Hrl Laboratories, LLC

Luisa M Deckard

Peter David Brewer

Andrew T Hunter

Jennifer J Zinck

A method for making a 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) optionally 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) curing the uncured upper layer and/or the uncured lower layer after step (b) using an electron beam; (d) after step (c), providing a new uncured upper layer on the cured or uncured upper layer, whereby the cured or uncured upper layer 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) optionally curing the lower layer resulting from step (d) if the lower layer is uncured to yield a cured lower layer; (f) after step (e), optionally 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) curing the uncured upper layer and/or the uncured lower layer(s) after step (f) using an electron beam; and (h) optionally repeating steps (d) through (g) a number of times to form a desired number of cured layers.

Preparing composites by using resins

A method for assembly including the steps of: (a) providing a plurality of microstructure components with each of the components having a bottom with the same three dimensional shape; (b) forming a mold with at least one protuberance from a surface thereof so that the at least one protuberance has the same shape; (c) molding a moldable substrate with the mold to form a molded substrate having a surface with at least one recess having the same shape; and (d) positioning a first of the plurality of microstructure components into said at least one recess. Each of the microstructure components may be formed by a masking and etching process, with the mold being formed by the same masking and etching process. The positioning step may consist of mixing the microstructure components with a fluid to form a slurry; and depositing the slurry on the surface of the molded substrate to cause the first of the plurality of microstructure components to self-align in the recess.

Growing community of inventors

College Station, TX, United States of America

Luisa M Deckard