Westfall Manufacturing
Westfall_Manufacturing_Pipe_Mixer
Upstream view: Westfall's Low Headloss Pipe Mixer 3050 with 3D printed vanes attached to the 3D printed pipe. The insert is then glued inside a PVC pipe. The angled edge of the vanes resists fouling so that the mixer requires no maintenance.
A manufacturer of pipeline system components in Rhode Island has harnessed 3D printing technology to produce small size Static Mixers.
Westfall Manufacturing turned to 3D printing after customer-demand for the company’s Low Headloss Pipe Static Mixer 3050 in the 1” to 5” range. This is typically too small for custom fabrication with fibreglass or stainless steel to be achieved cost effectively. Westfall has been printing the patented mixer out of durable nylon, before gluing it into a PVC pipe.
The Low Headloss Pipe Static Mixer 3050 is designed to limit the resistance to flow in piping systems. This resistance, called headloss, is said to be reduced by two to four times in the Ultra Low Headloss Pipe Mixer 3050 model thanks to four tapered and curved vanes. These vanes are designed with precise geometry and are welded around the pipe interior, inverting flow to rapidly mix liquids or gases. Mixers of this kind can offer an important solution for municipal and industrial water and wastewater treatments, oil, gas, natural gas, propane and biofuel processors.
Westfall engineers knew that the performance of its Pipe Static Mixer 3050 could be maintained as long as the geometry of the vanes remained the same, and so had no hesitation implementing 3D printing. The durable nylon inserts can withstand steady exposure to harsh chemicals from caustics to gas and oil, per Westfall Manufacturing. These inserts, in addition to nylon, can be printed in such materials as Kynar and stainless steel. Westfall says its adoption of 3D printing has enhanced its manufacturing capabilities and now means customers can order Static Mixers in smaller sizes and benefit from a quicker and cost-effective delivery.
