Patent Description:
<CIT> describes a permeable shaping tool, a method of shaping and of handling an article. <CIT> describes a suction molding tool for the production of fiber molded parts and a method for its production. <CIT> describes a tool or tool part, a system including such a tool or tool part, a method of producing such a tool or tool part and a method of molding a product from a pulp slurry. <CIT> describes a porous molding tool formed by lamination molding and a method of molding the molding tool. <CIT> describes a liquid-permeable suction mould for use in the manufacture of articles of pulp, and a method for making such a mould. <CIT> describes a pick-up press device and method of producing a 3D-molded product from a pulp slurry.

Disclosed herein are computer-readable media that include instructions that cause a processor to determine placements of a plurality of pores in the digital model of a transfer screen, in which the transfer screen is to be mounted on a transfer mold via an attachment mechanism. The transfer screen is also be to engage a surface of a wet part formed on a corresponding forming screen, in which the forming screen has a first shape and the transfer screen has a second shape that is complementary to the first shape, and wherein the locations of the plurality of pores are determined to allow liquid to be suctioned from the wet part when a vacuum pressure is applied to the transfer mold. The processor also modifies the digital model of the transfer screen to include the plurality of pores at the determined placements.

Also disclosed herein are pulp molding tool sets that include a forming mold and a forming screen that is to be mounted on the forming mold. A liquid from a slurry may be suctioned through pores in the forming screen and pores of the forming mold when a vacuum pressure is applied to the forming mold during formation of a wet part on the forming screen. The pulp molding tool set also includes a transfer mold having a plurality of pores and a transfer screen to be mounted on the transfer mold. The transfer screen includes a plurality of pores, in which at least some of the liquid in the wet part is to be suctioned from the wet part through the pores in the transfer screen and the pores in the transfer mold when a vacuum pressure is applied to the transfer mold to de-water the wet part. In addition, at least the forming screen and the transfer screen are fabricated by a three-dimensional (3D) fabrication system while in other examples, the forming mold and the transfer mold may also be fabricated by the 3D fabrication system.

Further disclosed herein are methods for forming a wet part on a 3D fabricated forming screen and transferring the formed wet part to a 3D fabricated transfer screen. Particularly, for instance, a processor may cause a 3D fabricated forming screen to be immersed into a slurry containing a liquid and material elements and while the 3D fabricated forming screen is immersed in the slurry, cause a vacuum pressure to be applied through the 3D fabricated forming screen to cause some of the material elements to agglomerate into a wet part on the 3D fabricated forming screen. The processor may also cause the 3D fabricated forming screen and the wet part to be moved out of the slurry and cause a 3D fabricated transfer screen to be moved into engagement with the wet part, in which the 3D fabricated forming screen has a first shape and the 3D fabricated transfer screen has a second shape that is complementary to the first shape. The processor may further cause the 3D fabricated transfer screen to be moved away from the 3D fabricated forming screen while vacuum pressure is applied through a plurality of pores in the 3D fabricated transfer screen to cause the wet part to be removed from the 3D fabricated forming screen and become engaged with the 3D fabricated transfer screen. In addition, the processor may cause the vacuum pressure to be continued to be applied through the 3D fabricated transfer screen to remove additional liquid from the wet part.

Still further disclosed herein are transfer screens that may include a body and a plurality of pores extending through the body, in which the body and the plurality of pores are to be fabricated by a 3D fabrication system. In addition, the body is to be mounted on a transfer mold to cause the plurality of pores to be in liquid communication with pores in the transfer mold. A liquid is to be suctioned from a wet part through the plurality of pores when a vacuum pressure is applied to the transfer mold and the body is in contact with the wet part to de-water the wet part following formation of the wet part on a forming screen from a slurry containing a liquid and material elements.

Through implementation of the features of the present disclosure, a transfer screen may be designed and fabricated to be complementary in shape to a forming screen on which a wet part may be formed. The pores in the transfer screen may be deterministically placed to, for instance, cause suction pressure to be substantially evenly be distributed across a contacting surface of the wet part when a vacuum pressure is applied through the transfer screen. In one regard, the substantially even distribution of the suction pressure across the contacting surface of the wet part may enable for greater levels of suction pressure to be applied to the wet part without damaging or reducing damage caused to the wet part. For instance, a sufficient level of suction pressure may be applied onto the wet part to cause some of the liquid to be removed from the wet part.

By removing some of the liquid from the wet part, e.g., de-watering the wet part, when the wet part undergoes drying, the amount of energy and/or the amount of time to dry the wet part may significantly be reduced. In addition, the application of vacuum pressure through the pores of the transfer screen may cause the material elements at the surface of the wet part that is in contact with the transfer screen to have a greater density than the material elements closer to the center of the wet part. As a result, the wet part may resist warpage during drying of the wet part, for instance, in an oven, due to a greater level of symmetrical shrinkage afforded by the denser surface that may match the similarly denser surface caused during forming on the opposite (form) side of the wet part. Additionally, the surface may be relatively smoother than when the wet part is allowed to de-water without the application of pressure onto the surface of the wet part. Moreover, by de-watering the wet part while the wet part is in engaged with the transfer screen instead of waiting for the wet part to be de-watered while engaged with the forming screen, the forming screen may more quickly be used to form a next wet part, which may increase the speeds and throughput at which wet parts may be fabricated.

