CPC B29C 64/35 (2017.08) [B29C 64/165 (2017.08); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); B33Y 40/20 (2020.01)] | 8 Claims |
1. A method of removing residual ink in a composite-based additive manufacturing (CBAM) process comprising:
printing a set of substrate sheets with ink and powdering the set so that powder adheres to the printed regions;
stacking the set of substrate sheets into an uncompressed build block;
heating the uncompressed build block to an evaporating temperature for the ink that is below a melting or fusing temperature of the powder;
holding the uncompressed build block at the evaporating temperature until the residual ink has evaporated;
compressing and heating the uncompressed build block at a temperature that is at or above the melting point of the powder to result in a compressed build block; and
removing substrate material from the compressed build block that is not combined with melted powder.
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