Additive manufacturing apparatus and methods for mixing and dispensing materials, and articles with controlled particle concentrations. Additive manufacturing apparatus includes a mixer; a reservoir in fluidic communication with the mixer; and a build plate parallel to the reservoir. Additive manufacturing apparatus includes a mixer and a solid particle dispensing system and/or a slurry dispensing system. A method for handling precursors during additive manufacturing includes (a) providing first and second precursor materials and/or a slurry to a mixer; (b) mixing the materials in the mixer; (c) transporting the mixed materials directly to a reservoir disposed in parallel with a build plate; (d) curing at least a portion of the transported and mixed materials; and (e) repeating step (d) at least once. An article includes a plurality of adjacent layers, a concentration of particles in each layer defining a controlled concentration gradient and/or vary by no more than ±50%.

A conveyance portion, a barrier portion, and a path are provided at places of a screw main body in which a kneading portion is provided. In at least one of the places, the path is provided inside the screw main body, and includes an entrance and an exit. The entrance is opened to urge the raw materials having the conveyance limited by the barrier portion to increase pressure on the raw materials, to flow in the entrance. The raw materials flowing from the entrance flow through the path in the same direction as a conveyance direction of the conveyance portion.

At a part of the screw main body at which the kneading portion is provided, conveyance portions, a barrier portion and a path are provided at a plurality of places. At least one of the places, the path is provided inside the screw main body, and includes an entrance and an exit. The entrance is opened in such a manner that the raw material whose pressure is enhanced by being restricted in conveyance by the barrier portion flows into the entrance. The path is formed in such a manner that the raw material flowing into the path from the entrance flows toward the exit in a direction opposite to the direction of conveyance.

A system for preparing a polymeric mixture includes: a containment device configured to distribute dry polymeric materials; a receiving chamber in fluid communication with the containment device; a wetting bowl; a dispersing channel; and a mixing chamber connected to the dispersing channel. A method of preparing a polymeric mixture includes distributing water and dry polymeric materials through the various components of the system and mixing the materials with the mechanical mixing device.

A system for the treatment of materials, to be selected from between materials in a fluid state (1) and particles suspended in a fluid material (1), comprising at least one upper kinematic pair equipped with two mechanical elements (2a, 2b; 2a, 2c), said kinematic pair being in contact with a material in a fluid state (1) or with particles suspended in a fluid material (1); motor means (5) to generate a pre-set relative velocity (v) between the elements (2a, 2b; 2a, 2c) of said kinematic pair, and tensioning means (8) to subject said kinematic pair to a pre-set pressure (P).

An improved a device and method for dispersion and simultaneous orientation of nanoparticles within a matrix is provided. A mixer having a shaft and a stator is provided. The shaft may have a rupture region and erosion region. Further, an orienter having an angled stationary plate and a moving plate are provided. The nanoparticles and the matrix are fed into the mixer. A rotational force is applied to the shaft to produce shearing forces. The shearing forces disperse and exfoliate the nanoparticles within the matrix. The dispersed mixture is outputted onto the moving plate. The moving plate is forced across the angled stationary plate to produce fully developed laminar shear flow. The fully developed laminar shear flow or the two-dimensional extensional drag flow orients the dispersed nanoparticles-matrix mixture.

A mixer apparatus for mixing a high-viscosity fluid has a mixer shaft with a plurality of blades affixed thereto, a hydraulic motor drivingly connected to the mixer shaft so as to rotate the mixer shaft, a hydraulic pump connected by a fluid circuit to the hydraulic motor so as to deliver hydraulic fluid under pressure to the hydraulic motor, an electric motor drivingly connected to the hydraulic pump, and a hydraulic fluid reservoir connected to the fluid circuit so as to supply hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic pump. The plurality of blades are pivotally mounted to the mixer shaft.

A worm shaft for a mixing and kneading machine in particular for continuous preparation processes, comprising a shaft rod, on the circumferential surface of which blade elements are arranged which are spaced apart from one another and which extend outward from the circumferential surface of the shaft rod, wherein the blade elements are arranged on the shaft rod, at least in one section extending in the axial direction of the worm shaft, in three rows extending in the axial direction of the worm shaft, wherein at least one of the blade elements of one of the rows is different from one of the blade elements of one of the other rows, and/or the rows of blade elements, viewed in cross-section of the shaft rod, are distributed irregularly over the circumference defined by the outer circumferential surface of the shaft rod, and wherein the angular distance between the midpoints M of the outer circumferential surfaces of the blade elements on the circumferential surface of the shaft rod of adjacent rows differs between at least two of the three rows of the at least other two rows, and including wherein, for example, each of the blade elements of the at least one section extending in the axial direction of the worm shaft has a longitudinal extension which extends in an angle of 45° to 135° to the axial direction of the worm shaft.

Disclosed are an instant dissolving device by mass transfer and stretching with a cleaning structure and a dissolving method thereof. The dissolving device consists of a liquid inlet, a stretching repetition unit and a mass transfer unit, the stretching unit is sequentially composed of an upper fixed fluted disc, a movable fluted disc and a lower fixed fluted disc all with a plurality of through holes, and the upper fixed fluted disc and the lower fixed fluted disc are fixed to the dissolving device housing; the polymer gel solution is formed into a “uniform” solution after passing through the mass transfer unit. The dissolving device in the present invention is easy to install, and achieves instant dissolution of the polymers and improves the dissolution efficiency through the joint action of forced stretching and mass transfer by high gravity.

A method, apparatus, and system for mixing a compounded material. A first selected amount of a base part for the compounded material and a second selected amount of an activator part for the compounded material to form a total amount of the compounded material is determined. The first selected amount of the base part is pumped by a pump system from a set of base part sources connected to the pump system into a container. The second selected amount of the activator part is pumped by the pump system from a set of activator part sources connected to the pump system into a container. The base part and the activator part in the container are mixed by a mixing system for a predetermined amount of time that is sufficient to activate the compounded material for use.