Through application of the more evenly distributed pressure onto the surface of the wet part via the transfer screen, wet parts having substantially vertical walls may be formed as the suction pressure is applied across the entire or substantial portion of the surface and therefore may enable sufficient force to be applied to remove such a wet part from such a forming mold. Additionally, the increased and/or more evenly distributed pressure may enable details to be imprinted onto the surfaces of the wet parts that are in contact with the transfer screen. That is, the transfer screen may include raised or lowered features on the transfer screen corresponding to the details, such as, embossed logos, embossed textures, embossed text, and/or the like, and the features may be imprinted into the surfaces of the wet parts as the pressure is applied across the surfaces. In some examples, the transfer screen may be removably mountable to a transfer mold such that the transfer screen may readily be mounted onto and removed from the transfer mold. In these examples, multiple transfer screens with different features may easily be swapped out in order to form different details onto the wet parts.

Reference is first made to <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>. <FIG> shows a block diagram of an example computer-readable medium <NUM> that may have stored thereon computer-readable instructions for modifying a digital model <NUM> of a transfer screen <NUM> to include a plurality of pores at determined locations. <FIG> shows a diagram <NUM>, which includes an example processor <NUM> that may execute the computer-readable instructions stored on the example computer-readable medium <NUM> on the digital model <NUM> of the transfer screen <NUM> to generate a modified digital model <NUM>. <FIG>, respectively, depict, cross-sectional side views of an example forming tool <NUM> and an example transfer tool <NUM> and <FIG> shows a cross-sectional side view of the example forming tool <NUM> and the example transfer tool <NUM> during a removal by the example transfer tool <NUM> of the wet part <NUM> from the example forming tool <NUM>. It should be understood that the example computer-readable medium <NUM> depicted in <FIG>, the example processor <NUM> depicted in <FIG>, and/or the example forming tool <NUM> and the example transfer tool <NUM> respectively depicted in <FIG> may include additional attributes and that some of the attributes described herein may be removed and/or modified without departing from the scopes of the example computer-readable medium <NUM>, the example processor <NUM>, and/or the example forming tool <NUM> and the example transfer tool <NUM>.

The computer-readable medium <NUM> may have stored thereon computer-readable instructions <NUM>-<NUM> that a processor, such as the processor <NUM> depicted in <FIG>, may execute. The computer-readable medium <NUM> may be an electronic, magnetic, optical, or other physical storage device that contains or stores executable instructions. The computer-readable medium <NUM> may be, for example, Random Access memory (RAM), an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), a storage device, an optical disc, and the like. Generally speaking, the computer-readable medium <NUM> may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium, in which the term "non-transitory" does not encompass transitory propagating signals.

The processor <NUM> may fetch, decode, and execute the instructions <NUM> to obtain a digital model <NUM> of a transfer screen <NUM> to be fabricated by a three-dimensional (3D) fabrication system <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may also obtain a respective digital model <NUM> of a transfer mold <NUM>, and also obtains respective digital models <NUM>-<NUM> of a forming screen <NUM>, and/or optionally a forming mold <NUM>. Each of the digital models <NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM> may be a 3D computer model of a respective one of the transfer screen <NUM>, the transfer mold <NUM>, the forming screen <NUM>, and/or the forming mold <NUM>, such as a computer aided design (CAD) file, or other digital representation of these components. In addition, the processor <NUM> may obtain (or equivalently, access, receive, or the like) the digital models <NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM> from a data store (not shown) or some other suitable source. In some examples, the digital models <NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM> may be generated using a CAD program or another suitable design program.

According to examples, and as discussed in greater detail herein, the forming tool <NUM> and the transfer tool <NUM> may be employed in the fabrication of a wet part <NUM> from a slurry <NUM> of a liquid and material elements. In some examples, the liquid may be water or another type of suitable liquid in which pulp material, e.g., paper, wood, fiber crops, bamboo, or the like, may be mixed into the slurry <NUM>. The material elements may be, for instance, fibers of the pulp material.

The processor <NUM> may fetch, decode, and execute the instructions <NUM> to determine placements of a plurality of pores <NUM> in the digital model <NUM> of the transfer screen <NUM>, in which the plurality of pores <NUM> are to be formed in a body of the transfer screen <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the transfer screen <NUM> may be mounted on a transfer mold <NUM>, which may include a plurality of pores <NUM>, via an attachment mechanism (not shown). The attachment mechanism may be any suitable type mechanical structure that may enable the transfer screen <NUM> to removably be mounted to the transfer mold <NUM>. The transfer screen <NUM> may also engage a surface of a wet part <NUM> formed on a corresponding forming screen <NUM> during transfer of the wet part <NUM> from the forming screen <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the forming screen <NUM> has a first shape and the transfer screen <NUM> has a second shape that is complementary to the first shape. As a result, multiple sides of the transfer screen <NUM> may contact multiple sides of the wet part <NUM> formed on the forming screen <NUM>.

The pores <NUM> in the transfer screen <NUM> may have properties, e.g., sizes and/or shapes, such that pressure may be applied onto the wet part <NUM> as described herein when a vacuum pressure is applied through the pores <NUM>. The pores <NUM> are positioned and may have certain properties to cause pressure to be evenly applied across multiple surfaces of the wet part <NUM>. As other examples, the pores <NUM> may be positioned and may have certain properties to enable sufficient pressure to be applied across the multiple surfaces of the wet part <NUM> to suction liquid from the wet part <NUM> without, for instance, damaging the wet part <NUM>. In one regard, through application of substantially even pressure across multiple surfaces of the wet part <NUM>, the transfer screen <NUM> may be employed to remove a wet part <NUM> having a substantially vertical surface. In this regard, at least one of the multiple surfaces of the transfer screen <NUM> may extend substantially vertically (e.g., have a substantially zero draft) when removing the wet part <NUM> from the forming screen <NUM>.

