Mold preparation and paste filling

Abstract

A layer forming apparatus for preparing layers to be formed in additive manufacturing by printing mold walls to define mold spaces and filling the mold spaces with paste. The layer forming apparatus includes a roller configured to roll the mold walls from above to form a molded layer surface in a plane, and a blade configured to spread the paste to fill the mold space. The blade is aligned in a plane to smooth the paste in the plane, and the paste is confined by an upper surface that is continuous with the molded layer surface.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 873,909, filed July 14, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention, in some embodiments, relates to the process of mold preparation and paste filling, and more particularly, but not exclusively, to smoothing the paste during the filling process. [Background technology]

[0003] Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, is an additive method currently widely used for creating prototype parts and small-scale products.

[0004] Generally, additive manufacturing uses resins to produce relatively soft parts.

[0005] Due to their relatively high melting temperatures, metal and ceramic materials are more difficult to use in additive manufacturing procedures.

[0006] Additive manufacturing is a manufacturing process in which parts are built layer by layer, so it is generally slower than traditional production processes such as machining.

[0007] To find a method of additive manufacturing suitable for metals and ceramics, the inventors designed the process described in International Patent Publication No. WO 2018 / 203331, the contents of which are incorporated herein in their entirety. In this process, additive manufacturing is combined with molding techniques to produce shapes that were previously impossible with traditional molding or machining techniques, or to use materials that are difficult or impossible to use with known additive manufacturing techniques, or to produce shapes faster than is possible with known additive manufacturing techniques. In the method described here, additive manufacturing is used to create a mold, which is then filled with the material of the final product. Layers of the final product can be produced separately using individual molds, where the next layer is produced on top of the previous layer. The previous layer may actually support the mold for the new layer and provide a floor for the new layer as well.

[0008] The mold material is typically a waxy material such as a resin, based on available or specialized 3D printing inks. The material used to fill the mold is typically a paste carrier with the product material as a powder; that is, a metal or ceramic paste in a viscous liquid form. The material is easily spreadable, and subsequent sintering evaporates the carrier and dissolves the powder, providing a solid product.

[0009] As described herein, a specialized printing apparatus is provided that has two separate applicators, one for printing the mold, e.g., having three degrees of freedom as required for 3D printing, and a second applicator that provides paste to fill the mold once it is formed.

[0010] The printing device can use rollers to flatten the mold after printing.

[0011] After spreading, as described herein, the paste may need to be cured and then cut to provide a smoothed layer aligned with the mold. Properly smoothing the paste along the mold and keeping it at the correct height above the mold surface allows for precision production. In particular, not enough paste can lead to incorrect production of the model, and too much paste beyond the mold surface can also affect the desired model.

[0012] Note that there is relative motion between the part being produced and the roller, so applying the roller and then the blade cannot guarantee a smoothed flat surface by itself (since they move together anyway) and separate smoothing operations are required. Summary of the Invention

[0013] This embodiment provides a layer forming apparatus that aims to fill the mold and eliminate or significantly reduce the separate smoothing steps in the formation of each layer by setting up a blade or squeegee that spreads the paste in the same plane defined by a roller that smooths the mold.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the invention, a roller is used to press the mould walls, an applicator applies paste into the mould walls and a blade is used to spread the paste. The blade is adjusted to the height and orientation of the roller so that both the roller and the blade define the same plane in the mould. The roller in combination with the paste applicator and the blade forms a layer forming device that can function as part of a 3D printing or additive manufacturing device. The height of the paste applicator can be coordinated with the roller and the blade.

[0015] Thus, the blade may be mounted on the same mounting as the roller to form such a layer forming device, and one or both of the blade and roller may have provisions for fine adjustment. The applicator may be a slot die that applies the paste over a pre-set width, or it may be one or more point dispensers that apply the paste to specified points. The point dispensers may be moved from side to side to fill the mould shape.

[0016] The mount allows for a change in the height of the roller to simultaneously change the height of the blade, without affecting the relative movement between the product or part being printed and the single mount that holds the blade and roller, the plane that both the roller and blade together define.

[0017] It should be noted that the three steps of pressing the mold after printing, applying the paste and spreading the paste inside the mold are done in a single pass. Optionally, a further step of smoothing the paste can be performed.

[0018] According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a layer formation apparatus for preparing layers to be formed in additive manufacturing, each of which is formed by printing a mould wall to define a mould space and filling the mould space with paste, the layer formation apparatus comprising: a roller configured to roll the mould wall from above to form a moulded layer surface in a plane; and a blade configured to spread the paste to fill the mould space, the blade being aligned in the plane to smooth the paste in the plane, the paste thereby being confined by an upper surface that is continuous with the moulded layer surface.

