Amylex Corporation

Standard Starch, LLC

Other

Free-flow Packaging Corporation

Amelex Corporation

Donald R Bittner

Hans G Franke

Biodegradable starch-based extruded products and methods of manufacturing those products are provided. In particular, extruded starch products processed by compression, stretching or compression and stretching provide excellent flexibility, pliability, dimensional stability, resiliency, abrasion resistance and other properties making them attractive for use as packaging materials.

Resilient biodegradable packaging materials

An extrusion die for extruding biodegradable material, the extrusion die including: a mandrel; an outer member positioned near the mandrel; an extrusion orifice between the mandrel and the outer member; a member in communication with at least one defining member of the extrusion orifice, wherein the member is capable of producing relative movement between outer member and the mandrel, wherein the relative movement has a component transverse to an extrusion direction of biodegradable material through the extrusion orifice; a flow control device which controls flow of biodegradable material through the extrusion die; and a positioning device which positions the outer member and the mandrel relative to each other.

Extrusion die for biodegradable material with die orifice modifying device and flow control device

An extrusion die for extruding biodegradable material, the extrusion die including: a mandrel; an outer member positioned near the mandrel; an extrusion orifice between the mandrel and the outer member; a member in communication with at least one defining member of the extrusion orifice, wherein the member is capable of producing relative movement between outer member and the mandrel, wherein the relative movement has a component transverse to an extrusion direction of biodegradable material through the extrusion orifice; a flow control device which controls flow of biodegradable material through the extrusion die; and a positioning device which positions the outer member and the mandrel relative to each other. An improved process for the extrusion of biodegradable material wherein the extrusion includes flowing the biodegradable material in a flow direction through an orifice, the improvement including: moving the biodegradable material in a direction having a component transverse to the flow direction during extrusion; controlling the flow rate of biodegradable material through the extrusion die during extrusion, wherein the controlling includes adjusting the head pressure of the biodegradable material in the extrusion die and adjusting at least one cross-sectional area of a biodegradable material flow path within the extrusion die; and modifying the orifice geometry.

An extrusion die for extruding biodegradable material, the extrusion die including: a mandrel; an outer member positioned near the mandrel; an extrusion orifice between the mandrel and the outer member; a member in communication with at least one defining member of the extrusion orifice, wherein the member is capable of producing relative movement between the outer member and the mandrel, wherein the relative movement has a component transverse to an extrusion direction of biodegradable material through the extrusion orifice; a flow control device which controls flow of biodegradable material through the extrusion die; and a positioning device which positions the outer member and the mandrel relative to each other. An improved process for the extrusion of biodegradable material wherein the extrusion includes flowing the biodegradable material in a flow direction through an orifice, the improvement including: moving the biodegradable material in a direction having a component transverse to the flow direction during extrusion; controlling the flow rate of biodegradable material through the extrusion die during extrusion, wherein the controlling includes adjusting the head pressure of the biodegradable material in the extrusion die and adjusting at least one cross-sectional area of a biodegradable material flow path within the extrusion die; and modifying the orifice geometry.

Biodegradable sorghum meal-based extruded shaped products or articles and methods of manufacturing the same. In particular, extruded sorghum meal-based products processed by compression, stretching or compression and stretching provide excellent flexibility, pliability, dimensional stability, resiliency, abrasion resistance and other properties making them attractive for use as packaging materials.

Sorghum meal-based biodegradable formulations, shaped products made therefrom, and methods of making said shaped products

An extrusion die for extruding biodegradable material into a flexible, pliable and non-brittle structure, the extrusion die including: a cylindrical mandrel; a cylindrical outer ring positioned concentrically around the mandrel; an annular extrusion orifice between the mandrel and the outer ring; and a flow control device which controls flow of biodegradable material through the extrusion die, wherein the flow control device comprises a mechanism which translates the outer ring to adjust the width of the annular extrusion orifice, and wherein the flow control device further includes a flow control channel upstream of the extrusion orifice which throttles flow of the biodegradable material through the die. A process for extruding biodegradable material into a flexible, pliable and non-brittle structure, the process including: pressurizing biodegradable material in an extruder; cooking biodegradable material in the extruder; charging an extrusion die with biodegradable material from the extruder; controlling the flow rate of biodegradable material through the extrusion die, wherein the controlling includes adjusting a width of an extrusion orifice, and wherein the controlling comprises throttling the biodegradable material upstream of the extrusion orifice through a flow control channel.

Extrusion die for biodegradable material with flow control device

High resiliency biodegradable starch-based extruded products and methods of manufacturing those products are provided. In particular, extruded starch products processed by rolling provide excellent resiliency, abrasion resistance and other properties attractive for use as packaging materials.

A resilient, low density, biodegradable, packaging material which is formed by the extrusion through a twin-screw extruder of a base mixture of vegetable oil, polyvinyl alcohol, glycerine, a proteinaceous grain meal, glycerol monostearate, a non-modified starch and water.

Growing community of inventors

Irving, TX, United States of America

Donald R Bittner