The processor <NUM> determines the locations at which the pores <NUM> are to be positioned in the transfer screen <NUM> to allow liquid to be suctioned from the wet part <NUM> when the transfer screen <NUM> is mounted to the transfer mold <NUM> and a vacuum pressure is applied to the transfer mold <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may determine the pore <NUM> locations that may cause, for instance, the even application across a surface of the transfer screen <NUM> through testing of previously fabricated transfer screens <NUM> and transfer molds <NUM>, through modeling of transfer screens <NUM> having various properties, and/or the like. In addition, the processor <NUM> may employ packing operations to determine the locations at which the pores <NUM> are to be placed in the transfer screen <NUM>. By way of example, the processor <NUM> may implement a packing algorithm that may cause a maximum number of pores <NUM> to be added to the transfer screen <NUM> while causing the transfer screen <NUM> to have a certain level of mechanical strength, e.g., to prevent weak points. In this example, the algorithm may be a sphere or ellipsoid packing algorithm or other suitable algorithm for determining placements of the pores <NUM>.

According to examples, the processor <NUM> may determine the locations of the pores <NUM> based on the properties (e.g., shapes and/or sizes) and/or locations of pores <NUM> in the forming mold <NUM>. In these examples, the processor <NUM> may obtain a digital model <NUM> of the transfer mold <NUM>, in which the transfer mold digital model <NUM> may include a plurality of pores <NUM> or a plurality of pores <NUM> are to be added algorithmically to the transfer mold digital model <NUM>. In addition, the processor <NUM> may determine the placements of the plurality of pores <NUM> in the transfer screen <NUM> with respect to liquid flow characteristics predicted to occur through the plurality of pores <NUM> in the transfer mold <NUM>. That is, based on how liquid is predicted or modeled to flow through the pores <NUM> in the transfer mold <NUM>, the pores <NUM> may be deterministically placed to cause the flow through the pores <NUM> to be substantially even across the transfer screen <NUM>. This may include, for instance, placing some pores <NUM> at higher density levels at some locations of the transfer screen <NUM> while some locations of the transfer screen <NUM> may include no pores <NUM>.

In addition, and as shown in <FIG>, a plurality of structural features, such as pillars <NUM>, may be provided between the surfaces of the transfer mold <NUM> and the transfer screen <NUM> that are respectively adjacent and face each other to enable liquid to flow laterally between the transfer mold <NUM> and the transfer screen <NUM>. As some of the pores <NUM> in the transfer screen <NUM> do not directly align with the pores <NUM> in the transfer mold <NUM>, the channels <NUM> formed by the structural features <NUM> may enable liquid to flow through those pores <NUM> in addition to the pores <NUM> that are directly aligned with respective pores <NUM> in the transfer mold <NUM>. The channels <NUM> may thus enable pressure to be applied through a larger number of the pores <NUM> and thus cause liquid to flow through the larger number of the pores <NUM> while enabling the space between the transfer screen <NUM> and the transfer mold <NUM> to be relatively small, e.g., minimized. The structural features <NUM> may be formed on the transfer screen <NUM> and/or the transfer mold <NUM>.

In examples in which the structural features <NUM> are provided between the transfer screen <NUM> and the transfer mold <NUM> to form the channels <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may determine the locations of the pores <NUM> also based on the predicted flow of liquid in the channels <NUM>.

The processor <NUM> may fetch, decode, and execute the instructions <NUM> to modify the digital model <NUM> of the transfer screen <NUM> to include the pores <NUM> at the determined placements to generate a modified transfer screen digital model <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may also send the modified transfer screen digital model <NUM> to the 3D fabrication system <NUM>, in which the 3D fabrication system <NUM> is to fabricate the transfer screen <NUM> with the plurality of pores <NUM> at the determined placements. Particularly, the processor <NUM> may send the modified transfer screen digital model <NUM> to a controller or processor of the 3D fabrication system <NUM>, which may process or otherwise use the modified transfer screen digital model <NUM> to fabricate the transfer screen <NUM>. In other examples, the processor <NUM> may be the controller or processor of the 3D fabrication system <NUM>.

In some examples, the processor <NUM> may be part of an apparatus <NUM>, which may be a computing system such as a server, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a desktop computer, or the like. The processor <NUM> may 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 device. The apparatus <NUM> may also include a memory that may have stored thereon computer-readable instructions (which may also be termed computer-readable instructions) that the processor <NUM> may execute. The memory may be an electronic, magnetic, optical, or other physical storage device that contains or stores executable instructions. The memory may be, for example, Random Access memory (RAM), an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), a storage device, an optical disc, and the like. The memory, which may also be referred to as a computer-readable storage medium, may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, where the term "non-transitory" does not encompass transitory propagating signals.