[0019] The pasting station may be mounted on the layer forming device between the roller and the blade.

[0020] An embodiment includes an adjustable mount for the blade that adjusts the blade to the same height and orientation as the roller.

[0021] The layer forming device may include a mounting portion, and the blade and roller may be mounted together on the mounting portion and together with the applicator portion.

[0022] The mounting may be micro-adjustable.

[0023] The blade may be micro-adjustable on the mount.

[0024] The rollers may be micro-adjustable on the mounting.

[0025] The height of the roller over the layer and the height of the blade over the layer may both vary.

[0026] The layer forming device may perform the tasks of smoothing the mold after printing and filling and spreading the paste inside the mold in a single pass. The task of smoothing the paste may also be performed in a single pass or following drying of the paste.

[0027] An applicator may be provided to dispense the paste and may be adjustable and fine-tunable along with the roller and blade.

[0028] The coating section may include a slot die extending widthwise above the layer forming device.

[0029] The slot die may be located on an adjustable mount.

[0030] The applicator portion may be micro-adjustable.

[0031] The application portion may be located within a range of a few tens of microns of the plane.

[0032] The application may be at any of the following distances within the range of 30 microns, less than 30 microns, less than 25 microns, less than 20 microns, less than 15 microns, less than 10 microns, less than 5 microns, and 1 micron. ...

[0033] The applicator section may be a dispensing section and may be movable from end to end.

[0034] The paste may be a metal or ceramic powder in a carrier.

[0035] According to a further aspect of this embodiment, there is provided a method of manufacture relating to layers of a moulded article, comprising the steps of printing a mould wall defining a fill space in each of a plurality of layers, smoothing the mould wall from above with a roller to define a plane for an upper surface of the mould wall, and using a blade to spread paste into the fill space such that the lower surface of the blade defines the upper surface of the paste, the method including the step of pre-aligning the blade with the plane, whereby the blade brings the upper surface of the paste into said plane.

[0036] The method may include using the surface of the upper layer as a base for the mould walls of a subsequent layer.

[0037] The method may include adjusting the blade to the same height and orientation as the roller.

[0038] The method may include using a blade and said roller on a common mount.

[0039] The method may include dispensing paste from an applicator portion onto the common attachment portion.

[0040] The method may use a slot die extending along the print width as the applicator.

[0041] The applicator may be a syringe-type dispenser and the method may include moving the syringe along the print width in a direction perpendicular to the motion of the common mount.

[0042] The method may include fine-tuning the orientation or height of the blade, roller or applicator.

[0043] The method may include dispensing the paste from a slot die at a height of tens of microns or a single micron above the flat surface.

[0044] The method may include performing the tasks of smoothing the mold walls after printing, filling and spreading the paste in the mold cavity, and smoothing the paste in a single pass to produce a layer.

[0045] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for a 3D printing apparatus for printing layers of a part, each layer being formed by printing mould walls to define a mould space and filling the mould space with paste to form the layer, the 3D printing apparatus comprising at least one print head configured to perform 3D printing to form each mould wall with moulding material, a roller configured to roll the mould walls from above to form a moulded layer surface in a first plane, and a blade configured to spread the paste in the mould space, the method comprising the step of smoothing the paste in the first plane by aligning the blade with the roller in the first plane, thereby confining the paste to a top surface continuous with the moulded layer surface.

[0046] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a layer forming apparatus for preparing layers to be formed in additive manufacturing, each of which is formed by printing a mould wall to define a mould space and filling the mould space with a paste, the layer forming apparatus comprising: a roller configured to roll the mould wall from above to form a shaped layer surface in a plane; a slot die configured to distribute the paste in the mould space; and a blade configured to spread the paste to fill the mould space, the blade being aligned in the plane to smooth the paste in the plane.

