Other

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Cws Group LLC

George A Holmes

Frank T Keyser

Tadeusz Rybka

Tadeuz Rybka

Aaron William Joseph Atkinson

Paul Johnston

B Eric Graham

A closure assembly is provided including a closure having a closure hinge, a closure hinge cover and a linkage between the closure and the cover. When the closure is in a closed position, the cover extends in a plane overlying the closure hinge. When the closure is an opened position the cover is displaced to an open position to allow the closure hinge to pass through the plane that the cover assumes when the closure is closed.

Closure assembly incorporating an integrated articulating closure hinge and cover

A centrifugal pellet dryer with a self-cleaning rotor seal, replaceable wear plates, and a fluid powered dewatering tower is presented. The self-cleaning rotor seal includes a plurality of grooves that are structured to eject pellet debris that migrates into between the seal and the housing for the rotor. The replaceable wear plates are secured to the rotor at locations such that they contact pellets that are entering the rotor housing. The dewatering tower includes a helical augur that dewaters a pellet slurry and delivers partially dried pellets to the rotor housing.

Centrifugal dryer with replaceable blades and self-cleaning rotor seal and centrifugal dewatering tower

An Underwater pelletizer for cutting extruded plastic into a flow of liquid. The pelletizer includes a cutter hub () carrying at least one cutter blade (), a cutter shaft () for rotationally driving the cutter hub, and a flexible torque converter () for connecting a motor to the cutter hub. In one embodiment, the torque converter has a first set of bushings () that is fastened to a face () of the cutter hub and a second set of bushings that is fastened to a face () of the cutter shaft. A shaft extension () can be configured to engage a motor shaft, the shaft extension having an Outer diameter having formed thereon a splined portion () and first () and second () sealing surfaces. A motor adapter () has a seal surface (). A water chamber plate () may also have a seal surface ().

Underwater pelletizer

A low impact belt dryer is presented for drying pellets while minimizing high-energy pellet collisions that may create pellet dust or cause pellets to fracture. The dryer includes a vacuum chamber having multiple air knife assemblies that direct high velocity drying fluid towards the pellets and though a liquid-permeable pellet-impermeable belt to a vacuum port. The low impact dryer may also include a centrifugal dryer for dewatering the pellets before they pass though the vacuum chamber. The conveyor belt of the dryer may transport the pellets through multiple desiccation chambers where low velocity air is directed upwards though the belt to both dry and levitate the pellets above the belt. The dryer may also include a cleaning chamber for removing debris from the liquid-permeable pellet-impermeable belt.

Low impact belt dryer

An underwater pelletizer is presented having an electromagnetic clamp that includes an electromagnetic ring body having a series of electromagnets disposed along a contact surface of the electromagnetic ring body. A clamping ring body has a series of mild steel inserts disposed along a contact surface of the clamping ring body, where each mild steel insert is disposed in a position complementary to at least one of the series of electromagnets. The electromagnetic clamp ring has a contact face with a series of electromagnets disposed therein and providing a clamping ring having a contact face with a series of mild steel inserts disposed therein, where the contact face of the clamping ring is configured to engage the contact face of the electromagnetic ring to form a seal and the mild steel inserts are positioned such that each one of the series of electromagnets is adjacent to one of the mild steel inserts when the contact faces of the electromagnetic and clamping rings are engaged. The method involves disposing the electromagnetic ring and the clamping ring between the water chamber and a die face, activating the series of electromagnets to clamp the electromagnetic ring to the clamping ring, and deactivating the series of electromagnets to gain access to the water chamber.

Magnetic clamp for underwater pelletizer

A rear edge side window catch assembly for a vehicle side window may include a rear edge side window guide and a side window catch bracket. The rear edge side window guide may include an upper end, a lower end and a substantially U-shaped channel formed by an exterior side wall and an interior side wall connected by a back wall. The channel may extend substantially the entire length between the upper end and the lower end. The side window catch bracket may include a connection section and a catch section, wherein the connection section may connect to the rear edge side window guide and the catch section may extend from the rear edge side window guide along the exterior side wall in a direction towards an opening of the channel.