The 3D fabrication system <NUM> may be any suitable type of additive manufacturing system. Examples of suitable additive manufacturing systems may include systems that may employ curable binder jetting onto build materials (e.g., thermally or UV curable binders), ink jetting onto build materials, selective laser sintering, stereolithography, fused deposition modeling, etc. In a particular example, the 3D fabrication system <NUM> may form the transfer screen <NUM> by binding and/or fusing build material particles together. In any of these examples, the build material particles may be any suitable type of material that may be employed in 3D fabrication processes, such as, a metal, a plastic, a nylon, a ceramic, an alloy, and/or the like. Generally speaking, higher functionality/performance transfer screens <NUM> may be those with the smallest pore size to block fibers of smaller sizes, and hence some 3D fabrication system technologies may be more suited for generating the transfer screens <NUM> than others.

According to examples, the processor <NUM> may modify the transfer screen digital model <NUM> to add features to the transfer screen digital model <NUM> to impart a detail into the wet part <NUM> during suctioning of the liquid from the wet part <NUM>. The features may be sections (e.g., protrusions) that may be raised above a nominal surface of the transfer screen digital model <NUM>, sections (e.g., indentations) that may be below the nominal surface of the transfer screen digital model <NUM>, and/or a combination thereof. In addition, the pores <NUM> may extend through some or all of those sections. The detail may include a 3D logo, 3D text, a predefined 3D texture, a predefined 3D pattern, a combination thereof, and/or the like. In these examples, the processor <NUM> may send the modified transfer screen digital model <NUM> including the features to impart the detail into the wet part <NUM> to the 3D fabrication system <NUM>.

The processor <NUM> also obtains a digital model <NUM> of a forming screen <NUM> to be fabricated by the 3D fabrication system <NUM>. The forming screen digital model <NUM> may include a plurality of pores <NUM> or a plurality of pores <NUM> are to be added algorithmically to the forming screen digital model <NUM>. In these examples, the forming screen <NUM> may be mounted on a forming mold <NUM> via an attachment device (not shown). The attachment device may be any suitable type of mechanical structure that may enable the forming screen <NUM> to removably be mounted to the transfer mold <NUM>. In addition, the wet part <NUM> may be formed on the forming screen <NUM> from a slurry <NUM> through application of a vacuum pressure through the forming mold <NUM> as discussed in greater detail herein. Moreover, the transfer screen <NUM> is to engage the wet part <NUM> during removal of the wet part <NUM> from the forming screen <NUM> as also discussed in greater detail herein.

Reference is now made to <FIG>. <FIG> shows a cross-sectional side view of a forming tool <NUM>, in which a portion of the forming tool <NUM> has been depicted as being placed within a volume of the slurry <NUM>. <FIG> shows a cross-sectional side view of the transfer tool <NUM> that may remove the wet part <NUM> from the forming screen <NUM>. <FIG> shows a cross-sectional side view of the forming tool <NUM> and the transfer tool <NUM> during a removal by the transfer tool <NUM> of the wet part <NUM> from the forming tool <NUM>. The forming tool <NUM> and the transfer tool <NUM> may collectively form a pulp molding tool set.

As shown in <FIG>, the forming tool <NUM> may include a forming mold <NUM> and a forming screen <NUM>, in which the forming screen <NUM> may overlay the forming mold <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the transfer tool <NUM> may include a transfer mold <NUM> and a transfer screen <NUM>. In some examples, the forming screen <NUM> and the transfer screen <NUM> may be fabricated by a 3D fabrication system <NUM>. The forming mold <NUM> and the transfer screen <NUM> may also be fabricated by the 3D fabrication system <NUM>.

In some examples, the forming mold <NUM> and/or the transfer mold <NUM> may be removably mounted onto respective supporting structures (not shown) such that, for instance, the forming mold <NUM> may be moved independently from the transfer mold <NUM>. Moreover, the forming mold <NUM> and the forming screen <NUM> may be fabricated to have shapes to which the wet part <NUM> may be molded when formed on the forming screen <NUM>. Likewise, the transfer mold <NUM> and the transfer screen <NUM> may be fabricated to have shapes that may engage multiple surfaces of the wet part <NUM> formed on the forming screen <NUM>. The transfer screen <NUM> may have a shape that is complementary to the shape of the forming screen <NUM>.

As shown, the forming mold <NUM> may be formed to have a relatively larger thickness than the forming screen <NUM> and the transfer mold <NUM> may be formed to have a relatively larger thickness than the transfer screen <NUM>. In some examples, the transfer screen <NUM> and the forming screen <NUM> may have the same or similar thicknesses and/or the transfer mold <NUM> and the forming mold <NUM> may have the same or similar thicknesses. The larger thicknesses of the forming mold <NUM> and the transfer mold <NUM> may cause the forming mold <NUM> and the transfer mold <NUM> to be substantially more rigid than the forming screen <NUM> and the transfer screen <NUM>. The forming mold <NUM> may provide structural support for the forming screen <NUM> and the transfer mold <NUM> may provide structural support for the transfer screen <NUM>.

In some examples, different versions of the forming screen <NUM> may be mounted to the forming mold <NUM> to form wet parts <NUM> having different details. For instance, a first forming screen <NUM> may include a first feature that may be imprinted onto the wet part <NUM> as a first detail and a second forming screen <NUM> may include a second feature that may be imprinted onto the wet part <NUM> as a second detail, in which the first feature and the second feature may be logos, intended textures, text, designs, and/or the like. In this regard, different details may be added to the wet part <NUM> through the use of different forming screens <NUM>, while using the same forming mold <NUM>, which may simplify the formation of wet parts <NUM> having various details.

