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New design method based on CFD and AM technology was applied to milli-reactors. CFD simulations were validated empirically with step responses and model reactions. 4-way inlet reactor with zigzag mixing channel showed the best mixing performance. a b s t r a c tThe mixing performance of three passive milli-scale reactors with different geometries was investigated at different Reynolds numbers. The effects of design and operating characteristics such as mixing channel shape and volume flow rate were investigated. The main objective of this work was to demonstrate a process design method that uses on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for modeling and Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology for manufacture. The reactors were designed and simulated using SolidWorks and Fluent 15.0 software, respectively. Manufacturing of the devices was performed with an EOS M-series AM system.Step response experiments with distilled Millipore water and sodium hydroxide solution provided time-dependent concentration profiles. Villermaux-Dushman reaction experiments were also conducted for additional verification of CFD results and for mixing efficiency evaluation of the different geometries. Time-dependent concentration data and reaction evaluation showed that the performance of the AM-manufactured reactors matched the CFD results reasonably well. The proposed design method allows the implementation of new and innovative solutions, especially in the process design phase, for industrial scale reactor technologies. In addition, rapid implementation is another advantage due to the virtual flow design and due to the fast manufacturing which uses the same geometric file formats.

The RepRap 3D printer development project is a fast growing, open-hardware initiative relying on the input of hobbyist designers. One of its key components is the printer nozzle. The performance and reliability deficiencies of currently available nozzle designs are common topics in the RepRap community, and our own experience with a RepRap 3D printer has identified a need for improvement in a few particular areas. We set out to eliminate melt leakage, improve thermal isolation, and develop a more effective method of nozzle assembly attachment. Here, we review the issues, describe design efforts, and report results.

Extruded wood-plastic composites (WPCs) are increasingly regarded as promising materials for future manufacturing industries. It is necessary to select and tune the post-processing methods to be able to utilize these materials fully. In this development, temperature-related material properties and the cooling rate are important indicators. This paper presents the results of natural cooling in a factory environment fit into a cooling curve function with temperature zones for forming, cutting, and packaging overlaid using a WPC material. This information is then used in the evaluation of manufacturability and productivity in terms of cost effectiveness and technical quality by comparing the curve to actual production time data derived from a prototype post-process forming line. Based on this information, speed limits for extrusion are presented. This paper also briefly analyzes techniques for controlling material cooling to counter the heat loss before post-processing.

Engineering students often conduct information searches without sufficient consideration of the context of their research topic. This article discusses how development of a new information literacy (IL) mindset through instruction in integrated IL education affects students' understanding of research problems and formulation of information search questions. The course observed is a mechanical engineering seminar for undergraduate engineering students with integrated IL education. A survey-based research method is utilized with surveys carried out at three stages of the course. The results show that as the course progressed, students' interdisciplinary research problem descriptions became more profound and their formulations of information search questions developed more advanced understanding of the principles of information use. Preliminary parallel results have been analyzed from 2013 to 2016 at a university of technology in Finland.

In thick section laser welding, filler metal addition is usually required to improve joint fit-up tolerances or to control the chemical composition of the weld metal. With deep and narrow welds produced using an over-alloyed filler metal, it may be challenging to ensure that the filler metal and its elements are homogeneously mixed and evenly distributed throughout the fusion zone. Inhomogeneous filler metal mixing can cause unfavourable changes to weld metal chemistry and microstructure. Filler metal mixing behaviour in laser-arc hybrid and laser cold-wire welding is studied in this work. Welding tests were conducted on 10 mm thick butt-welded joints of AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel. An overmatching type 2205 duplex stainless steel filler wire was used to obtain a composition contrast between the base metal and filler metal. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) with chromium as the trace element was used for element mapping and stepwise characterization of the weld cross-section samples. Optical metallography was used to observe possible inhomogeneous filler metal mixing behaviour like local acute changes in macro- and microstructural features. The results showed a clear difference in filler metal mixing between the weld surface part (upper half) of the weld and the weld root part (lower half) in 10 mm thick welded cross-sections for closed root gap of I-groove welds or when the gap was only 0.4 mm. In narrow I-groove preparations, inhomogeneous mixing phenomena were more pronounced in laser cold-wire welds than in laser-arc hybrid welds. In both welding processes, a combination of trailing wire feeding and the use of a wider groove enabled filler metal to be introduced deeper into the bottom of the groove and improved mixing in the root portion of the welds.