Hotend for additive manufacturing with an actuated rod in a heated chamber

A hotend assembly for an additive manufacturing device, the hotend assembly comprising:

• a heated chamber;
• a number of inlets configured to feed filament into the heated chamber, wherein the inlets are inserted into the heated chamber within a common plane around the heated chamber with approximately 120 degrees of separation between each inlet;
• an exit orifice from a first end of the heated chamber;
• a bearing housing attached at a second end of the heated chamber opposite the first end;
• an actuated rod extending from the bearing housing into the heated chamber, wherein the filament enters the heated chamber tangentially to the actuated rod, and wherein the actuated rod imparts mechanical energy to the filament inside the heated chamber prior to extrusion through the exit orifice;
• a motor configured to rotate the actuated rod;
• and
• a flexible coupling that couples the actuated rod to the motor, wherein the bearing housing, the exit orifice, the actuated rod, the motor, and the flexible coupling are axially aligned.

A method of additive manufacturing, the method comprising:

• feeding filament into a heated chamber of a hotend through a number of filament inlets, wherein the hotend is mounted to an additive manufacturing device;
• heating the filament with the heated chamber;
• rotating an actuated rod within the heated chamber to impart mechanical energy to the filament, wherein the actuated rod extends into the heated chamber from a bearing housing attached to a first end of the heated chamber, and wherein the filament enters the heated chamber tangentially to the actuated rod;
• and
• extruding the filament through the exit orifice of the hotend at a second end of the heated chamber opposite the first end.