Likewise, different versions of the transfer screen <NUM> may be mounted to the transfer mold <NUM> to imprint different details onto a surface (or multiple surfaces) of the wet parts <NUM>. For instance, a first transfer screen <NUM> may include a first feature that may be imprinted onto the wet part <NUM> as a first detail and a second forming screen <NUM> may include a second feature that may be imprinted onto the wet part <NUM> as a second detail. The first detail and the second detail may also include logos, intended textures, predefined patterns, text, designs, and/or the like. In this regard, different details may be added to the wet part <NUM> through the use of different transfer screens <NUM>, while using the same transfer mold <NUM>, which may also simplify the formation of wet parts <NUM> having various details. In some examples, the features on the transfer screen <NUM> may be complementary versions of features on the forming screen <NUM> such that, for instance, a common detail may be formed on both opposite surfaces on the wet part <NUM>.

The forming mold <NUM> and/or the forming screen <NUM> may include an attachment mechanism (or attachment device) for the forming screen <NUM> to be mounted to the forming mold <NUM>. Likewise, the transfer mold <NUM> and/or the transfer screen <NUM> may include an attachment mechanism (or attachment device) for the transfer screen <NUM> to be mounted to the transfer mold <NUM>. In either case, the mechanism may include mechanical fasteners, detents, and/or the like to enable the forming screen <NUM> to be removably mounted onto the forming mold <NUM> and/or the transfer screen <NUM> to be removably mounted onto the transfer mold <NUM>. The mechanism that mounts the forming screen <NUM> to the forming mold <NUM> and/or that mounts the transfer screen <NUM> to the transfer mold <NUM> may be a quick release mechanism to enable the forming screen <NUM> and/or the transfer screen <NUM> to easily be released from the respective forming mold <NUM> and transfer mold <NUM>. This may facilitate replacement of the forming screen <NUM> and/or the transfer screen <NUM> for maintenance purposes and/or for screens <NUM>, <NUM> having different features to be employed in the formation of wet parts <NUM>.

As also shown in <FIG>, each of the forming mold <NUM>, the forming screen <NUM>, the transfer mold <NUM>, and the transfer screen <NUM> may include respective pores <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> that may extend completely through respective top and bottom surfaces of the forming mold <NUM>, the forming screen <NUM>, the transfer mold <NUM>, and the transfer screen <NUM>. The pores <NUM>, <NUM> respectively in the forming screen <NUM> and the transfer screen may be significantly smaller than the pores <NUM>, <NUM> respectively in the forming mold <NUM> and the transfer mold <NUM>. In addition, a plurality of structural features, such as pillars <NUM> (shown in <FIG>) may be provided between the surfaces of the forming mold <NUM> and the forming screen <NUM> and between the transfer mold <NUM> and the transfer screen <NUM> that are respectively adjacent and face each other to enable liquid to flow laterally between the forming mold <NUM> and the forming screen <NUM> and between the transfer mold <NUM> and the transfer screen <NUM>. As some of the pores <NUM> in the forming screen <NUM> may not directly align with the pores <NUM> in the forming mold <NUM> and some of the pores <NUM> in the transfer screen <NUM> may not directly align with the pores <NUM> in the transfer mold <NUM>, the channels <NUM> formed by the structural features may enable liquid to flow through those pores <NUM>, <NUM> in addition to the pores <NUM>, <NUM> that are directly aligned with respective the pores <NUM>, <NUM>.

Although not shown, the forming tool <NUM> may be in communication with a plenum to which a vacuum source may be connected such that the vacuum source may apply a vacuum pressure through the pores <NUM>, <NUM> in the forming mold <NUM> and the forming screen <NUM>. When the vacuum pressure is applied through the pores <NUM>, <NUM>, some of the liquid in the slurry <NUM> may be suctioned through the pores <NUM>, <NUM> and may flow into the plenum as denoted by the arrows <NUM>. As the liquid flows through the pores <NUM>, <NUM>, the forming screen <NUM> may prevent the material elements in the slurry <NUM> from flowing through the pores <NUM>. That is, the pores <NUM> may have sufficiently small dimensions, e.g., diameters or widths, that may enable the liquid to flow through the pores <NUM> while blocking the material elements from flowing through the pores <NUM>. In one regard, the diameters or widths of the pores <NUM> may be sized based on sizes of the material elements, e.g., fibers, in the slurry <NUM>. By way of particular example, the pores <NUM> may have diameters of around <NUM>. The pores <NUM> in the transfer screen <NUM> may also have similar diameters. However, in some instances, the pores <NUM> (as well as the pores <NUM>) may have irregular shapes as may occur during 3D fabrication processes.

Over a period of time, which may be a relatively short period of time, e.g., about a few seconds, less than about a minute, less than about five minutes, or the like, the material elements may build up on the forming screen <NUM>. Particularly, the material elements in the slurry <NUM> may be accumulated and compressed onto the forming screen <NUM> into the wet part <NUM>. The wet part <NUM> may take the shape of the forming screen <NUM>. In addition, the thickness and density of the wet part <NUM> may be affected by the types and/or sizes of the material elements in the slurry <NUM>, the length of time that the vacuum pressure is applied while the forming mold <NUM> and the forming screen <NUM> are placed within the volume of the slurry <NUM>, etc. That is, for instance, the longer that the vacuum pressure is applied while the forming mold <NUM> and the forming screen <NUM> are partially immersed in the slurry <NUM>, the wet part <NUM> may be formed to have a greater thickness.

