Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc.

Tadashi Kunii

Mutsuhiko Takeda

Tomotaka Furusawa

Katsumasa Tanaka

Akitoshi Sugio

Toshikazu Umemura

Akira Amemiya

Masanori Furukawa

Isamu Masumoto

Kiyokazu Kawaguchi

Yoshihiro Ono

Akira Amamiya

Toshikazu Umenura

Noriyasu Nakao

In a process for producing a stabilized oxymethylene copolymer by heat-melting, at a temperature ranging between the melting point of the copolymer and a temperature 100.degree. C. higher than the melting point in a degassing apparatus in the presence of a heat stabilizer, a crude oxymethylene copolymer of trioxane with a cyclic acetal or cyclic ether, to decompose and eliminate the instable portions of the copolymer, the improvement which comprises using as the degassing apparatus in heat stabilizing the crude oxymethylene copolymer a combination of (A) an extruder and (B) a surface renewing-type mixer, and carrying out the operation by first feeding a crude oxymethylene copolymer to said extruder (A) to heat-melt and decompose 30-90% by weight of the instable portions of the crude copolymer, removing the decomposed gas via a vent provided in said extruder, and thereafter introducing the molten resin continuously to said surface renewing-type mixer (B) where substantially all of the remaining instable portions of the oxymethylene copolymer are heat-decomposed until the content of the instable portions falls below about 2 wt. %, thereby heat stabilizing the copolymer; said extruder (A) having a single or a plurality of shafts, said surface renewing-type mixer functioning to mix and knead the resin thereby constantly renewing the surface of the resin to volatize the volatiles contained therein.

Process for heat stabilizing oxymethylene copolymers

In a process for producing an oxymethylene homopolymer or copolymer having improved stability which comprises polymerizing trioxane or a mixture of trioxane and a cyclic ether and/or a cyclic acetal in bulk in the presence of a catalyst which is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of boron trifluoride, boron trifluoride hydrate and coordination compounds of boron trifluoride with organic compounds containing an oxygen or sulfur atom, the improvement which comprises performing the bulk polymerization without destroying the bulk polymerization system, or which comprises adding a tertiary phosphine compound to the polymerization system to deactivate the catalyst, before the polymerization system formed by the bulk polymerization is destroyed.

Process for continuous production of oxymethylene polymer or copolymer

In a process for producing a stabilized oxymethylene copolymer which comprises heat-melting an oxymethylene copolymer having unstable, unblocked terminals obtained by the copolymerization of trioxane with a cyclic acetal and/or a cyclic ether to heat decompose it in the presence of available heat stabilizers; the improvement which comprises heating said oxymethylene copolymer having unblocked terminals in a mixer at a temperature between the melting point of said oxymethylene copolymer and a point 100.degree. C. higher than said melting point under a pressure of 0.1 mmHg to a atmospheric pressure for a mean residence time of 5 to 60 minutes, said mixer comprising a casing, a jacket for heating medium fitted over its external wall, and at least two stirring shafts equipped with a plurality of scraping blades disposed in said casing, said stirring shafts being capable of rotating in the same or different directions, and in the meantime, rotating said stirring shafts of said mixer to heat decompose said oxymethylene copolymer while renewing the surface of the molten oxymethylene copolymer.

Process for stabilizing oxymethylene copolymers

In a method for mixing a trioxane, a polymerization catalyst and a comonomer for producing of oxymethylene copolymers by continuously copolymerizing trioxane with a cyclic ether or a cyclic acetal as a comonomer, the improved method comprises following steps:

Method for mixing raw materials for producing oxymethylene copolymers

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Yokkaichi, Japan

Tadashi Kunii