Device for filtering molten plastic

Details Device for filtering molten plastic Device for filtering molten plastic

1998-11-25

2001-09-18

Savage, Matthew O. (Department: 1723)

Liquid purification or separation

With repair or assembling means

Sliding or rolling on guide means

C210S341000, C210S435000, C425S197000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06290846

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a device for the filtering of a fluid stream with the characteristics of the generic part of patent claim
1
as well as a filter module for the use in such a device.
In order to clean fluid streams, particularly molten plastics, before their processing, it is known to remove the foreign particles from the fluid streams, particularly from the molten plastics, by means of a corresponding filter.
In order realize this filtering of the fluid stream in a continuous manner, it is known for a long time to provide in this case a filtering device which is perfused by the corresponding fluid stream and particularly by the molten plastic. Hereby this filtering device, as far as it is used for the filtering of molten plastics, is arranged downstream of an extruder and upstream of a corresponding tool or a corresponding nozzle.
The DE-AS 15 54 913, for example, describes a corresponding filtering device for an extruder and for injection molding machines, whereby the known device comprises a housing which is provided with a partial fluid duct being perfused by the molten plastic to be correspondingly filtered. In the known device a bolt extends vertically to the flow direction of the fluid in the partial fluid duct, whereby this bolt supports corresponding filters in such a way that the filters are arranged vertically to the flow direction of the molten plastic in the partial fluid duct. By axially shifting of the bolt relatively to the flow direction of the molten plastic it is possible to arrange the filter containing foreign particles and being thus soiled at the outside of the housing, so that correspondingly to that this filter can be cleaned and exchanged. In order not to interrupt the filtering of the molten plastic in this state, the corresponding bolt is provided with a number of further filters which are fixed in the bolt with an axial distance to each other. During the afore mentioned cleaning operation another corresponding filter being supported by means of the same bolt comes into contact with the molten plastic, so that then this molten plastic is filtered by means of this other filter.
A device for the filtering of a fluid stream, particularly for the filtering of a molten plastic, with the characteristics of the generic part of patent claim
1
is known from the DE 195 19 519. Hereby the known device comprises a fluid supply duct and a fluid removal duct, whereby at least one partial fluid duct, namely two partial fluid ducts in the shown embodiment according to the DE 195 19 519, are located between the fluid supply duct and the fluid removal duct. Each partial fluid duct comprises a filter which is arranged mainly vertically to the flow direction of the fluid to be filtered, whereby this filter is supported by means of an axially shiftable bolt being located vertically to the partial fluid duct. As already described above in connection with the DE-AS 15 54 913, this bolt is fixed in a fluid-tight way by a corresponding housing, so that by axially shifting of the bolt the filter being supported by the bolt can be brought into contact with the fluid flowing within the partial fluid duct in order to thus filter the fluid. After the depositing of filtered particles on the filter the correspondingly soiled filter is removed from the fluid by axially shifting the bolt, so that the filter surface can correspondingly be cleaned.
Particularly in the field of plastic processing in which the afore described devices for the filtering of a fluid stream are preferably used, the filter size and the dimensions of the known filtering devices are generally adapted to the momentary needs, whereby the chosen filter size correlates with the plastic to be correspondingly processed and with the soiling of the plastic. Since, however, such filtering devices generally have a relatively long durability, the problem often occurs that the once chosen filter size of the filtering devices turns out to be either too large or too small in the run of the operating time, so that for that reason an optimum production can not be guaranteed anymore.
The present invention has the object of disposing a device of the filtering of a fluid stream, particularly for the filtering of a plastic, of the indicated sort, whereby this filtering device allows a particularly flexible adaptation to the different production conditions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This object is realized according to the invention by a device for the filtering of a fluid stream, particularly for the filtration of a molten plastic, with the significant characteristics of patent claim
1
as well as by a filter module with the significant characteristics of patent claim
28
.
The inventive device for the filtering of a fluid stream, particularly for the filtration of a molten plastic, comprises at least one fluid supply duct or a first connection area for connecting with an existing fluid supply duct and at least one fluid removal duct or a second connection area for connecting with an existing fluid removal duct. The fluid supply duct, respectively the corresponding first connection area, is connected with the fluid removal duct, respectively with the second connection area, by means of at least one partial fluid duct, whereby the at least one partial fluid duct comprises at least one filter being essentially arranged vertically to the flow direction of the fluid to be filtered. This at least one filter is fixed by means of a bolt being arranged normally with respect to the longitudinal axis of the partial fluid duct and being axially shiftable relatively to the housing. In difference to the afore described prior art the inventive device has a modular construction in which a distribution module, at least one filter module comprising the partial fluid duct and a final module are detachably connected with each other relatively to the flow direction of the fluid to be filtered. The distribution module comprises at least one distribution duct which connects the fluid supply duct, respectively the first connection area, with the partial fluid duct, whereas the final module comprises at least one outlet duct. Hereby this outlet duct extends between the partial fluid duct and the fluid removal duct, respectively the second connection area. In other words, in the inventive device firstly a distribution module, then at least one filter module and subsequently to that a final module are detachably connected with each other in a fluid-tight way relatively to the flow direction of the fluid to be filtered, so that the fluid to be filtered is led from the fluid supply duct over the at least one distribution duct of the distribution module, over the at least one partial fluid duct being located in the filter module and over the at least one outlet duct being located in the final module to the fluid removal duct, whereby the actual filtering in the inventive device is realized by the at least one filter being fixed by means of the axially shiftable bolt and being arranged within the partial fluid duct.
The inventive device shows a number of advantages. First of all the essential advantage is to be pointed out that, conditioned by the modular construction, the inventive device can be individually adjusted to the corresponding needs within a short term since, by arranging any number of filter modules between the distribution module and the final module, the required filtering surface can be correspondingly enlargened or reduced. Particularly if the inventive device comprises identical filter modules the production expenses of the inventive device can be essentially reduced since such identically formed filter modules can be produced in series in a simple and inexpensive way. The modular construction moreover allows that the corresponding ducts of the inventive device, as far as they are soiled or plugged by, for example, cracked plastic, are particularly easily accessible since the inventive device can be disassembled, cleaned and reassembled very rapidly because of the detachable connection. The

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