Agitating – Rubber or heavy plastic working – With specified vent means
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-23
2001-02-20
Cooley, Charles E. (Department: 1723)
Agitating
Rubber or heavy plastic working
With specified vent means
C366S076300, C366S085000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06190031
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a machine for continuous processing of flowable materials.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A machine for continuous processing of flowable materials is known e.g. from EP 0 788 867 A1. The housing wall consists for example of two about equally long segments, one segment being provided with the material inlet and the other segment with the other passages through which gases are sucked out of the material to be processed subsequent to a kneading and retaining zone.
The processing elements must engage the semicircular channels in the inside core and in the housing wall largely tightly. On the other hand, the housing is exposed to high wear. The two segments produced at high expense must thus be replaced quite frequently.
The problem of the invention is to substantially reduce the costs of such a machine caused by replacement of the segments.
This is attained according to the invention by Applicants' machine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
As has been ascertained, the wear of the housing is different in the machine in the axial direction, i.e. compared with the rest of the housing wall, mainly where the passages are located for supplying or removing substances.
For example, high wear occurs in the area of passages for supplying solid additives to the material to be processed in the machine, for example reinforcing fibers in the form of rovings. The wear in the area of the passages can also be comparatively low, however, e.g. if the passages are used for sucking off gases or for supplying substances with lubricating properties.
By reason of this different wear of the housing wall in the area of the passages, short segments provided with these passages are used according to the invention while the other segments of the housing wall are of longer design but not longer than the outer diameter of the housing or the largest part of the housing and thus the long segments.
The wear of the housing wall can in addition be dependent on the processing elements. Thus, such a machine can have one or more kneading zones and/or retaining zones between the material inlet and the material outlet. The positively conveying worm elements as processing elements are then replaced in the kneading zone for example by kneading blocks, as known e.g. from EP 0 422 272 A1, and in the retaining zone for example by baffle plates or negatively conveying worm elements.
According to the invention, the segments subject to lower wear thus need to be replaced less often than the segments exposed to high wear. This substantially reduces the operating expenses of the machine.
Taking as a basis the diameter of the bores for receiving the shafts with the processing elements, the length of the long segments is preferably three to seven times, in particular about five times, this diameter, and the length of the short segments one to three times, in particular about two times, this diameter.
Since their strength can be weakened by the passages, the short segments preferably have a larger wall thickness than the long segments. The wall thickness of the long segments can be for example one to three times, in particular about two times, the diameter of the bores for receiving the shafts with the processing elements. In addition, the long segments can be provided on their outside circumference with at least one ring groove for receiving a heater or heat sink.
The passages in the short segments are preferably formed at least partly by larger openings having a diameter which is at least half as large as the diameter of the bores for receiving the shafts with the processing elements.
The long segments are either completely closed or provided at most with small openings with less than one half, in particular less than one fourth, of the diameter of the bores for receiving the shafts with the processing elements. The small bores in the long segments can be used for example for temperature measurement, for sampling or for supplying viscous substances.
If the material to be processed is a solid material which is plasticized in the machine, for example thermoplastic pellets of plastic, the passages can be used for example for sucking gases out of the plasticized material or for supplying additives to the plasticized material. These additives can be for example reinforcing materials, such as reinforcing fibers, which can be supplied e.g. in the form of rovings.
For supplying such solid additives one might require passages which are larger than the passages for discharging gases. Thus, the passages for discharging gases can for example correspond to or be smaller than the diameter of the bores for receiving the shafts with the processing elements while the passages for supplying solid additives can be larger than the diameter of the bores for receiving the shafts with the processing elements.
Accordingly, it is also possible according to the invention to divide the short segments into ones having at least one passage with a diameter larger than the diameter of the bores for receiving the shafts with the processing elements, and ones having exclusively passages with a diameter corresponding at most to the diameter of the bores for receiving the shafts with the processing elements. The short segments with at least one such large passage whose diameter is larger than the diameter of the bores for receiving the shafts with the processing elements can be equally long as or longer than the other short segments.
Besides the short and long segments the housing has a filling segment provided with the material inlet. The filling segment is preferably provided with an opening for discharging gas from the space with the shafts. After entering this space through the material inlet, the material to be processed is conveyed back and forth between adjacent shafts between the outer side and the inner side of the space. If the material to be processed is a powder, the gas component of the powder is thereby separated from the solid. The gas component can thus be sucked off through the gas outlet.
The inventive machine accordingly also permits processing of e.g. very finely powdered substances which can otherwise not be processed with such a machine because the high air component leads to problems in the machine.
The gas outlet can be provided in the filling segment or, if the inside core has a hollow design, by an opening leading from the space with the shafts into the hollow inside core.
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Blach Josef A.
Blach Markus
Blach Michael
Cooley Charles E.
Flynn ,Thiel, Boutell & Tanis, P.C.
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