Layered manufactured articles having small-diameter fluid conduction vents and method of making same

1 - 36 . (canceled)

37 . A method for producing an article that is a component of a multi-piece mold, said mold having a direction of opening in use, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) designing said article to have a plurality of small-diameter fluid conduction vents, wherein said designing includes orienting each of said plurality of small-diameter fluid conduction vents to have a centerline oriented parallel to said direction of opening;

(b) generating an electronic file of the design created in step (a) of said article; and

(c) making said article from said electronic file by a layered manufacturing process.

38 . The method of claim 37 , further comprising the step of selecting the layered manufactured process to be three-dimensional printing.

39 . The method of claim 37 , further comprising the step of infiltrating said article with an infiltrant.

40 . The method of claim 39 , further comprising the step of selecting said infiltrant to be a molten metal.

41 . A method for making an article having at least one small-diameter fluid conduction vent, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) designing said article to have at least one small-diameter fluid conduction vent;

(b) generating an electronic file of the design created in step (a) of said article; and

(c) making said article from said electronic file by a three-dimensional printing process utilizing a powder and a binder.

42 . The method of claim 41 , wherein said powder includes at least one selected from the group consisting of a metal, a ceramic, a polymer, and a composite.

43 . The method of claim 41 , wherein at least one of said small-diameter fluid conduction vent or vents has a diameter in the range of between about 0.02 cm and about 0.25 cm.

44 . The method of claim 41 , wherein step (a) further includes the steps of:

(i) providing an algorithm; and

(ii) executing said algorithm on a computer to do at least one of the following:

(1) design at least one of said small-diameter fluid conduction vent or vents;

(2) select a location for at least one of said small-diameter fluid conduction vent or vents within said article;

(3) select an array density for a plurality of said small-diameter fluid conduction vents for at least a portion of a surface of said article; and

(4) incorporate an electronic representation of at least one of said small-diameter fluid conduction vent or vents into an electronic representation of said article.

45 . The method of claim 41 , further comprising the step of selecting said article to be a component of at least one selected from a group consisting of an injection mold, a vacuum forming tool, a heat transfer device, a fluid regulating device, and an EPS bead mold.

46 . The method of claim 41 , further comprising the step of infiltrating said article with an infiltrant.

47 . The method of claim 46 , further comprising the step of selecting said infiltrant to be a molten metal.

48 . The method of claim 46 , further comprising the steps of:

a) using said infiltrated article after said step of infiltrating to make a pattern; and

b) using said pattern in a lost-foam molding process.

49 . The method of claim 46 , further comprising the step of using said article after said step of infiltrating in at least one selected from a group consisting of an EPS bead molding process, an injection molding process, a vacuum forming process, a heat transfer device, and a fluid regulating device.

50 . The method of claim 41 , wherein step (a) includes the step of orienting at least one of said small-diameter fluid conduction vent or vents in a direction that is not substantially normal to a surface at which said small-diameter fluid conduction vent terminates.

51 . The method of claim 41 , wherein step (c) includes the step of selecting the binder to be used in the three-dimensional printing process to comprise at least one of a polymer and a carbohydrate.

52 . A method for making an article having at least one small-diameter fluid conduction vent, said method comprising the steps of:

a) designing said article;

b) creating a first electronic file containing a representation of said article, wherein at least one of said fluid conduction vent or vents is absent from said representation of said article;

b) creating a second electronic file containing a representation of at least one of said absent small-diameter fluid conduction vent or vents;

c) combining said first electronic file with said second electronic file to create a third electronic file containing a representation of said article with at least one of said absent small-diameter fluid conduction vent or vents positioned within said article; and

(d) making said article from said third electronic file by three-dimensional printing from a powder.

53 . The method of claim 52 , further comprising the step of selecting said article to be a component of at least one selected from a group consisting of an injection mold, a vacuum forming tool, a heat transfer device, a fluid regulating device, and an EPS bead mold.

54 . The method of claim 52 , further comprising the step of infiltrating said article with an infiltrant.

55 . The method of claim 54 , further comprising the step of selecting said infiltrant to be a molten metal.

56 . The method of claim 54 , further comprising the steps of:

a) using said infiltrated article after said step of infiltrating to make a pattern; and

b) using said pattern in a lost-foam molding process.