A process and associated system for creating color effects in extrudable material, such as plastic and metal for example, are presented. Flows of first and second viscous materials of respective colors are provided and then combined in a predetermined pattern to form a stream of combined viscous material. In a first aspect, the flow rate of the first viscous material is caused to vary over time in order to vary an amount of the first viscous material in the stream. In a second aspect, which may be used alone or in combination with the first aspect, the first and second viscous materials have distinct viscosities to reduce an amount of color blending between the first color and the second color in the stream of combined viscous material. A static mixer may then be used to apply a predetermined dividing, overturning and combining motion to the stream of combined viscous material to partially mix the first viscous material and the second viscous material, such that upon exiting the static mixer, the first material of the first color and the second material of the second color form a color pattern in the stream of combined viscous material. Sheets of extrudable material may be created using such process and used in the manufacturing of many different products including for example kayaks and stand-up paddle boards.

An alginate-polyacrylamide IPN hydrogel formulation for 3D printing using a dual syringe system where the components that initiate polymerization of each network remain separated until printing. The dual syringe system may use a single motor and mixing head to combine both parts of the hydrogel formulation for controlled polymerization of the material. The elastic and time-dependent viscoelastic properties (stress relaxation) are tuned to match mammalian tissues by changing the crosslink density and monomer concentration. The fracture energy of the material may be increased by soaking in a calcium chloride solution. The resulting IPN polymer material may find application in soft tissue medical simulation devices, particularly because the mechanical properties may be tuned to mimic the elastic and viscoelastic properties of muscle tissue and may be 3D printed in the shape of anatomical parts.

A layer multiplier (100) is disclosed. It comprises an inlet (102) for a flow of multilayered flowable material, a distribution manifold (104) into which the inlet debouches, a number >2 of separate splitting channels (106) extending from the distribution manifold, a recombination manifold (108) into which the splitting channels debouch, an outlet in one end of the recombination manifold, and the distribution manifold is arranged in an opposing relationship with the recombination manifold.

To provide a method for producing particles, which contains: bringing a compressive fluid and a pressure plastic material into contact with each other using a multistage split flow micromixer, to thereby produce a melt of the pressure plastic material, in which the compressive fluid is dissolved; and jetting the melt of the pressure plastic material, to form particles, wherein the pressure plastic material is a resin having a carbonyl structure C(O), and wherein a viscosity of the melt is 500 mPa.Math.s or lower, as measured under temperature and pressure conditions at the time of the jetting the melt of the pressure plastic material.

To provide a method for producing particles, which contains: bringing a compressive fluid and a pressure plastic material into contact with each other using a multistage split flow micromixer, to thereby produce a melt of the pressure plastic material, in which the compressive fluid is dissolved; and jetting the melt of the pressure plastic material, to form particles, wherein the pressure plastic material is a resin having a carbonyl structure C(O), and wherein a viscosity of the melt is 500 mPa.Math.s or lower, as measured under temperature and pressure conditions at the time of the jetting the melt of the pressure plastic material.

A method minimizes emissions while spraying a mixture of a resin composition and a polyisocyanate onto a surface. The resin composition has a hydroxyl content of at least 400 mg KOH/g and includes a blowing agent that is a liquid under pressure, a first polyol, at least one additional polyol other than the first polyol, and optionally a catalyst, surfactant, and water. The mixture is sprayed onto the surface to form a polyurethane foam having a closed cell content of at least 90 percent. The mixture is also sprayed through a spray nozzle at a spray angle corresponding to a control spray angle of from 15 to 125 degrees measured at a pressure of from 10 to 40 psi using water as a standard. The step of spraying produces less than 50 parts of the polyisocyanate per one billion parts of air according to OSHA Method 47.

A polyurethane spraying system minimizes emissions of a polyisocyanate while spraying a mixture of a polyisocyanate and a resin composition onto a surface. The system includes a first reactant supply tank including the resin composition. The system also includes a second reactant supply tank including the polyisocyanate. The system further includes a non-gaseous pump that is coupled with the first and second reactant supply tanks, a mixing apparatus that is coupled with the first and second reactant supply tanks for mixing the resin composition and the polyisocyanate prior to spraying, and a particular spray nozzle that is coupled with the mixing apparatus. The polyurethane spraying system produces less than 50 parts of the polyisocyanate per one billion parts of air according to the NIOSH 5521 Impingement Method while spraying the mixture onto the surface.

A method for producing an electrically conductive seamless tube includes (1) preparing an electrically conductive resin composition containing a thermoplastic resin and an electrically conductive filler, (2) preparing a cylindrical extruding die including a cylindrical slit, at least one circumferential distribution channel communicating with the slit and distributing the resin composition that is plasticized in a circumferential direction of the slit, and at least one lead-in path that leads the plasticized resin composition into the circumferential distribution channel, the lead-in path containing a line mixer; (3) introducing the plasticized resin composition into the lead-in path toward the circumferential distribution channel; (4) introducing the plasticized resin composition flowing through the lead-in path into the circumferential distribution channel toward the slit; and (5) introducing the resin composition flowing through the circumferential distribution channel into the slit and extruding the resin composition from an outlet of the slit into a cylindrical shape.

A process and associated system for creating color effects using extrudable material, such as plastic and metal for example, are presented. Flows of first and second viscous materials of respective colors are provided and then combined in a predetermined pattern to form a stream of combined viscous material. In a first aspect, the flow rate of the first viscous material is caused to vary over time in order to vary an amount of the first viscous material in the stream. In a second aspect, which may be used alone or in combination with the first aspect, the first and second viscous materials have distinct viscosities to reduce an amount of color blending between the first color and the second color in the stream of combined viscous material. A static mixer may then be used to apply a predetermined dividing, overturning and combining motion to the stream of combined viscous material to partially mix the first viscous material and the second viscous material, such that upon exiting the static mixer, the first material of the first color and the second material of the second color form a color pattern in the stream of combined viscous material. Sheets of extrudable material may be created using such process and used in the manufacturing of many different products including for example kayaks and stand-up paddle boards.

An additive manufacturing system for additive manufacturing material with long fibers includes an extruder comprising a nozzle that includes a static-mixing portion, a compression portion, and a long fiber alignment portion. The static-mixing portion includes a static-mixing channel with static-mixing rods distributed inside and extending radially inward from a channel wall. The long fiber alignment portion has an alignment channel with a diameter D.sub.AC that is less than a diameter D.sub.SMC of the static-mixing channel. The compression portion includes with a reducing diameter from an input end to an output end of the compression channel. A nozzle and method for additive manufacturing are also disclosed.