of residual heat that is predicted or known to be available from adjacent build material particles 302 during the heating of the build material particles 302 to form the structure 102.

[0047] According to examples, the controller 320 can control movement of the manufacturing component 330. That is, for example, the controller 320 can control actuators, motors, etc. that can control movement of the manufacturing component 330 over the build platform 306. As shown, the 3D manufacturing system 300 can include a mechanism 332 along which the manufacturing component 330, e.g., a carriage on which the manufacturing component 330 can be supported, can move over the build platform 306. The mechanism 332 can be any suitable mechanism by which the carriage can move and / or which can cause the carriage to move. For example, the mechanism 332 can include actuators, conveyors, etc. that can cause the carriage to move.

[0048] Reference is now made to Figure 4 depicting Figure 3A block diagram of an example controller 320 is depicted. As shown, the controller 320 can execute instructions 402-406 to fabricate a device 100 having a porous section 104 formed from partially fused build material particles 302. The controller 320 can be programmed to execute the instructions 402-406, e.g., the instructions 402-406 can be programmed into hardware components of the controller 320. In other examples, the controller 320 can be in communication with a memory 322 (which can also be referred to as a computer-readable storage medium) on which machine-readable instructions (which can also be referred to as computer-readable instructions) that the controller 320 can execute can be stored. Figure 3

[0049] The controller 320 can obtain 402 a predetermined porosity level for a porous section 104 of a sieving device 100 to be fabricated. A user can input the predetermined porosity level to the controller 320, and / or the controller 320 can obtain the predetermined porosity level from another source. In any regard, the predetermined porosity level can be based on a level of fluid to be flowed through the sieving device 100, a minimum size of material to be filtered by the device 100, and / or the like. In some examples, the predetermined porosity level can be indicated in a digital model of the device 100. In these examples, the controller 320 can determine how to operate the fabrication components 330 to fabricate the device 100 such that the porous section 104 has the predetermined porosity level.

[0050] The controller 320 can determine 404 attributes of a three-dimensional (3D) fabrication process to be implemented in fabricating the sieving device 100 having the porous section 104 formed from the partially fused build material particles 302. As discussed herein, the partially fused build material particles 302 can include build material particles 302 that are partially fused together during the 3D fabrication process to cause the porous section 104 to have at least the predetermined porosity level. That is, for example, the controller 320 can determine a pattern in which a fusing agent, and in some examples a detailing agent, is to be applied to a plurality of regions on a layer 304 of build material particles 302 to form the porous section 104 having at least the predetermined porosity level.

[0051] ​As an example, the controller 320 can determine a particular pattern of fusing agent to be deposited onto the build material particles 302 positioned in the area that is to form the porous section 104. In some cases, and as described herein, the controller 320 can determine that no fusing agent is to be deposited on the build material particles 302 in the area that is to form the porous section 104. In some cases, the controller 320 can determine that a particular pattern of detailing agent is to be deposited onto the build material particles 302. For example, the controller 320 can determine to deposit a particular pattern of detailing agent for a higher predetermined porosity level and another particular pattern of detailing agent for a lower predetermined porosity level. The controller 320 can determine the pattern of either or both of fusing agent and detailing agent to be deposited onto the build material particles 302 positioned in the area that is to form the porous section 104 based on historical data, modeling, testing, etc. The controller 320 can also determine the pattern of fusing agent to be deposited onto the build material particles 302 positioned in the area that is to form the structure 102 based on historical data, modeling, testing, etc. In any of these examples, the controller 320 can make the fusing agent and / or detailing agent deposition pattern based on the type of build material particles 302, the type of fusing agent, the type of detailing agent, the size of the structure 102, the size of the porous section 104, the predetermined porosity level of the porous section 104, etc.

[0052] The controller 320 can control 406 the manufacturing component 330 to manufacture the screening device 100 according to the determined 3D manufacturing process. That is, the controller 320 can control the reagent delivery apparatus to deliver fusing agent and detailing agent in the determined pattern, thereby forming the screening device 100 having the porous section 104 having at least the predetermined porosity level.

