Three-Dimensional Printer System with Passive Fiber Aligning Nozzle

A nozzle assembly for a three-dimensional (3D) printer, the nozzle assembly comprising:

• a nozzle that defines a nozzle body;
• a nozzle bore that extends axially through the nozzle body and defines a circular cross-sectional area;
• an alignment duct that is positioned to receive a composite material having fibers from the nozzle bore;
• wherein:
• the alignment duct provides a passage with a non-circular cross-sectional area and at least one surfaces that is arranged to impart movement of the fibers to guide the fibers into parallel alignment with each other while flowing through the alignment duct.

A method of aligning fibers in a composite material while three-dimensional (3D) printing, the method comprising:

• delivering a molten resin and fibers through a nozzle body in nozzle flow direction toward an alignment duct,
• wherein the fibers flow through the nozzle with a first orientation that defines either a random orientation or a nozzle-body fiber alignment in which the fibers are aligned generally parallel to each other in a direction that corresponds to the nozzle flow direction;
• and
• passively changing the orientation of the fibers in the alignment duct to a second orientation that defines a deposition alignment in which the fibers are aligned generally parallel to each other in a direction that is different than the nozzle flow direction.