Colormatrix Holdings, Inc.

David Whitehead

Brian Stewart Jones

Ian Campbell

Harry Baker

David Loftus

Mark Dix-baker

Apparatusfor dosing a liquid colour formulation into polymer includes a weighing platformwhich is supported on a pair of load cellswhich are, in turn, supported on a base. A reservoircontains liquid colour formulation. A pumpis arranged to pump liquid formulation, via a tube, to an extruder or injection moulding machine. Above inletis a delivery packwhich includes a bag-in-a-box arrangement. The delivery packincludes a transfer pumpassociated with an outlet of the receptacle. A transfer pump motoris arranged to be engaged with the transfer pumpand operated so that liquid formulation can be pumped from the receptacleinto reservoiracross an air gapdefined between the transfer pumpand the inletof reservoir. There is no pipe, tube or other conduit through which liquid formulation passes on travel between delivery packand reservoir

Apparatus and method for dosing a fluid formulation into a polymeric material

Injector () for injecting a liquid formulation into a molten polymer includes outlet () at one end and, at its other end, is arranged to be connected to upstream conduit () via a coupling housing () so that liquid formulation can pass from conduit into the injector, and further includes an elongate conduit () in which an elongate pin is slideably arranged being capable of expelling all liquid formulation from conduit. To address the risk the outlet could become blocked in use, whilst avoiding the need to depressurize and/or stop the flow or polymer in extruder (), the injection apparatus includes a spool () which is rotatably mounted within wall () of the extruder and is arranged to be rotated about an axis which extends substantially perpendicularly to the elongate extent of the extruder through which a polymer stream () flows. The spool may be moved between a first configuration and a second configuration wherein a flow path is interrupted, but wherein molten polymer continues to flow in said polymer flow conduit.

Method of and apparatus for injecting a liquid formulation into a molten polymer

Injection apparatus for injecting a liquid formulation into a molten polymer at high pressure includes a reservoir containing liquid formulation at ambient temperature and pressure which is arrange to flood-feed pump bodyof a first progressing cavity pump (pcp) (). The first pcp () is driven by motor () and is arranged to accurately meter the liquid formulation into a second pcp () which is downstream of the first pcp and is arranged to increase the pressure of the liquid formulation by 200 bar or more. Downstream of pump () is a delivery valve () arranged to control passage of liquid formulation, via outlet (), into pressurised molten polymer stream () which is present in an extruder ().

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Merseyside, United Kingdom

David Whitehead