After a predefined period of time, e.g., after the wet part <NUM> having desired properties has been formed on the forming screen <NUM>, the forming mold <NUM> and the forming screen <NUM> may be removed from the volume of slurry <NUM>. For instance, the forming mold <NUM> may be mounted to a movable mechanism that may move away from the volume of slurry <NUM>. In some examples, the movable mechanism may rotate with respect to the volume such that rotation of the movable mechanism may cause the forming mold <NUM> and the forming screen <NUM> to be removed from the volume of slurry <NUM>. In other examples, the movable mechanism may be moved laterally with respect to the volume of slurry <NUM>. As the forming mold <NUM> and the forming screen <NUM> are removed from the volume, some of the excess slurry <NUM> may come off of the wet part <NUM>. However, the wet part <NUM> may have a relatively high concentration of liquid.

Following the formation of the wet part <NUM> on the forming screen <NUM> and movement of the forming screen <NUM> and the wet part <NUM> out of the volume of slurry <NUM>, the transfer tool <NUM> may be moved such that the transfer screen <NUM> may contact the wet part <NUM> on the forming screen <NUM>. That is, for instance, the transfer mold <NUM> may be attached to a movable mechanism (not shown), in which the movable mechanism may cause the transfer mold <NUM> and the transfer screen <NUM> to move toward the forming screen <NUM>. In some examples, the transfer tool <NUM> may be moved to cause the transfer screen <NUM> to be in contact with the wet part <NUM> prior to the wet part <NUM> being de-watered while on the forming screen <NUM>, e.g., within a second or within a few seconds of the wet part <NUM> being removed from the volume of slurry <NUM>. In one regard, the transfer tool <NUM> may engage the wet part <NUM> relatively quickly after formation of the wet part <NUM>, which may enable the transfer tool <NUM> to remove the wet part <NUM> relatively quickly and the forming tool <NUM> to be inserted into the volume of slurry <NUM> to form a next wet part <NUM>.

In addition, the transfer tool <NUM> may be in communication with a plenum to which a vacuum source may connected such that the vacuum source may apply a vacuum pressure through the pores <NUM>, <NUM> while the wet part <NUM> is in contact with the transfer screen <NUM>. The vacuum source may be the same or a different vacuum source to which the forming tool <NUM> may be in communication. The vacuum pressure applied through the forming tool <NUM> may be terminated or reversed (e.g., applied in the opposite direction) while the vacuum pressure is applied through the transfer tool <NUM>.

<FIG> shows a state in which the transfer tool <NUM> may be in the process of removing the wet part <NUM> from the forming screen <NUM>. Particularly, in that figure, the transfer screen <NUM> has been moved into contact with the wet part <NUM> and a vacuum pressure has been applied onto the wet part <NUM> through the transfer screen <NUM>. In addition, while the vacuum pressure is applied onto the wet part <NUM>, the transfer tool <NUM> may be moved away from the forming tool <NUM> (or the forming tool <NUM> may be moved away from the transfer tool <NUM>) to pull the wet part <NUM> off of the forming screen <NUM>. To further facilitate removal of the wet part <NUM> from the forming screen <NUM>, air pressure may be applied through the forming tool <NUM> as denoted by the arrows <NUM>. As such, the wet part <NUM> may be biased toward the transfer tool <NUM> as opposed to being biased toward the forming tool <NUM>. While the wet part <NUM> is biased toward the transfer tool <NUM>, the transfer tool <NUM> may be moved away from the forming tool <NUM> such that the transfer tool <NUM> may remove the wet part <NUM> from the forming tool <NUM>. In <FIG>, the forming tool <NUM> and the transfer tool <NUM> have been rotated <NUM>° from their respective positions in <FIG>. It should, however, be understood that the transfer mold <NUM> may remove the wet part <NUM> from the forming screen <NUM> while the forming tool <NUM> and the transfer tool <NUM> are in other orientations.

As shown in <FIG>, the transfer screen <NUM> includes pores <NUM> across multiple surfaces of the transfer screen <NUM>. The pores <NUM> may be positioned deterministically in the transfer screen <NUM> to cause pressure to be applied substantially evenly across the transfer screen <NUM> when the vacuum pressure is applied. As a result, pressure is applied substantially evenly across the surface of the wet part <NUM> that is in contact with the transfer screen <NUM>. This may prevent the application of increased pressure at a particular location on the surface of the wet part <NUM>, which may prevent the wet part <NUM> from being damaged by the application of the pressure onto the wet part <NUM> through the transfer screen <NUM>. Additionally, this may enable the transfer tool <NUM> to remove wet parts <NUM> having a vertically or substantially vertically extending (e.g., zero draft) surface (or surfaces) from the forming screen <NUM> as the pressure may be sufficient to overcome frictional and other forces applied by the forming screen <NUM> onto the wet part <NUM>.

When the wet part <NUM> is in contact with the transfer screen <NUM>, the wet part <NUM> may include some of the liquid from the slurry <NUM>. In addition, when the vacuum pressure is applied through the pores <NUM>, <NUM>, some of the liquid in the wet part <NUM> may be suctioned through the pores <NUM>, <NUM> and may flow into the plenum as denoted by the arrows <NUM>. In one regard, the application of the vacuum pressure through the pores <NUM>, <NUM> may de-water the wet part <NUM> by removing some of the liquid from the wet part <NUM>. As a result, when the wet part <NUM> undergoes drying, for instance, in an oven, the amount of energy and/or the amount of time to dry the wet part <NUM> may significantly be reduced.

