Patent ID: 7258896

Claim:
A method for making a composite part, the method comprising: (a) providing an uncured upper layer on a part, a substrate, a workpiece, a support platform, or a base layer, wherein the uncured upper layer comprises resin and also comprises fibers, particles, powder, and/or electronic devices; (b) providing a new uncured upper layer on the uncured upper layer provided in step (a), whereby the uncured upper layer provided in step (a) becomes an uncured lower layer, and wherein the new uncured upper layer comprises resin and also comprises fibers, particles, powder, and/or electronic devices; (c) after step (b) selectively curing using an electron beam one or more selected portions of the uncured upper layer and/or the uncured lower layer; (d) after step (c), providing a new uncured upper layer on the cured or uncured upper layer from step (c), whereby the cured or uncured upper layer from step (c) becomes a cured or uncured lower layer, and wherein the new uncured upper layer comprises resin and also comprises fibers, particles, powder, and/or electronic devices; (e) if the lower layer resulting from step (d) is uncured, selectively curing one or more selected portions of the lower layer resulting from step (d) to yield a cured lower layer that is bonded to one or more previously cured layers; (f) after step (e), providing a new uncured upper layer on the uncured upper layer provided in step (d), whereby the uncured upper layer provided in step (d) becomes an uncured lower layer, and wherein the new uncured upper layer comprises resin and also comprises fibers, particles, powder, and/or electronic devices; (g) after step (f) selectively curing using an electron beam one or more portions of the uncured upper layer and/or the uncured lower layer(s) after step (f) to yield at least one newly cured layer that is bonded to one or more previously cured layers; (h) repeating steps (d) through (g) a number of times to form the composite part, wherein the composite part has a desired number of cured layers; and (i) optionally removing from the composite part at least some uncured portions.