Screw machine and method for the processing of material to be processed

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11117306-B2
Application number	US-201615773738-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 27, 2016
Priority date	Nov 5, 2015
Publication date	Sep 14, 2021
Grant date	Sep 14, 2021

Abstract

A screw machine includes an inductive heating device for processing of material to be processed. The inductive heating device is used to heat the material in a heating zone. In the heating zone, at least one housing portion is made of an electromagnetically transparent material at least partly, the material being non-magnetic and electrically non-conductive, whereas at least one treatment element shaft is made of an electrically conductive material at least partly. The inductive heating device includes at least one coil formed integrally with a component of the at least one housing portion, in particular in such a way as to form a hybrid component. During the processing of the material, the inductive heating device generates an alternating magnetic field that produces eddy current losses in the at least one treatment element shaft, the eddy current losses leading to a temperature increase of the at least one treatment element shaft.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A screw machine, comprising:
a housing comprising a plurality of interconnected housing portions arranged in succession in a conveying direction;
at least one housing bore formed in the housing;
a feed opening leading into the at least one housing bore;
at least one treatment element shaft arranged in the at least one housing bore such that the at least one treatment element shaft is drivable for rotation about at least one rotational axis; and
an inductive heating device configured to form a heating zone with at least one coil, wherein the at least one coil surrounds the at least one treatment element shaft, at least one housing portion in the heating zone comprising a component made of a non-magnetic and electrically non-conductive material, the at least one treatment element shaft comprising an electrically conductive material at least in the heating zone, the at least one coil being integrated in the component, and at least one cooling duct being integrated in the component, the at least one cooling duct being formed at a side of the at least one coil facing away from the at least one housing bore.

2. A screw machine according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one coil forms in each case a plurality of windings, the windings being surrounded by the component, the at least one treatment element shaft comprising a treatment element shaft longitudinal axis, the housing comprising an outer housing surface, the at least one cooling duct being arranged radially between the at least one coil and the outer housing surface with respect to the treatment element shaft longitudinal axis.

3. A screw machine according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one coil forms in each case at least two terminals, the terminals being accessible from an outside of the component.

4. A screw machine according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one coil and the component are configured to form a hybrid component, the at least one coil being arranged between the at least cooling duct and at least housing bore.

5. A screw machine according to claim 1 , wherein the component forms an inner sleeve, which defines at least a portion of the at least one housing bore in the heating zone.

6. A screw machine according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one coil comprises an associated conductor, the component having a material thickness in a region of the conductor perpendicular to the at least one rotational axis, the material thickness being greater than or equal to five millimeters and the material thickness being less than or equal to fifty millimeters.

7. A screw machine according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one coil comprises an associated conductor, the conductor having a cross-section free of hollow spaces.

8. A screw machine according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one coil defines an inner space and the at least one housing portion is made exclusively of the non-magnetic and electrically non-conductive material in the inner space.

9. A screw machine according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one housing portion comprises at least one outer part, and the component is supported against the at least one outer part.

10. A screw machine according to claim 1 , wherein a flow line and a return flow line of a cooling device are connected to the cooling duct, and at least one of a flow temperature in the flow line and a return flow temperature in the return flow line is measurable by at least one temperature measuring sensor.

11. A screw machine according to claim 1 , wherein the inductive heating device comprises an energy supply device to operate the at least one coil, the energy supply device providing at least one of an alternating voltage and an alternating current.

12. A screw machine according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a temperature measuring sensor configured to measure a measured temperature of the material to be processed; and
a control device configured to control the inductive heating device in response to the measured temperature of the material to be processed.

13. A screw machine according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one coil comprises a conductor, the conductor forming a plurality of windings and terminals arranged at ends thereof, the windings having a shape of a horizontal figure eight and the windings being adapted to two housing bores.

14. A screw machine according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one cooling duct has a shape of a horizontal figure eight and the at least one cooling duct is adapted to one or more of two housing bores and windings of the at least one coil.

15. A method for processing of material to be processed, the method comprising the following steps:
providing a screw machine comprising a housing including a plurality of interconnected housing portions arranged in succession in a conveying direction, at least one housing bore formed in the housing, a feed opening leading into the at least one housing bore, at least one treatment element shaft arranged in the at least one housing bore such that the at least one treatment element shaft is drivable for rotation about at least one rotational axis and an inductive heating device configured to form a heating zone with at least one coil, wherein the at least one coil surrounds the at least one treatment element shaft, at least one housing portion in the heating zone comprising a component made of a non-magnetic and electrically non-conductive material, the at least one treatment element shaft comprising an electrically conductive material at least in the heating zone, the at least one coil being integrated in the component, at least one cooling duct being integrated in the component, the at least one cooling duct being formed at a side of the at least one coil facing away from the at least one housing bore;
feeding a material to be processed into the at least one housing bore;
heating the at least one treatment element shaft via the inductive heating device; and
heating the material to be processed on the at least one heated treatment element shaft.

16. A method according to claim 15 , wherein the inductive heating device is operated such that a temperature of the at least one coil is above a melting temperature of the material to be processed, the at least one treatment element shaft comprising a treatment element shaft longitudinal axis, the housing comprising an outer housing surface, the at least one cooling duct being arranged radially between the at least one coil and the outer housing surface with respect to the treatment element shaft longitudinal axis.

17. A screw machine according to claim 7 , wherein at least a portion of the cross-section free of hollow spaces is formed linearly.

18. A screw machine according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one of the alternating voltage and the alternating current is provided with an adjustable frequency.

19. A screw machine according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one of the alternating voltage and the alternating current is provided with an adjustable amplitude.

20. A method according to claim 15 , wherein the at least one treatment element shaft is heated via the inductive heating device until the material has molten at least partly in the heating zone.

21. A method according to claim 16 , wherein the temperature of the at least one coil is above 100° C.

22. A screw machine, comprising:
a housing comprising a plurality of interconnected housing portions arranged in succession in a conveying direction, the housing defining at

Assignees

• Coperion Gmbh

Inventors

• Welb Sören

Classifications

• B29C2948/92876

  Feeding, melting, plasticising or pumping zones, e.g. the melt itself · CPC title

• B29B7/728

  Measuring data of the driving system, e.g. torque, speed, power, vibration (B29B7/724 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29C45/62

  Barrels or cylinders · CPC title

• B29C48/509

  Materials, coating or lining therefor · CPC title

• B29C48/834

  Cooling · CPC title