In another regard, the application of vacuum pressure through the pores <NUM>, <NUM> may cause the material elements at the surface of the wet part <NUM> that is contact with the transfer screen <NUM> to have a greater density than the material elements closer to the center of the wet part <NUM>. As a result, the wet part <NUM> may resist warpage during drying of the wet part <NUM>, for instance, in an oven, due to a greater level of symmetrical shrinkage afforded by the denser surface matching the similarly dense surface on the forming screen <NUM> side of the wet part <NUM>. Additionally, the surface may be relatively smoother than when the wet part <NUM> is allowed to de-water without the application of pressure onto the surface of the wet part <NUM>.

As the liquid flows through the pores <NUM>, <NUM>, the material elements in the wet part <NUM> may be prevented from flowing through the pores <NUM> in the transfer screen <NUM>. That is, the pores <NUM> may have sufficiently small dimensions, e.g., diameters or widths, that may enable the liquid to flow through the pores <NUM> while blocking the material elements from flowing through the pores <NUM>. In one regard, the diameters or widths of the pores <NUM> may be sized based on sizes of the material elements, e.g., fibers, in the slurry <NUM>.

According to examples, the pores <NUM>, <NUM> may respectively be positioned in the forming mold <NUM> and the forming screen <NUM> and may have properties, e.g., sizes and/or shapes, such that the wet part <NUM> may be formed with predefined characteristics. For instance, the pores <NUM>, <NUM> may be positioned and may have certain properties to cause the wet part <NUM> to be formed to have an intended thickness (or thicknesses) throughout the wet part <NUM>. By way of particular example, the pores <NUM>, <NUM> may be positioned and may have certain properties to cause thicknesses of the wet part <NUM> to be consistent throughout the wet part <NUM>. As another example, the pores <NUM>, <NUM> may be positioned and may have certain properties to cause the wet part <NUM> to be formed without an area having a thickness that is below a certain threshold thickness, e.g., a thickness at which a weak point may be formed in the wet part <NUM>. Likewise, the pores <NUM>, <NUM> may be positioned and may have certain properties to cause the wet part <NUM> to be formed with thicker defined areas than other areas of the wet part <NUM>.

In some examples, the positions and/or properties of the pores <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or <NUM> may be determined through implementation of an algorithm that the processor <NUM> may execute. For instance, the algorithm may be a packing algorithm that may cause a maximum number of pores <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or <NUM> to respectively be added while causing the forming mold <NUM>, the forming screen <NUM>, the transfer mold <NUM>, and/or the transfer screen <NUM> to have certain levels of mechanical strength, e.g., to prevent weak points. In this example, the algorithm may be a sphere or ellipsoid packing algorithm or other suitable algorithm for determining placements of the pores <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or <NUM>.

As another example, the algorithm may be a packing algorithm that may position similarly sized pores <NUM> evenly across the forming mold <NUM> and/or similarly sized pores <NUM> evenly across the forming screen <NUM>. In this example, the processor <NUM> may execute the algorithm to place an array of pores <NUM> across a flattened version of the forming mold <NUM> or an array of pores <NUM> across a flattened version of the forming screen <NUM>. Similarly, the packing algorithm may position similarly sized pores <NUM> across the transfer mold <NUM> and/or similarly sized pores <NUM> across the transfer screen <NUM>. In this example, the processor <NUM> may execute the algorithm to place an array of pores <NUM> across a flattened version of the transfer mold <NUM> or an array of pores <NUM> across a flattened version of the forming screen <NUM>.

By placing the pores <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or <NUM> across the flattened versions, the processing resources and/or time consumed to arrange the pores <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or <NUM> may be reduced as compared with the processing resources and/or time consumed to implement other types of packing algorithms as the other types of packing algorithms may be more computationally intensive than the algorithm of this example. In any regard, following placement of the pores <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may cause the digital models <NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM> of the forming mold <NUM>, the forming screen <NUM>, the transfer mold <NUM>, and/or the transfer screen <NUM> to include a curved section or multiple curved sections.

Turning now to <FIG>, there is shown a flow diagram of an example method <NUM> for forming a wet part <NUM> on an example 3D fabricated forming screen <NUM> and transferring the formed wet part <NUM> to an example 3D fabricated transfer screen <NUM>. It should be understood that the method <NUM> depicted in <FIG> may include additional operations and that some of the operations described therein may be removed and/or modified without departing from the scope of the method <NUM>. The description of the method <NUM> is also made with reference to the features depicted in <FIG> for purposes of illustration. Particularly, the processor <NUM> depicted in <FIG> may execute some or all of the operations included in the method <NUM> using the elements depicted in <FIG>.

At block <NUM>, the processor <NUM> causes a three-dimensionally (3D) fabricated forming screen <NUM> to be immersed into a slurry <NUM> containing a liquid and material elements. At block <NUM>, the processor <NUM> causes a vacuum pressure to be applied through the 3D fabricated forming screen <NUM> to cause some of the material elements to agglomerate into a wet part <NUM> on the 3D fabricated forming screen <NUM>. At block <NUM>, the processor <NUM> causes the 3D fabricated forming screen <NUM> and the wet part <NUM> to be moved out of the slurry <NUM>. For instance, the 3D fabricated forming screen <NUM> may be mounted on a forming mold <NUM> that may itself be mounted on a movable mechanism, in which the movable mechanism may be rotatable and/or movable laterally.