[0047] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and / or scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains.Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in carrying out or testing embodiments of the present invention, exemplary methods and / or materials are described below.In case of conflict, the patent specification, including definitions, shall prevail.In addition, the materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and are not necessarily intended to be limiting. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0048] Some embodiments of the present invention are described herein, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. With particular reference now to the drawings in detail, it is emphasized that the particulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, the description with reference to the drawings will make apparent to those skilled in the art how the embodiments of the present invention may be practiced. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a simplified side view of a layer forming apparatus, consisting of a mount for holding a roller and a blade, for combining smoothing of mold walls and spreading of paste during additive manufacturing, according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a simplified flow chart illustrating a mode of operation for additive manufacturing using the embodiment of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2 is a cross-sectional side view of the layer forming apparatus corresponding to FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the layer forming apparatus of FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a 3D perspective view illustrating the relative movement of a mount to a print tray of a layer forming apparatus in an exemplary embodiment of the invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a top view of a modified example of the layer forming apparatus in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the stacking device of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 2 is a side view of the lamination apparatus of FIG. 1 with the slot die lowered to the level of the mold wall for inserting paste according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a simplified diagram showing the shape formed on the table and the mounting portion. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIGURE 2 is a top view of an alternative embodiment of the invention in which the width-wise dispensing slot die is replaced with a single point dispenser, such as a syringe, that can move perpendicular or in other non-parallel directions to the direction of movement of the layer forming device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0049] The present invention in some embodiments relates to the process of mold preparation and paste filling as outlined above, and more particularly, but not exclusively, to smoothing the paste during the filling process.

[0050] After a new mold layer is printed, a cylinder or roller is used to press and flatten the mold surface, which is typically waxy, to some degree.

[0051] The paste is then applied to fill the mold and produce the layers of the product or part.

[0052] The paste is now smoothed by a blade passing over the top of the paste and the mold.

[0053] The blade, or squeegee, is calibrated so that the blade and cylinder are at the same height relative to the top surface of the mold.

[0054] The cylinder pressing the wax mold thus defines a plane while moving along the part to be printed. The applicator can also be aligned with the plane to apply the paste at the same level. The plane defined by the blade in the wax mold is also along the same plane. As a result, the individual layers have a global surface defined together for molding and pasting.

[0055] In this way, the applied paste is spread out level with the plane defined by the top of the mould, meaning that the mould is filled completely but not beyond the top of the mould.

[0056] Advantages may include eliminating the need to trim off excess paste.

[0057] There is a relative movement between the part to be manufactured and the roller. Therefore, applying the roller, applicator and blade separately cannot guarantee a smoothed flat surface by itself. By using this embodiment, the relative movement between the layer forming device and the part does not affect the relative position between the blade and the roller. Using the layer forming device according to this embodiment, the layer printing process is quick and the paste is spread immediately after it is applied from the paste device.

[0058] Before describing at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components and / or methods set forth in the following description and / or illustrated in the drawings and / or examples, as the invention is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways.

[0059] Now referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a layer forming apparatus with a mounting 10 for a 3D printing apparatus for printing a part or molded article in layers. As explained, each layer is formed by printing mold walls that define a closed mold space. Then, an application unit is used to fill the closed space with paste to form the layer. The 3D printing apparatus includes a nozzle that provides the resin material, typically an inkjet nozzle, which can run the 3D printing apparatus to form the various mold walls for each layer using resin or any other suitable mold material.

[0060] A roller 12 may be used to smooth the mould wall from above after printing, the idea being to make the mould layer surface lie in a well-defined plane.

[0061] The paste is applied via a slot die 49 or any other applicator described in more detail below, and the blade 14 is used to spread the paste to fill the mold space. The blade 14 is aligned in accordance with this embodiment in the same well-defined plane of the upper mold wall surface to smooth the paste and form a layer surface that is aligned in plane with the upper mold wall surface. Thus, the paste may be confined within the mold wall and below a top surface that is continuous with the layer surface of the mold. The applicator may also be generally mounted with a roller and blade as shown.

[0062] The blade 14 may be provided with an adjustable mount 16 to mount the blade and adjust it as required to be flush with the roller 12. Pin 18 may allow macro adjustment and release of the blade. Fine adjustment pin 44 may allow fine adjustment. Similarly, an adjustable mount 20 may be provided for the roller, again with a macro adjustment pin 22 to allow macro adjustment and release. Fine adjustment pin 40 may allow fine adjustment.

[0063] Further fine adjustment pins 43 and macro adjustment pins 45 actuate an adjustable mount 47 that holds a slot die 49. The slot die 49 distributes the paste into the mould. Although slot dies are known for distributing coatings on surfaces, in this embodiment a slot die is used to fill the mould. A slot die generally consists of two metal pieces that fit together to leave an internal space to hold the material to be dispensed, and a slot through which the material is dispensed from the internal space. The slot size is a parameter that is optimised for the viscosity and flow rate of the material to be dispensed. The distance between the slot die and the mould surface defines the amount of paste dispensed. Thus, the longer the distance, the more material is dispensed and ultimately wasted.