[0053] Reference is now made to Figure 5 which shows a flowchart of an example method 500 for controlling a manufacturing component to manufacture a screening device 100 having a porous section 104 formed from partially fused build material particles 302. It should be understood that Figure 5 The method 500 depicted in Figures 1 to 4 The method 500 is described with simultaneous reference to the features depicted in

[0054] At block 502, the controller 320 can obtain a predetermined porosity level for the porous section 104 of the screening device 100 to be manufactured. At block 504, the controller 320 can determine attributes of a 3D manufacturing process to be implemented in forming the structure 102 of the screening device 100. For example, the controller 320 can determine locations at which a fusing agent is to be deposited on the plurality of build material layers 304 to form the structure 102. The controller 320 can also determine locations at which a detailing agent is to be deposited on the plurality of build material layers 304 to, for example, form a boundary of the structure 102. In particular, for example, the controller 320 can determine a pattern at which the fusing agent and / or the detailing agent is to be deposited on the plurality of build material layers 304 to form the structure 102.

[0055] At block 506, the controller 320 can determine attributes of a 3D manufacturing process to be implemented in forming the porous section 104 of the device 100. For example, the controller 320 can determine a pattern at which a fusing agent is to be deposited on the plurality of build material layers 304 to form the porous section 104. The controller 320 can also determine a pattern at which the fusing agent is to be deposited. Further, the controller 320 can determine a pattern at which a detailing agent is to be deposited to partially fuse the build material particles 302 forming the porous section 104. Thus, for example, the controller 320 can determine a pattern at which the detailing agent is to be applied to prevent the build material particles 302 forming the porous section 104 from fully fusing when energy is applied to the build material particles 302. The level of partial fusion can correspond to the predetermined porosity level for the porous section 104. Additionally or alternatively, the controller 320 can determine a pattern of energy to be applied to the build material particles 302 to form the porous section 104 having at least the predetermined porosity level.

[0056] At block 508, the controller 320 can control the manufacturing component 330 to manufacture the screening device 100 to include the structure 102 and the porous section 104. For example, the controller 320 can control the manufacturing component 330 to deposit the fluxing agent and the detailing agent in accordance with the properties of the 3D manufacturing process determined at blocks 504 and 506. The controller 320 can also control the manufacturing component 330 to apply energy to the build material layer 304 to fuse the build material particles 302 forming the structure 102 together and to partially fuse the build material particles 302 forming the porous section 104. That is, the applied energy can cause the build material particles 302 forming the structure 102 to melt and fuse while cooling. In addition, the applied energy can cause some of the build material particles 302 forming the porous section 104 to melt and fuse while cooling. Since some of the build material particles 302 forming the porous section 104 can not fuse due to the detailing agent deposited onto those build material particles 302, those build material particles 302 can not fully fuse to one another. Accordingly, voids and / or channels can be formed between the build material particles 302 in the porous section 104 through which fluid can flow through the porous section 104.

[0057] After the device 100 is manufactured, a post-processing process can be implemented to remove excess build material particles 302 from the device 100. The post-processing process can include removing excess build material particles 302, such as build material particles 302 that can have inadvertently landed on the device 100 or that can have loosely fused to the device 100, by applying pressurized air to the device 100. For example, a sandblasting process can be applied to the device 100.

[0058] Some or all of the operations illustrated in the method 500 can be included in any desirable computer-accessible medium as utility, program, or subprogram. Moreover, the method 500 can be implemented by a computer program that can exist in a variety of forms. For example, the method 500 can exist as machine readable instructions including source code, object code, executable code, or other formats. Any of the above can be embodied on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium.

[0059] Examples of non-transitory computer-readable storage media include computer system RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, and magnetic or optical disks or tapes. It is therefore to be understood that any electronic device capable of executing the above-described functions can perform those functions, either directly or indirectly.

[0060] While representative examples of the present disclosure are described in sufficient detail herein to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to employ the representative examples, it is understood that the representative examples are not limiting and that other embodiments are contemplated. For example, while the representative examples are described in the context of a single user, it is understood that the representative examples are not limited to a single user and that other embodiments are contemplated. Furthermore, it is understood that the representative examples are not limited to the particular order or hierarchy presented herein. It is understood that the representative examples can be implemented in any order or hierarchy.

[0061] What has been described and illustrated herein is some of the examples of the present disclosure and variations thereof. The terminology used herein has been expressed with an intent to be illustrative and not limiting. Many variations are possible within the scope of the present disclosure and the present disclosure is intended to be defined by the claims and their equivalents, where all terms are meant to be their broadest reasonable meaning unless otherwise specified.

Claims

1. A screening device, comprising: Multiple structures, wherein the multiple structures are formed by fused segments of building material particles; as well as Multiple porous segments, supported by multiple structures, are formed of partially fused building material particles, wherein the partially fused building material particles include partially fused building material particles to give the multiple porous segments at least a predetermined porosity level. In this process, by depositing reagents onto the building material particles in a specific pattern, residual heat from heating the building material particles of the plurality of structures is controlled to partially fuse the component material particles in the porous segments so that the plurality of porous segments have at least the predetermined porosity level, wherein the specific pattern is determined by at least one of testing, modeling, historical data, and the type of material used.

2. The screening device according to claim 1, wherein, The partially fused building material particles are partially fused together to give the plurality of porous segments a second predetermined porosity level, wherein the plurality of porous segments have pores with a size of less than 50 micrometers.

3. The screening device according to claim 1, wherein, The building material particles forming the plurality of structures are fused together to give the plurality of structures a predetermined structural property that is greater than the structural property of the plurality of porous segments.

4. The screening device according to claim 1, wherein, The predetermined porosity level includes the level at which fluid can flow through the plurality of porous sections while pulp fibers cannot flow through the plurality of porous sections.

5. The screening device according to claim 1, wherein, The plurality of structures and the plurality of porous sections are manufactured using a three-dimensional manufacturing process.

6. The screening device according to claim 1, wherein, Each of the plurality of porous sections includes a diameter between 0.2 mm and 1 mm.

7. A method for manufacturing a screening device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising: The predetermined porosity level of the porous section of the screening device to be manufactured is obtained through the controller; as well as The controller determines the properties of the three-dimensional (3D) manufacturing process to be implemented in the screening apparatus for manufacturing the porous section having partially fused build material particles, the partially fused build material particles including build material particles partially fused together during the 3D manufacturing process, so that the porous section has at least the predetermined porosity level.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising: The properties of the 3D manufacturing process to be implemented in forming a structure supporting the porous section, which will be formed from fused building material particles, are determined.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The properties of the 3D manufacturing process include flux application operations and refiner application operations, and wherein determining the properties of the 3D manufacturing process includes: The flux and the refiner are respectively applied to a layer of building material particles to form a pattern of porous segments having at least the predetermined porosity level.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: The screening device is manufactured by controlling the manufacturing components to apply the flux and the refiner respectively onto a layer of building material particles to form the defined pattern of the porous segments having at least the predetermined porosity level.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The properties of the 3D manufacturing process include energy application operations, and wherein determining the properties of the 3D manufacturing process includes: The location where energy is applied to the building material particles is determined to form the porous section having at least the predetermined porosity level.

12. A screening device, comprising: Multiple structures formed by building material particles fused together during a three-dimensional (3D) manufacturing process; as well as Multiple porous segments are formed between the plurality of structures, the multiple porous segments being formed of partially fused buildable material particles, wherein the partially fused buildable material particles include buildable material particles partially fused together in the 3D manufacturing process, so that the multiple porous segments have at least a predetermined porosity level, the predetermined porosity level corresponding to the size of fibers that will be prevented from flowing through the screening device. The 3D manufacturing process includes depositing reagents in a specific pattern onto the building material particles to control residual heat from heating the building material particles of the plurality of structures to partially fuse the building material particles in the porous segments so that the plurality of porous segments have at least a predetermined porosity level, wherein the specific pattern is determined by at least one of testing, modeling, historical data and the type of material used.

13. The screening device according to claim 12, wherein, The predetermined porosity level includes a porosity level that prevents the fibers from flowing through the plurality of porous sections while allowing fluid to flow through the porous sections.

14. The screening device according to claim 12, further comprising: An opening is positioned between some of the structures in the structure, the opening not including building material particles.

15. The screening device according to claim 12, wherein, Each of the plurality of porous sections includes a diameter between 0.2 mm and 1 mm.

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