At block <NUM>, the processor <NUM> causes a 3D fabricated transfer screen <NUM> to be moved into engagement with the wet part <NUM>, in which the 3D fabricated forming screen <NUM> has a first shape and the 3D fabricated transfer screen <NUM> has a second shape that is complementary to the first shape. As shown in <FIG>, the 3D fabricated forming screen <NUM> and the 3D fabricated transfer screen <NUM> may have similar shapes such that multiple surfaces of the 3D fabricated transfer screen <NUM> may contact multiple sides of the wet part <NUM>. According to examples, the processor <NUM> may cause the 3D fabricated transfer screen <NUM> to be moved into contact with the wet part <NUM> following formation of the wet part <NUM> on the 3D forming screen <NUM> such that the wet part <NUM> keeps substantially all the liquid from when the wet part <NUM> was formed on the 3D fabricated forming screen <NUM>.

At block <NUM>, the processor <NUM> causes the 3D fabricated transfer screen <NUM> to be moved away from the 3D fabricated forming screen <NUM> while vacuum pressure is applied through a plurality of pores <NUM> in the 3D fabricated transfer screen <NUM> to cause the wet part <NUM> to be removed from the 3D fabricated forming screen <NUM> and become engaged with the 3D fabricated transfer screen <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the transfer tool <NUM> may be moved away from the forming tool <NUM> or the forming tool <NUM> may be moved away from the transfer tool <NUM> to separate the wet part <NUM> from the forming screen <NUM>.

At block <NUM>, the processor <NUM> causes the vacuum pressure to be continued to be applied through the 3D fabricated transfer screen <NUM> to remove additional liquid from the wet part <NUM>. As discussed herein, application of the vacuum pressure onto the wet part <NUM> may result in the wet part <NUM> having certain characteristics and may also enable the wet part <NUM> to be dried relatively more quickly and with relatively less energy. After the vacuum pressure has been applied to the wet part <NUM> to de-water the wet part <NUM>, the transfer tool <NUM> may move the wet part <NUM> to a conveyer belt and/or an oven such that the wet part <NUM> may be dried further.

According to examples, following removal of the wet part <NUM> from the forming screen <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may cause the 3D fabricated forming screen <NUM> to be immersed into the slurry <NUM>. In addition, the processor <NUM> may cause the vacuum pressure to be applied through the 3D fabricated forming screen <NUM> to form another wet part <NUM> on the 3D fabricated forming screen <NUM> from the slurry <NUM> while the vacuum force is continued to be applied through the plurality of pores <NUM> in the 3D fabricated transfer screen <NUM> to cause some of the additional liquid in the wet part <NUM> to be removed from the wet part <NUM>. As discussed herein, the 3D fabricated transfer screen <NUM> may include features (such as indentions and/or protrusions) having certain shapes that are to impart a detail into the wet part <NUM> during removal of the additional liquid from the wet part <NUM>. The detail may be a set of indentations and/or a set of protrusions having a predefined detail, which may include a logo, text, a predefined texture, a predefined pattern, a combination thereof, or the like.

The features may be provided on one surface or on multiple surfaces of the 3D transfer screen <NUM>. Likewise, similar types of features may be provided on one or multiple surfaces of the 3D forming screen <NUM>. In this regard, various details may be added to either or both sides of the wet part <NUM> during formation and transfer of the wet part <NUM>. In some examples, the 3D transfer screen <NUM> and the 3D forming screen <NUM> may include features that may be mirrored versions of each other.

After the vacuum pressure has been applied to the wet part <NUM> to de-water the wet part <NUM>, the transfer tool <NUM> may move the wet part <NUM> to a conveyer belt and/or an oven such that the wet part <NUM> may be dried further.

Some or all of the operations set forth in the method <NUM> may be contained as utilities, programs, or subprograms, in any desired computer accessible medium. In addition, the method <NUM> may be embodied by computer programs, which may exist in a variety of forms. For example, the method <NUM> may exist as computer-readable instructions, including source code, object code, executable code or other formats. Any of the above may be embodied on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium.

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 may perform those functions enumerated above.

Claim 1:
A non-transitory computer-readable medium (<NUM>) on which is stored machine-readable instructions that when executed by a processor (<NUM>), cause the processor (<NUM>) to:
obtain a digital model (<NUM>) of a transfer screen (<NUM>) and a corresponding forming screen (<NUM>) to be fabricated by a three-dimensional (3D) fabrication system (<NUM>);
determine placements of a plurality of pores (<NUM>) in the digital model (<NUM>) of the transfer screen (<NUM>), wherein the transfer screen (<NUM>) is to be mounted on a transfer mold (<NUM>) via an attachment mechanism and to engage a surface of a wet part (<NUM>) formed on the corresponding forming screen (<NUM>), wherein the forming screen (<NUM>) has a first shape and the transfer screen (<NUM>) has a second shape that is complementary to the first shape, and wherein the placements of the plurality of pores (<NUM>) are determined to allow liquid to be suctioned from the wet part (<NUM>) when a vacuum pressure is applied to the transfer mold (<NUM>);
modify the digital model (<NUM>) of the transfer screen (<NUM>) to include the plurality of pores (<NUM>) at the determined placements, wherein the transfer screen (<NUM>) includes multiple surfaces, and
wherein the instructions are further to cause the processor (<NUM>) to:
determine the placements of the plurality of pores (<NUM>) to cause suction forces to substantially evenly be distributed across the multiple surfaces of the transfer screen (<NUM>) when the vacuum pressure is applied to the transfer mold (<NUM>).