Rotating nozzle fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printer for short-fiber polymer composite manufacturing

This research highlights a recently patented rotating nozzle Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printing technology that accelerates print speeds and facilitates an isotropic-like fiber-orientation distribution in 3D printed polymer composites. The printer incorporates a 1.1-kilowatt indirect drive system, equipped with sensors for real-time data acquisition of temperature, filament feed rate, nozzle rotational speed, and extrusion force to describe the interrelation between processing parameters and final part performance. Experiments using short glass-fiber-reinforced nylon filament reveal fiber orientation distribution evolution, providing a path to material isotropy. Introducing a rotational nozzle shows improvements in ultimate tensile strength perpendicular to the printing direction by approximately 40 % and accelerates the extrusion processes by reducing the required force for extrusion as viscosity is reduced through shear-thinning. These improvements have the potential to broaden the scope of fused filament fabrication applications, particularly in high-performance engineering sectors such as aerospace and automotive industries which demand custom performance metrics.