Gravimetric blender with power hopper cover

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10166699-B2
Application number	US-201514666599-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 24, 2015
Priority date	Jun 17, 2006
Publication date	Jan 1, 2019
Grant date	Jan 1, 2019

Abstract

A gravimetric blender has a frame, at least one material storage hopper at the top of the frame including a hopper cover, a weigh bin located within the frame, below the hopper, for receipt of material from the hopper to be weighed and being adapted for downward discharge of the material in the bio bin after the material received from the hopper has been weighed, at least one load cell connecting the weigh bin to the frame for sensing the weight of contents of the weigh bin, a mixer within the frame below the hopper, for mixing material weighed in the weigh bin after that material falls downwardly from the weigh bin to the mixer, and a guide adapted for vertical movement of the hopper cover therealong between positions which the cover contacts and thereby closes the hopper and at which the cover is spaced vertically above the hopper so that the hopper is open at the top.

First claim

The following is claimed:

1. A gravimetric blender for receiving separate portions of individual granular resin materials, weighing the separate portions of individual granular resin materials according to a recipe, and mixing the weighed separate portions of individual granular resin materials into a homogenous granular resin material blend for subsequent molding or extrusion into finished plastic parts, comprising:
a) a frame;
b) at least one resin material storage hopper at the top of the frame and connected thereto, including a vertically movable hopper cover;
c) a weigh bin connected to the frame and located below the hopper, adapted for downward discharge of bin contents after the contents have been weighed therein;
d) at least one load cell connecting the frame and the weigh bin, for sensing weight of contents of the weigh bin;
e) a mixer connected to the frame, below the hopper, for mixing contents of the weigh bin after those contents fall downwardly from the weigh bin to the mixer;
f) a vertically oriented tubular member for guiding vertical movement of the hopper cover therealong between positions at which the cover contacts and thereby closes the hopper and at which the cover is spaced from and above the hopper so that the hopper is open; and
g) a pair of horizontally spaced pneumatically powered piston-cylinder combinations positioned on either side of the guide and being connected to the frame and to the hopper cover with the cylinders of the piston-cylinder combinations being mounted on an upper surface of the hopper cover, for moving the hopper cover vertically up and down along the guide.

2. A gravimetric blender for receiving separate individual granular resin materials, weighing and combining separate parts of the individual granular resin materials according to a recipe, and mixing the separate parts into a homogenous granular resin material blend for subsequent molding or extrusion into finished plastic parts, comprising:
a) a frame;
b) a plurality of resin material storage hoppers connected to the frame;
c) a movable cover contactingly overlying the plurality of hoppers;
d) a weigh bin located, below the hoppers, adapted for downward discharge of bin contents after the contents have been weighed therein;
e) at least one load cell connecting the frame and the weigh bin, for sensing weight of contents of the weigh bin;
f) a mixer connected to the frame, below the hopper, for mixing contents of the weigh bin after those contents fall downwardly from the weigh bin to the mixer; and
g) piston-cylinder combination means for moving the hopper cover vertically relative to the frame towards and away from the hoppers, the cylinders of the piston-cylinder combination being mounted on the top of the hopper cover.

3. The gravimetric blender of claim 2 wherein the hopper cover piston-cylinder combination moving means moves the cover between positions at which the cover contacts all of the hoppers and at which the cover is spaced above all of the hoppers.

4. The gravimetric blender of claim 3 wherein the hopper cover moves vertically in response to the piston-cylinder combinations between positions at which the cover closes all of the hoppers and at which all of the hopper tops are open.

5. The gravimetric blender of claim 2 wherein the piston-cylinder combination comprises a pair of piston-cylinder combinations, each connected to the frame and to the cover, for moving the hopper cover vertically, the piston-cylinder combinations being horizontally spaced from one another and at the same height.

6. The gravimetric blender of claim 3 further comprising:
a) a tubular member for guiding vertical movement of the hopper cover between positions at which the cover contacts and thereby closes the hoppers and at which the cover is spaced from the hoppers so that the hoppers are open, each one of the piston-cylinder combinations further comprising:
i) a piston and a cylinder, each piston-cylinder combination having the piston connected to the frame and each piston-cylinder combination having the cylinder fixedly connected to the cover, for moving the hopper cover vertically back and forth along the guide, with the piston-cylinder combinations being on either side of the guide and the piston-cylinder combinations and the guide being horizontally aligned.

7. A method for moving an upwardly and downwardly movable hopper cover of a gravimetric blender, the gravimetric blender receiving granular resin materials, weighing the granular resin materials according to a recipe, and mixing the weighed granular resin material into a homogenous blend, the cover being movable from a position at which the cover contacts and covers upwardly facing opening of the hopper to a position at which the cover is vertically spaced away from the hopper upwardly facing opening, for facilitating cleaning and material changeover within the hopper, the cover being adapted for supporting a vacuum loader for feeding resin material into the hopper, the method comprising:
a) advancing the hopper cover upwardly from the hopper along a guide by application of pneumatic pressure to a piston-cylinder combination, the cylinder being affixed to the cover and the piston being connected to the blender frame, to a position at which the cover is sufficiently remote from the hopper that a worker can access the now coverless hopper and remove the hopper from the blender frame, while maintaining the hopper cover in orientation to facilitate continued support of a vacuum loader resting on the hopper cover for feeding resin material into the hopper.

8. The method of claim 7 in which advancing the hopper cover further comprises advancing the hopper cover vertically by applying pneumatic pressure to a pair of piston-cylinder combinations, each piston-cylinder combination having the cylinder affixed to the top of the cover and the piston connected to the blender frame.

9. In a method for removing a hopper from a gravimetric blender, the gravimetric blender receiving separate individual granular resin materials, weighing the separate individual granular resin materials according to a recipe, and mixing the weighed separate individual granular resin materials into a homogeneous blend, the gravimetric blender having a cover for vertically supporting a vacuum loader for feeding resin material into the hopper, the hopper being removed from the gravimetric blender for cleaning and material changeover, the improvement to the method comprising;
a) advancing the hopper cover upwardly from the hopper slidably along a path defined by a telescoping guide to a position at which the cover is sufficiently remote from the hopper that a worker can access the coverless hopper and disconnect the hopper from the blender frame, while
b) pneumatically maintaining the hopper cover in a horizontal orientation while positioned remotely from the hopper to continue support of any vacuum loader resting thereon for feeding resin material into the hopper.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the defined path is vertical and the advancing is performed pneumatically.

11. In a method for raising a hopper cover from a gravimetric blender, the hopper cover supporting equipment for feeding resin material into the hopper, for blender cleaning and material changeover, the gravimetric blender receiving separate individual granular resin materials, weighing separate portions of the individual granular resin materials according to a recipe, and mixing the weighed separate portions of the individual granular resin materials into a homogeneous blend, the improvement to the method comprising:
a) advancing the hopper cover upwardly from the hopper along a predefined path defined by an

Assignees

• Maguire Stephen B

Inventors

• Maguire Stephen B

Classifications

• B29B7/78

  by gravity, e.g. falling particle mixers · CPC title

• B01F3/184

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F5/26

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F2215/0049

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F15/0445

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic