Plastic article or earthenware shaping or treating: apparatus – Means making particulate material directly from liquid or...
Patent
1995-07-17
1998-06-16
Woo, Jay H.
Plastic article or earthenware shaping or treating: apparatus
Means making particulate material directly from liquid or...
222255, 222415, 222420, 264 8, 425381, 4253823, B29B 0910
Patent
active
057666423
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention refers to an apparatus for manufacturing granulated material from free-flowing viscous substances that are made into drops and solidify or gel, consisting of a vessel, charged with the free-flowing substance, with an outflow slit which, for forming the drops, is intermittently opened or closed by a perforated belt that is periodically moved past them.
An apparatus of this kind is known from EP 0 134 944 B1, where an endless continuously recirculating belt is guided about two reversing pulleys, of which one at least is driven. The belt of this publication is made from a plastic material, for example PVC, in order to give the belt sufficient elasticity to permit its running about the pulleys and lying against the vessel. However, it is a characteristic feature of plastic belts that they wear and age relatively rapidly. This may lead to the need to provide for relatively frequent belt changes, causing production stoppages, or else, after longer periods of operation, the belt may no longer lie sufficiently close against the discharge slit of the vessel in which case its operation will deteriorate unless the belt is currently re-tensioned.
Now, it is the object of the invention to provide a belt that has a considerably longer service life and that does not offer the problems of elastically resilient belts.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention proceeds from the consideration that while metal belts, especially steel belts, would of course offer the desired belt properties, the relatively small dimensions of the reversing pulleys of the before-mentioned apparatuses and the flexibility necessitated thereby, would require the belts to be made very thin so that their openings would not have the necessary volumes to enable the desired drops to be formed. The invention now provides that, while the belt is configured as a thin metal belt, all its perforation openings are provided with sleeves protruding from its surface opposite the vessel. This configuration makes it possible to use a sufficiently thin steel belt that offers sufficient mechanical and aging stability while at the same time its openings have a sufficiently large volume for forming the drops.
According to an advantageous further development of the subject-matter of the invention, the sleeves may be provided with collars lying against the vessel surface of the metal belt, and the spaces between the collars and the sleeves may be filled up with a layer flush with the collars. The layer may consist, for example, of a plastic layer which then does not have to absorb any tension forces.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention is depicted in the drawings with reference to exemplary embodiments, and will be explained below. In the drawings:
FIG. 1 shows a schematic vertical sectional view of an apparatus for manufacturing granulated material; according to the invention
FIG. 2 shows a top view of the apparatus according to FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 shows an enlarged section through the perforated belt used in the apparatus according to FIGS. 1 and 2, taken along line 3--3 in FIG. 2; and
FIG. 4 shows a view of a variant of the perforated belt similar to the view of FIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
FIGS. 1 and 2 show an endless continuously recirculating belt (2) above a conveyor belt (1), especially a cooling belt designed as a steel belt, the belt (2) being guided about two reversing pulleys (3 and 4) that are mounted, in a manner not shown in detail, in a support frame (7) above the conveyor belt (1). The reversing pulley (3) is driven in the direction indicated by arrow (5). FIG. 2 shows that this is achieved by the fact that the supporting shaft (3a) of the reversing pulley (3) is provided with a gear (6) which latter is driven by an electric motor (8) via a pinion (7). However, it would of course also be possible to use a chain or belt drive, especially a V-belt drive.
The two reversing pulleys (3 and 4) are supported in such a way that their mutual distance can be adjust
REFERENCES:
patent: 2857082 (1958-10-01), Perkins
patent: 4248577 (1981-02-01), Bory et al.
patent: 4399084 (1983-08-01), Sagawa
patent: 4559000 (1985-12-01), Froeschke
patent: 5286181 (1994-02-01), Schwager
Santrade Ltd.
Schwartz Iurie A.
Woo Jay H.
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