[0064] In this embodiment, the distance is minimized so that less paste has to be wiped off by the blade. Moreover, at a very short distance, the paste cannot flow out of the slot unless the slot is placed over a cavity, so that, for example, the paste is not wasted on the mold wall. Thus, according to this embodiment, the distance between the slot and the mold surface can be kept less than 30 microns, or less than 10 microns, or even less than 5 microns.

[0065] The fixture 10 can hold both the blade 14 and roller 12 as well as a pasting feature such as a slot die 49, which eliminates relative movement between the blade and roller once adjusted and allows both the blade and roller to be held in the same plane. Thus, both the blade and roller can be fine-tuned on the fixture. Alternatively, only one of the blade or roller can be fine-tuned while the other is fixed as a reference. Note that all three features are preferably placed together in a frame or cage, such as frame 50, which moves relative to the part being printed and all three are aligned.

[0066] In an embodiment, the mount is adjustable so that the height of the roller above the layer and the height of the blade above the layer are varied together.

[0067] This fixture, by mounting the roller, blade and applicator together, is able to perform all three tasks: smoothing the mold after printing, applying paste to the mold, and spreading and smoothing the paste inside the mold, all in a single pass over the layer being formed.

[0068] The pastes may include metal or ceramic powders in a carrier to provide a method for producing parts or articles made of metal or ceramic using additive manufacturing techniques.

[0069] Reference is now made to FIG. 2, which is a simplified flow chart illustrating the use of the apparatus of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0070] A layered manufacturing method for a molded article is provided in which multiple layers are applied one after the other. In some embodiments, other operations can be inserted between the printing of layers.

[0071] Initially, the machine is set up by aligning the blade to the roller and slot die so that the underside of the blade and the roller and axis of motion define a common plane (30). In the case of a point dispenser, the alignment may be less precise, or the point dispenser may be aligned higher to provide more material, etc. That is, the roller is aligned to smooth the surface in a particular plane, and the underside of the blade is aligned to smooth the paste in that same plane. Alignment may be performed initially and checked at regular intervals. Depending on how the machine holds the alignment, realignment may need to be performed more or less frequently, and the frequency may vary depending on the material used for the mold and / or paste.

[0072] A print head having at least one printing nozzle is then used to print 32 the mold walls. The nozzle may be an inkjet nozzle. The mold walls may be a closed shape that defines an interior space to be filled with paste.

[0073] The top surface of the mold wall typically requires smoothing as is common in additive manufacturing. Smoothing of the mold wall is performed from above with a roller (34), so that the top surface of the mold is then in the alignment plane.

[0074] The paste is distributed using a slot die (35), then a blade is used to spread the paste into the fill space, into the closed area of ​​the mould wall (36). Due to pre-alignment, the lower surface of the blade is aligned with the smooth surface of the mould wall which follows the roller. The blade thus ensures that the upper surface of the paste is in the alignment plane and is continuous with the upper surface of the mould.

[0075] The top surface of the aligned layer is then available as the mold wall and a base for the next layer of paste.

[0076] Pre-aligning the blade may include adjusting the blade to the same height and orientation as the roller, and the blade and roller may be placed in a common mount, allowing fine adjustments to the orientation or height of the blade or roller to achieve alignment.

[0077] This method may therefore allow a layer to be completed in a single pass, which can perform all the tasks of smoothing the mold walls after printing, filling and spreading the paste inside the mold cavity, and smoothing the paste.

[0078] Reference is now made to FIG. 3, which is a cross-section of the mounting portion 10 of the printing device of FIG.

[0079] A roller 12 can be used to smooth the mold wall from above after printing, the idea being to make the layer surface of the mold lie in a well-defined plane.

[0080] The blade 14 is used to spread the paste dispensed from the slot die to fill the mold space. The blade 14 is aligned according to this embodiment in the same well-defined plane of the mold wall top surface, which is aligned in a plane with the mold wall top surface, so as to smooth the paste to form a layer surface. Thus, the paste may be confined within the mold wall and below a top surface that is continuous with the layer surface of the mold.

[0081] The adjustable mount 16 has a fine adjustment pin 40 and a resilient mount 42 which is adjusted to provide fine adjustment of the blade 14 by means of the pin 40 to adjust the blade as needed to achieve the same height and orientation as the roller 12. Similarly, an adjustment mount 20 may be provided for the roller, again with a fine adjustment pin 44 provided to allow fine adjustment on the spring mount 46. Similarly, an adjustment mount 49 may be provided for the slot die, with fine adjustments being made using adjustment pins 43 and 45.

