Preventing Resin Contamination in 3D Printing Techniques

3D printer to print implantable bone scaffolds in an aseptic environment. The printer uses a sterile cartridge of biodegradable printing material. A movable sterile receiving plate catches the printed scaffold. A cover with UV light maintains the aseptic environment inside. The cover has a filter and positive airflow to keep out contaminants. The printer also has a heater to melt the printing material for extrusion. The sterile cartridge and receiving plate can be replaced for each print to ensure sterility.

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Antimicrobial 3D-printed material for preparing surfaces with enhanced antimicrobial properties to limit skin contact contamination. The material is made by mixing an antimicrobial agent with a 3D printing resin and then printing it using digital light processing without the need for nanotubes or complex nanotechnology. The antimicrobial agent can be a positively charged chemical like PHMB or CPC. The resulting 3D-printed objects have an intrinsic long-lasting antimicrobial activity to reduce bacterial/viral contamination on high-touch surfaces.

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A filament feed system for 3D printers to enable sealed filament pathways to prevent moisture absorption. The system uses detachable filament supplies with connector keys that plug into printer receptacles. The keys have different shapes to fit specific receptacles. They also have guide tubes to enclose the filament path from the supply to the printer. The keys seal the receptacles to prevent air/moisture ingress.

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Printing 3D objects with a smoother surface and better mechanical properties by avoiding cracks and roughness caused by mixing a support material with the main printing material. The method generates a 3D digital model separating the body and support regions into adjacent slices. This allows printing the body material layers first, hardening them, and then printing the support material layers on separate scans. This prevents mixing and interface issues between the two materials.

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Three-dimensional printing with enhanced resolutions and cleaning capabilities. The 3D printing system uses a projector to project the appropriate energy onto forming materials in a reservoir tank to create a solid object. The projector can be customized to emit the required energy (e.g., UV light) for specific materials like resins, ceramics, metals, biologies, etc. The printer also has a cleaning method that coagulates debris in the tank using the projector and a removable bottom surface geometry.

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A multi-stage wash system to clean 3D printed objects made using vat polymerization (VP) 3D printing, such as SLA and DLP. The system removes uncured resin from the printed objects by pumping a wash solvent through multiple wash stages for efficient cleaning. It uses an automatic stirring device to agitate the solvent and a drying system to remove residual solvent. The system also monitors resin concentration in the wash solvent to determine replacement.

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Three-dimensional shaping apparatus and method for 3D printing that allows cleaning the nozzle during printing to prevent material leaks. It has a cleaning mechanism separate from the print area that can be activated mid-print to clean the nozzle. The cleaning process is triggered when pressure in the nozzle exceeds a threshold. The nozzle moves to the cleaning area, is cleaned, and then returns to printing once pressure is normal. This prevents material leaks during printing that can mar the object being printed.

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Container arrangement of an unpacking device for a manufacturing device for additive manufacturing of a three-dimensional component by selectively solidifying pulverulent construction material (construction material powder). The container arrangement includes a construction container for the manufacturing device, a funnel-shaped collecting container, and an opening device arranged between the construction container and the collecting container.

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Detecting contamination and failure modes in additive fabrication devices like 3D printers. The device uses light sensors to measure the intensity of light reflected or scattered from contamination on the optical window. By analyzing the light sensor data, the device can identify contamination and failure modes.

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Additive manufacturing cartridges and processes for producing cured polymeric products by additive manufacturing. The cartridges contain an actinic radiation-curable polymeric mixture that can be used to produce cured polymeric products. The mixture includes a polyfunctionalized diene monomer-containing polymer, a chain extender, and a photosensitizer. The cartridges have an oxygen-impermeable layer surrounding the mixture to prevent oxygen from reacting with the mixture and causing it to degrade.

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3D printing that allows for more efficient and automated 3D object creation. The method involves using a separate build module that can be disengaged from the processing chamber. The build module has its own atmosphere and can be loaded with a 3D object. The 3D object is then printed using the build module's controller. This allows for more efficient printing of multiple objects without having to disengage the build module from the processing chamber.

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Sterilizing 3D printed medical devices using UV light. The 3D printer has UV light sources that can be stationary or movable. The UV light can be directed at the powder being processed or at surfaces or components of the printer. The UV light can be pulsed or continuous and can be used to kill or damage microorganisms. The UV light can be used to sterilize the powder during the printing process.

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