MICROFLUIDIC ACTIVE MIXING NOZZLE FOR THREE-DIMENSIONAL PRINTING OF VISCOELASTIC INKS

• Main Authors: Ober, Thomas J, Lewis, Jennifer A
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 11.04.2019
• Subjects: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY; ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OFTHREE-DIMENSIONAL [3-D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVEAGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3-D PRINTING,STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; APPLYING LIQUIDS OR OTHER FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL; ATOMISING APPARATUS; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS; i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; LINING MACHINES; MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING, DISPERSING; NOZZLES; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PREPARING CLAY; PRINTING; PRODUCING MIXTURES CONTAINING CLAY OR CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL,e.g. PLASTER; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SPRAYING APPARATUS; SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; STAMPS; TRANSPORTING; TYPEWRITERS; WORKING CEMENT, CLAY, OR STONE; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

A microfluidic printing nozzle for 3D printing may include a mixing chamber, a first inlet for connecting with a first ink source, the first inlet located at a first end of the mixing chamber, and a second inlet for connecting with a second ink source, the second inlet located at the first end of the mixing chamber. An outlet may be located at a second end of the mixing chamber, and a generally cylindrical impeller may be rotatably disposed in the mixing chamber between the first end and the second end. The cylindrical impeller may include an outer surface, and the outer surface of the impeller includes a groove, a protrusion, or both, to facilitate mixing of fluidic inks flowing from the first end to the second end of the mixing chamber.