Rear edge side window catch assemblies for vehicles

A refrigerated container and method capable of maintaining super frozen temperatures of about&#x2212;50 degrees C. or less, includes container walls insulated to a value of at least about r-20, a cargo compartment configured for receiving cargo, and at least one refrigerant compartment configured for receiving refrigerant in the form of COsnow. The refrigerant compartment maintains the COsnow and vapor sublimating therefrom separately from the cargo compartment. The refrigerant compartment is located within the cargo compartment and configured to permit ambient atmosphere within the cargo compartment to contact at least three sides, and up to six sides, of the refrigerant compartment. The placement of the refrigerant compartment is also configured to generate a temperature gradient within the cargo compartment capable of generating convection therein, so that the super frozen temperatures are maintained within the cargo compartment without the use of external power sources.

Refrigerated container for super frozen temperatures

An underwater pelletizer for cutting extruded plastic into a flow of liquid is disclosed. The pelletizer includes a cutter hub () carrying at least one cutter blade (), a cutter shaft () for rotationally driving the cutter hub, and a flexible torque converter () for connecting a motor to the cutter hub. In one embodiment, the torque converter has a first set of bushings () that is fastened to a face () of the cutter hub and a second set of bushings that is fastened to a face () of the cutter shaft. The disclosed pelletizer has a shaft extension () configured to engage a motor shaft, the shaft extension having an outer diameter having formed thereon a splined portion () and first () and second () sealing surfaces. A disclosed motor adaptor () has a seal surface (). A water chamber plate () may also have a seal surface (). A first mechanical seal () is illustratively configured to engage the first seal surface () of the shaft extension and the seal surface () of the motor adaptor. A second mechanical seal () is illustratively configured to engage the second seal surface () of the shaft extension and the seal surface () of the water chamber plate. Furthermore, a cutter shaft () has a splined bore () formed therein for engaging the splined portion () of the shaft extension.

Embodiments of a vehicle door structure are provided, wherein the door structure comprises a door panel configured to couple to a vehicle frame. The door panel comprises at least one clip receptacle disposed on a lower portion of the door panel. The vehicle door structure comprise a molding component comprising at least one clip, wherein the molding component is flush mounted to the lower portion of the door panel, wherein the at least one clip engages the least one clip receptacle of the door panel.

Vehicle door structures having anti-chipping performance

The plastic extruder assembly is of the type that includes an extruder barrel assembly and an extruder die chamber in the distal end of the extruder barrel assembly. The die chamber has means for receiving and mounting a die assembly therein and the die assembly has die holes extending therethrough to an outer face. A layer of insulating material is provided beneath the outer die face at least in the area of the die holes for inhibiting if not altogether preventing freezing of the plastic in the die holes. Also, radial and circumferential hot oil passageways are provided in the die assembly and the die holes are offset in either a concentric array or a series of spirals.

Plastic extruder assembly

The pelletizer comprises a chamber having a first side and a second side coupled to an extruder. A shaft extends through the first side into the chamber, a rotatable cutter assembly is mounted to the end of the shaft in the chamber and a die assembly is mounted at the second side of the chamber and has a die face facing into the chamber. The cutter assembly is positioned for rotation adjacent the die face. A prime mover is coupled to the shaft for rotating the cutter assembly. Plastic material is extruded through holes in the die assembly into the chamber as the cutter assembly is rotated to cut plastic streams coming out of the die assembly into pellets. A position control assembly automatically controls the position of the cutter assembly adjacent the die face. The cutter assembly has a plurality of cutting blades mounted thereon. Each cutting blade has a generally flat mounting portion for mounting to a hub, an elongate blade support portion extending upwardly from the mounting portion and a blade portion extending laterally angularly outwardly from the blade support portion and having a blade edge defined between a first blade surface extending generally parallel to and spaced from the flat mounting portion, and a second blade surface extending transversely to and intersecting the first blade surface along a line which is generally parallel to an elongate axis of the mounting portion.

Pelletizer

The extruder assembly includes a barrel, a screw received within the barrel, a motor drive and transmission connected to one end of the screw for driving same and an extruding die at the other end of the barrel through which material is forced by the screw. The barrel has a slot therein and the assembly further includes a ram feed assembly having two pivotally mounted ram sections positioned on either side of the barrel for forcing molten plastic through the slot into the barrel. The ram sections are pivotable between an upper operating position and a lower exposed position providing easy access to the ram sections for cleaning and maintenance thereof.

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West Chicago, IL, United States of America

George A Holmes