Static mixing nozzles for long fiber and resin mixing and dispersing in polymer additive manufacturing

A static-mixing nozzle for an additive manufacturing system, comprising:

• a static-mixing portion, a compression portion, and a long fiber alignment portion;
• the static-mixing portion comprising a static-mixing channel defined by a channel wall, the static-mixing channel having a longitudinal center axis, a circumference, a diameter DSMC and a length LSMC, an input end and an opposing output end, the static-mixing channel being fluidically connectable at the input end to feeding means through which additive manufacturing material and long fibers are to be provided, the static-mixing channel comprising static-mixing rods distributed inside the static-mixing channel and extending radially inward from the channel wall, the static-mixing rods being elongated and having a length and a width with the length being at least twice as long as the width, the static-mixing rods comprising curved side surfaces, the static-mixing rods having a diameter DSMR, and being longitudinally distributed over a portion of the length LSMC of the static-mixing channel and radially staggered about the circumference of the channel wall, and wherein spaces between the static-mixing rods define flow openings for the additive manufacturing material and the long fiber;
• wherein the long fiber alignment portion comprises an alignment channel having an input end and an output end and a diameter DAC that is less than the diameter DSMC of the static-mixing channel, and has a length longer than the length of the long fibers;
• wherein the compression portion comprises a compression channel with an input end communicating with the output end of the static-mixing channel, and an output end communicating with the input end of the alignment channel, the compression channel having a reducing diameter from the input end to the output end of the compression channel, the compression channel fluidically coupling the larger diameter static-mixing channel to the smaller diameter alignment channel;
• wherein the static-mixing portion is configured to guide the provided additive manufacturing material and long fiber from the input end to the compression portion, cause bundles of the long fiber to separate as they are guided through the openings formed by the static-mixing rods inside the static-mixing channel to disperse the long fiber of the separated bundles through the additive manufacturing material, and transfer the additive manufacturing material with the long fiber dispersed therethrough to the compression portion, wherein the compression channel compresses and guides the additive manufacturing material and long fiber from the static-mixing channel to the input end of the alignment channel, and
• wherein the alignment channel further compresses the additive manufacturing material with the long fiber dispersed therethrough to align the dispersed long fiber, guide the compressed additive manufacturing material with the aligned long fiber to the output end of the alignment channel, and extrude, through the output end of the alignment channel, a bead of compressed additive manufacturing material with the long fiber dispersed and aligned therethrough, causing the extruded bead to be deposited as part of a layer of an object being formed by the additive manufacturing material and long fiber.

A method for additive manufacturing with additive manufacturing material and long fibers, comprising the steps of:

• providing an extruder comprising a nozzle that includes a static-mixing portion, a compression portion, and a long-fiber alignment portion, the static-mixing portion comprising a static-mixing channel defined by a channel wall, the static-mixing channel having a longitudinal center axis, a circumference, a diameter DSMC and a length LSMC, an input end and an opposing output end, the static-mixing channel being fluidically coupled at the input end to feeding means through which additive manufacturing material and long fibers are to be provided to the extruder, the static-mixing channel comprising static-mixing rods distributed inside the static-mixing channel and extending radially inward from the channel wall, the static-mixing rods being elongated and having a length and a width with the length being at least twice as long as the width, the static-mixing rods comprising curved side surfaces, the static-mixing rods having a diameter DSMR, and being longitudinally distributed and radially staggered over a portion of the length LSMC of the static-mixing channel, and wherein spaces between the rods define flow openings for the additive manufacturing material and the long fiber;
• wherein the long fiber alignment portion comprises an alignment channel having a diameter DAC that is less than the diameter DSMC of the flow channel, and a length longer than the long fibers;
• wherein the compression portion comprises a compression channel with an input end communicating with the output end of the static-mixing channel, and an output end communicating with the input end of the alignment channel, the compression channel having a reducing diameter from the input end to the output end of the compression channel, the compression channel fluidically coupling the larger diameter static-mixing channel to the smaller diameter alignment channel;
• guiding the provided additive manufacturing material and long fiber through the static-mixing portion from the input end to the compression portion, causing bundles of the long fiber to separate as they are guided through the openings formed by the static-mixing rods inside the static-mixing channel to disperse the long fiber of the separated bundles through the additive manufacturing material;
• transferring the additive manufacturing material with the long fiber dispersed therethrough to the compression channel, wherein the compression channel compresses and guides the additive manufacturing material and long fiber from the static-mixing channel to the alignment channel;
• further compressing the additive manufacturing material with the long fiber dispersed therethrough in the alignment channel to align the dispersed long fiber;
• guiding the compressed additive manufacturing material with the aligned long fiber to the output end of the alignment channel;
• and,
• extruding, through the output end, a bead of compressed additive manufacturing material dispersed with the long fiber dispersed and aligned therethrough, causing the extruded bead to be deposited as part of a layer of an object being formed by the additive manufacturing material and long fiber.