[0082] Reference is now made to Figure 4, which is a top view of the embodiment. The mount 10 consists of a frame 50 and first, second and third cross supports 52, 54, 56. The first support 52 holds the roller and the third support 56 holds the blade. Fine adjustment pins 40 and 44 are located at either end of the supports. The mount slides over a table 58 on which printing takes place.

[0083] Reference is now made to FIG. 5, which is a 3D perspective cross-sectional view of the printing apparatus of FIG. 1. The frame 50 is not visible, but as in FIG. 4, the mounting 10 consists of first, second and third cross supports 52, 54, 56. The first support 52 holds the roller and the third support 56 holds the blade. Fine adjustment pins 40 and 44 are located at either end of the supports. The mounting or layer former 10 moves relative to a table 58 on which the printing takes place. The table 58 is fixed on a lock rail 60 on a base 62 held by a stand 64. In general, any embodiment in which the mounting 10 moves relative to the part to be printed can be used, the structure of FIG. 5, in which the table slides under the mounting, is merely exemplary. The layer former moves relative to the table in such a way that the roller fits the mold before the blade arrives. Pillars 63 allow the table 58 to be lowered to print successive layers.

[0084] Reference is now made to Figures 6 and 7, which show a modification of the mount 10 of Figure 1 for a smaller machine. Parts identical to those in the previous figures are given the same reference numbers and will not be described again unless necessary for an understanding of this embodiment. Figure 6 is a view from above and Figure 7 is a 3D perspective view. In the modification, the blades and rollers are narrower than in the mount and are held inside a frame. The mount or layer forming device 10 moves in the direction of arrow 59 during the layer forming process.

[0085] Reference is now made to Figure 8, which is a simplified schematic diagram showing a side view of the fixture 10 of Figure 1 with the slot die 49 lowered to inject paste material into the mold. In Figure 8, parts that are the same as in previous figures are numbered the same and will not be described again except as necessary for an understanding of the present embodiment. Lowering the slot die to the level of the mold can help ensure that the paste does not extrude onto the mold itself, as there is no space below the slot.

[0086] Reference is now made to Figure 9, which is a simplified schematic showing the mounting of Figure 8 in a perspective view from above. Parts that are the same as in the previous figures are numbered the same and will not be described again unless necessary for an understanding of this embodiment. On the print table 58 are two molded shapes 90 to be filled with paste. The layer former moves back and forth, making one pass over the table to form each layer and fill each shape with paste. The working pass is in the direction where the roller is at the front end. The return movement puts the blade at the front end.

[0087] Reference is now made to Figures 10, 11 and 12, which are perspective, side and top views of a variation of the fixture of Figure 1. Parts that are the same as in the previous figures are numbered the same and will not be described again, except as necessary for an understanding of this embodiment. In the fixture 100, instead of a slot die extending across the width of the fixture, one or more single-point dispensing parts, such as syringes 92, provide the paste. The single-point dispensing parts 92 are centrally mounted and can be finely adjusted. In use, the single-point dispensing parts 92 move from end to end, as indicated by arrow 96, in a direction that is typically perpendicular to the machine direction, or at any other suitable angle, to dispense paste as required in a controllable manner. Such movement of the dispensing parts is referred to herein as end-to-end movement. Thus, a suitable diagonal angle combined with forward movement of the carriage at a given speed can produce a vertical line of paste dispensing. Alternatively, end-to-end movement can be performed when the fixture is stationary, which then moves forward between the rows. Alternatively, both the attachment and the syringe or other single point dispensing part are moved simultaneously to impart a general spiral shape of the paste, which is then smoothed using a blade.

[0088] Examples of single point dispensing units include common syringes, peristaltic pumps, pneumatic syringes, any type of manual and powered syringe or syringe dispensing unit, servo controlled auger pumps such as the Preeflow® dispensing unit offered by Viscotec, and micro dispensing units. The various dispensing units can be controlled in various ways, such as via pressure.

[0089] It is anticipated that many related pastes and printheads will be developed during the life of the patent which matures from this application, and the scope of the corresponding terms is intended to include a priori all such new technologies.

[0090] The terms "comprise," "comprising," "including," "including," "having," and combinations thereof mean "including but not limited to."

[0091] The term "consisting of" means "including but limited to."

