An apparatus, a system, and a method for improvements in fused filament fabrication (FFF). Characteristics of a filament may be measured during production of the filament and the characteristics stored in a memory for retrieval by a 3D printer. The 3D printer adjusts print settings as necessary based on the measured characteristics, thereby resulting in better print quality.

A method of recycling post-consumer plastic waste into mono filament for use in fused filament fabrication, injection molding, or other plastic manufacturing processes. Contaminated curbside plastic waste is sorted and granulated to uniform sized flakes. The plastic regrind is cleaned in a closed-loop wash cycle and dried at 160° F. and −70 dew point to reduce the moisture content to less than 0.03%. The effluent water is purified to be reused in the system. The flake plastic is extruded to a molten state and passes through additional melt filtration. A laser micrometer measures extrudate metrics like diameter and ovality to dynamically control feed and flow rates of the extruder to maintain diameter uniformity within 0.018 mm of target diameter.

A molded resin strand includes a first layer containing thermoplastic resin, and a second layer covering the first layer and containing thermoplastic resin exhibiting physical properties different from those of the first layer. For example, the second layer is melt-extruded with the second layer covering the first layer. A three-dimensional object is modeled by lamination deposition by fusion between adjacent second layers. In a molded resin strand manufacturing method, a melt-kneaded resin material is continuously extruded from a ferrule of an extruder. The extruded molded resin strand is vacuum-sucked while passing through a sizing device. Subsequently, the molded resin strand is wound up after cooling solidification. The sizing device is provided with a space having a circular cross section, and a surface of the sizing device facing the space is provided with a plurality of vacuum suction grooves.

Provided is a molded resin strand configured so that interlayer fusion of a shaped object can be improved and mechanical aptitude (specifically, stiffness) in a 3D printer can be more improved even in a case where an inorganic filler such as carbon fibers is mixed. The molded resin strand contains thermoplastic resin, an inorganic filler, and α-olefin elastomer. The thermoplastic resin is polypropylene, for example. The inorganic filler is carbon fibers, for example. The α-olefin elastomer is ethylene-α-olefin copolymer, for example. The molded resin strand of the present invention is used for a 3D printer employing a fused deposition modeling method.

The invention relates to a method for measuring a tubular strand exiting from an extrusion device, wherein electromagnetic radiation is directed from at least one radiation source within a frequency range of 1 GHz to 6000 GHz from the inside to the inner side of the tubular strand, wherein electromagnetic radiation reflected by the tubular strand is received by at least one radiation receiver, and wherein the diameter, and/or the wall thickness, and/or deviations in shape of the tubular strand are ascertained from the received electromagnetic radiation. Moreover, the invention relates to a corresponding device.

An ultrasonic transducer fixture has an entrance and an exit for tubular extrudate passing therethrough; ultrasonic transducers within a closed chamber in position for passage of the tubular extrudate therebetween; and a vacuum source communicating with the chamber interior for maintaining sub-atmospheric pressure within the chamber. The water level in the chamber is controlled so that the ultrasonic transducers remain immersed in the water.

Method and apparatus for pulling polymeric material from an extrusion die as a tubular extrusion uses a pair of mutually-facing endless belts for pulling the extrusion from the extrusion die by frictional contact with the extrusion, the belts being spaced apart from one another for frictional driving passage of the tubular extrusion therebetween, spacing of the belts being continuously adjusted in response to signal from a gauge continuously measuring outer diameter of the tubular extrusion upstream of the belts.

An apparatus for non-contact monitoring of travelling objects being produced in an unguided linear process comprising: a toroidal structure with an open aperture defining a measuring zone, a source of radiation configured by a plurality of radiation devices circumferentially disposed within the measuring zone whereby the radiation source emits rays that generate a planar screen of radiation across the object circumferentially to envelop the object, a plurality of circumferentially disposed recording devices for receiving radiation from the radiation devices following interception of the rays by the objects, and analysis means for analyzing imaging information of the emitted radiation recorded by the recording devices thereby to provide a measure of the physical characteristics of the object.

The invention relates to a method and a device for producing a circular-cylindrical body (4) which consists of a plastic compound and which has at least one helical inner recess that runs in the interior of the body. The method has the following steps: producing a circular-cylindrical body (4), which consists of a plastic compound and which has at least one linear inner recess that runs in the interior of the body, by means of an extrusion molding die (1), discharging the circular-cylindrical body (4) out of the extrusion molding die (1) via a twisting section (7) onto a holding and transporting device (2) which is designed to hold and transport the circular-cylindrical body (4) and which can be rotated about the longitudinal axis of the holding and transporting device, twisting the circular-cylindrical body (4) on the twisting section (7) in order to form the at least one helical inner recess by rotating the holding and transporting device (2) together with the circular-cylindrical body being held and transported in the holding and transporting device, and discharging the circular-cylindrical body (4), which has at least one helical inner recess running in the interior of the body, out of the holding and transporting device (2) onto a storage device (3).

A system for executing a rod member extrusion-molding method of the present invention has an extrusion-molding machine of a rod member, a transfer conveyor, a delivery line of the rod member between the extrusion-molding machine and the transfer conveyor, a measurement position defined on the delivery line and dividing the delivery line into an upstream section and a downstream section, a measurement device measuring an outer diameter of the rod member in the measurement position, a first roller conveyor forming a part of the section at least directly upstream of the measurement position, a second roller conveyor forming the downstream section, and a control device performing feedback control of a transfer speed of the transfer conveyor based on the outer diameter obtained in the measurement device.