Usm Corporation

Intercole Automation, Inc.

Peter Hold

Zehev Tadmor

Marc A Rizzi

Hans R Scharer

Lefteris N Valsamis

Angelo J Notte

John Crossley Hinchcliffe

Manfred Hubner

Dominic A D'Amato

An extruder including a devolatilizing section having helical channels formed in the barrel and having a cylindrical rotor closing the inner sides of the channels. Material is fed onto the rotor surface which rotates and forms the material into one or more rolling banks engaging only the upstream flank of the channels and the rotor surface. Helical vent slots pass through the barrel into each channel at the downstream flanks not occupied by the rolling bank.

Devolatilizing mixing extruder

Novel and improved processes and apparatus for processing particulate materials which can be converted to the liquid state. Essentially, the process and apparatus involve feeding a particulate material to an annular processing passage for melting and controlled processing. The annular processing passage is provided by a rotatable element carrying at least one processing channel, and a stationary element which provides a complementary, coaxial surface arranged with the channel to provide the enclosed processing passage. Also associated with the stationary element are an inlet for feeding material to the passage, an outlet for discharging material, a material collecting end wall surface for the passage and a member or members extending into the processing channel providing a material restraining surface between the inlet and outlet and occupying a predetermined portion of the melt pool space between the end wall and the restraining surface. Rotation of the rotatable element establishes relative movement between the rotating inner channel wall surfaces and the restrained particulate material, causing only liquid (melted) material in contact with the rotating channel walls to be dragged forward to the end wall surface for controlled processing and discharge. Controlling the size of the melt pool space provides control of processing characteristics for the liquid material collected in the melt pool space.

Process and apparatus for processing plastic and polymeric materials

Novel and improved methods and apparatus for processing liquid or viscous materials. Essentially, the methods and apparatus involve feeding liquid materials to an annular processing passage for controlled processing. The annular processing passage is provided by two elements. One is a rotatable element carrying at least one processing channel. The other element is stationary and provides a complementary coaxial surface arranged with the channel to provide the enclosed processing passage. Also associated with the stationary element are an inlet for feeding material to the passage, an outlet for discharging material from the passage, an element near the outlet providing a material collecting end wall surface and an element positioned between the inlet and outlet providing a liquid material spreading surface. Rotation of the rotatable element toward the spreading surface provides a coaction between the rotatable element and the spreading surface so that relative movement is established between the rotating inner channel walls and liquid material between the inlet and the spreader surface. Because of the relative movement, the liquid material is spread toward the walls and dragged by the walls through a clearance between the sides of the spreading surface providing member and the side walls as thin layers providing central spaces of the passage downstream of the spreader surface which are free of liquid material. Means are arranged for communicating with the free central spaces to add materials to or withdraw materials from the free central space.

Method for processing plastic and polymeric materials

Apparatus for processing plastic and polymeric materials

Method and apparatus for controlling the parameters of injection molding processes in a machine having a barrel with a plasticating chamber and a screw, rotatably and slidably disposed in said chamber, hopper means adjacent one end of said chamber communicating therewith and nozzle means disposed in the other end of said chamber communicating with a mold. Control of the injection molding process is achieved through an event recognition philosophy by sensing screw position, screw injection velocity, melt temperature, comparing the values at certain instances during the work cycle with known or desired values and using these values, changes of values and differences of values to monitor and initiate changes in the process parameters.

Injection molding machine controls

The disclosure concerns a continuous mixer for plastic material and of the type which permits control of the pressure on the material being mixed in the mixer by resisting the flow of mixed material displaced from the mixer when unmixed material is fed into the mixer. The resistance to the discharged flow is effected by one or more elements which engage the flow and which are movable.

Continuous mixer internal pressure control

Sealing means for controlling leakage of material between closely spaced apart, relatively moving coaxial annular surfaces. Essentially, leakage is controlled by providing a plurality of helical sealing channels on one of the relatively moving surfaces to resist flow of leakage liquid between the surfaces. The sealing means are particularly adaptable for controlling leakage from processing passages of rotary processing apparatus.

Seals for rotary processor

A seal construction and rotary processor including the seal construction in which the seal includes nested truncated conical members of thin stiffly-resilient material interposed between relatively rotatable coaxial surfaces with inner edge portions of the members adjacent and in flow resistant relation to one, and outer edge portions adjacent and in flow resistant relation to the other of the surfaces, marginal portions at either the inner or the outer edge portions of the loops being held to enable pressure against the loops to force the outer or inner edges respectively into improved sealing relation to the surface to which they are adjacent.

Rotary seal construction and processor

Improved means for aligning processing members at various positions in processing passages of rotary processors. Essentially, the alignment means (or alignment elements) comprise a non-rotatable member positioned in the processing passage and shaped to at least partially interfere with flow of material in the passage. The shaped member is designed to perform certain processing functions on material in the passage such as blocking, collecting, mixing, spreading, restraining etc. The member is positioned so as to be non-rotative with the passage but is flexibly supported so as to 'float' axially in the passage and is self-centering in the passage by hydrodynamic action.

Processing element

A multi-stage rotary processor for plastic and polymeric materials which are, or become in the course of processing, viscous liquids, including an annular housing, a rotor coaxial with and rotatable with respect to the housing and having a cylindrical surface in slidable sealing relation with the interior of the housing, a plurality of annular channels formed in the cylindrical surface and cooperating with the housing to form annular processing passages, transfer passages, which are preferably channels in the surface of the housing for cooperation with the cylindrical portions of the rotor, to provide passage for transfer of material between processing passages and blocking members extending into the channels to hold material in the processing passages for relative movement with respect to the channel walls for processing. In a preferred structure the transfer channels are formed and the blocking members may be mounted in removable flow director units including surfaces forming part of the surface of the annular housing.

Rotary processor

An extruder machine for processing thermoplastic materials such as low density polyethylene, the extruder incorporating a body having a bore therethrough with a rotor or screw journalled therein. The rotor has several successive mixing and pumping sections. The mixing sections on the rotor are multiple flighted defining primary and secondary channels having their discharge and entrances respectively blocked or restricted by annular dam arrangements. The rotor includes a plurality of adjustable dams, arranged across the channels, permitting a variation in the degree of homogenization which may be performed upon the extrudite. The dams may be radially displaceable to vary the distance between the radially outer surface of the dam and the surface of the bore.

Adjustable homogenization extruder

Sealing means for controlling leakage of material between closely spaced apart, relatively moving coaxial annular surfaces. Essentially, leakage is controlled by providing a pumping channel on one of the surfaces and a leakage liquid retaining channel on the other surface. The pumping and leakage liquid retaining channels are cooperatively arranged to resist flow of leakage liquid between the surfaces. The sealing means are particularly adaptable for controlling leakage from processing passages of rotary processing apparatus.

An extruder machine for processing thermoplastic materials such as low density polyethylene, the extruder incorporating a body having a bore therethrough with a rotor journalled therein and having several mixing and cooling sections set thereon in succession. The mixing sections on the rotor are multiple flighted defining primary and secondary channels having their discharge and entrances respectively blocked or restricted by annular dam arrangements. The bore includes a plurality of annular grooves of symmetrical or non-symmetrical cross-sectional configurations along the axis of the bore which grooves are slightly displaced in the bore with respect to the annular restrictions disposed on the rotor. The rotor, however, is axially displaceable to permit variations in the mixing intensity upon the extrudite being worked, by allowing the annular restrictions on the rotor to be controllably juxtaposed with the annular grooves in the bore of the extruder machine.

Homogenization extruder

Method for controlling the parameters of injection molding processes in a machine having a barrel with a plasticating chamber and a screw, rotatably and slidably disposed in said chamber, hopper means adjacent one end of said chamber communicating therewith and nozzle means disposed in the other end of said chamber communicating with a mold. Control of the injection molding process is achieved through an event recognition philosophy by sensing screw position, screw injection velocity, melt temperature, comparing the values at certain instances during the work cycle with known or desired values and using these values, changes of values and differences of values to monitor and initiate changes in the process parameters.

A radially directed pressure applying member is disposed between a nonrotative inner shaft and a rotative outer shell encircling the nonrotative inner shaft, which comprises a controlled deflection roll assembly. The pressure applying member includes a fluid filled toroidal shaped flexible membrane disposed on the outer end of a hydrostatic piston arranged radially within the nonrotative shaft. The toroidal shaped membrane acts as a bearing and a fluid cushion on the inner surface of the outer shell to uniformly support the shell and to avoid deflections caused by external loads or to deflect the shell in a predetermined way.

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Milford, CT, United States of America

Peter Hold