[0092] As used herein, the singular forms include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0093] It is understood that certain features of the invention, which are described for clarity in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment, and this description should be construed as if such embodiments were explicitly described herein. Conversely, various features of the invention that are described for brevity in the context of a single embodiment may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination, or as suitable modifications to any other described embodiment of the invention, and this description should be construed as if such separate, subcombination, and modified embodiments were explicitly described herein. Certain features described in the context of various embodiments should not be considered essential features of those embodiments, unless the embodiment is inoperable without those elements.

[0094] While the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.

[0095] All publications, patents, and patent applications mentioned in this specification are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety as if each individual publication, patent, or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated herein by reference. Furthermore, citation or identification of any reference in this application should not be construed as an admission that such reference is available as prior art to the present invention. To the extent that section headings are used, they should not be construed as necessarily limiting. Furthermore, any priority documents of this application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Claims

1. 1. A layer formation device for preparing layers to be formed in additive manufacturing, each of which is formed by printing a mould wall to define a mould space and filling the mould space with a paste, comprising: A roller configured to roll the mold wall to form a molded layer surface in a plane; a blade configured to spread the paste to fill the mold space; an adjustable mount for the blade, whereby the blade is adjusted to the same height and orientation as the roller; Equipped with the blade is aligned within the plane to smooth the paste within the plane; The paste is thereby confined by a top surface that is continuous with the molding layer surface; the layer forming device is further configured to perform the tasks of smoothing the mold walls after printing, filling and spreading the paste in the mold space, and smoothing the paste in one traverse over the layer to be formed, Layer forming device.

2. A mounting portion is provided. the blade and the roller are mounted together on the mounting portion; The layer forming apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. The mounting portion includes a fine adjustment portion. The layer forming apparatus according to claim 2 .

4. The blade is micro-adjustable on the mounting portion. The layer forming apparatus according to claim 3 .

5. The roller is finely adjustable on the mounting portion. The layer forming apparatus according to claim 3 or 4.

6. The height of the roller over the layer and the height of the blade over the layer are both configured to vary. The layer forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. Further comprising an application unit for distributing the paste. The layer forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The coating section includes a slot die extending widthwise above the layer forming device. The layer forming apparatus according to claim 7.

9. The slot die is positioned on an adjustable mount. The layer forming apparatus according to claim 8.

10. The application part is finely adjustable. The layer forming apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 9.

11. The application part is disposed within a range of several tens of microns of the plane. The layer forming apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 9.

12. the application portion is located at a distance from the plane that is one of the group consisting of 30 microns, less than 30 microns, less than 25 microns, less than 20 microns, less than 15 microns, less than 10 microns, less than 5 microns, and 1 micron; The layer forming apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 9.

13. The application part is a dispensing part and is movable from end to end; The layer forming apparatus according to claim 7.

14. The paste comprises a metal or ceramic powder in a carrier. The layer forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. A method of manufacture relating to layers of a molded article, comprising the steps of: printing a mold wall defining a fill space; smoothing the mold wall from above with a roller to define a flat surface for an upper surface of the mold wall; spreading the paste into the fill space with a blade such that a lower surface of the blade defines an upper surface of the paste; having The method includes the steps of pre-aligning the blade with the roller and the plane, whereby the blade confines the top surface of the paste within the plane; performing one traverse on a layer to be produced to carry out the tasks of smoothing the mold walls after printing, filling and spreading the paste in the filling spaces, and smoothing the paste, Method of manufacture relating to layers.

16. using the upper layer surface as a base for a mold wall of a subsequent layer; A method of manufacture involving the layer of claim 15.

17. adjusting said blade to the same height and orientation as said roller; A method of manufacture relating to a layer according to claim 15 or claim 16.

18. using said blade and said roller on a common mount; A method of manufacture relating to a layer according to any one of claims 15 to 17.

19. dispensing the paste from an applicator onto the common mounting portion; 20. A method of manufacture involving the layer of claim 18.

20. The coating section is a slot die extending along the printing width.

20. A method of manufacture relating to the layer of claim 19.

21. The application part is a syringe-type dispensing part, The method includes moving the syringe-type dispenser along a print width in a direction perpendicular to the movement of the common mount; 20. A method of manufacture relating to the layer of claim 19.

22. fine-tuning the orientation or height of the blade, the roller or the applicator; 20. A method of manufacture relating to the layer of claim 19.

23. Dispensing the paste from the application portion at a height between 1 micron and tens of microns above the plane. A method of manufacture relating to a layer according to any one of claims 19 to 22.

24. The paste comprises a metal or ceramic powder in a carrier. A method of manufacture relating to a layer according to any one of claims 15 to 23.

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