Foaming particle manufacturing device using polyolefin-based resin particle and method for manufacturing said foaming particle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11498247-B2
Application number	US-201816232820-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 26, 2018
Priority date	Jul 6, 2016
Publication date	Nov 15, 2022
Grant date	Nov 15, 2022

Abstract

An expanded particle producing apparatus includes a vessel and a blade stirrer that is located inside the vessel. The blade stirrer comprises a stirrer base and an impeller blade that is attached to the stirrer base. A distance from the bottom of the vessel to the center of the stirrer base (L1) and a depth of the vessel (L2) have a ratio (L1/L2) of 0.01 to 0.2. L1 is measured in a depth direction parallel to L2, and a central axis of the blade stirrer coincides with a central axis of the vessel. The apparatus is configured to produce expanded particles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An expanded particle producing apparatus, comprising:
a vessel;
a blade stirrer that is located inside the vessel; and
a baffle that is provided in the vessel,
wherein:
the blade stirrer comprises a stirrer base and an impeller blade that is attached to the stirrer base,
a distance from the bottom of the vessel to the center of the stirrer base (L 1 ) and a depth of the vessel (L 2 ) have a ratio (L 1 /L 2 ) of 0.01 to 0.2,
L 1 is measured in a depth direction parallel to L 2 ,
a central axis of the blade stirrer coincides with a central axis of the vessel,
the baffle includes an upper portion and a lower portion,
the upper portion includes an inclined portion that is inclined relative to the central axis of the vessel,
a length (L 3 ) of the inclined portion and a total length (L 4 ) of the baffle has a ratio (L 3 /L 4 ) of 0.2 to 0.8,
both of the lengths L 3 and L 4 are measured in the depth direction,
the lower portion includes a vertical portion that extends along the vertical direction in the vessel,
the baffle includes a narrow portion and a wide portion,
a width (B 1 ) of the narrow portion and a width (B 2 ) of the wide portion have a ratio (B 1 /B 2 ) of 0.2 to 0.8,
a length (L 5 ) of the narrow portion in the depth direction and a total length (L 4 ) of the baffle in the depth direction have a ratio (L 5 /L 4 ) of 0.2 to 0.8,
the narrow portion is positioned lower than the wide portion, and
the apparatus is configured to produce expanded particles by:
dispersing polyolefin resin particles in the vessel with water and a dispersing agent;
maintaining the vessel at a certain internal temperature and a certain internal pressure; and
thereafter releasing the polyolefin resin particles to an atmosphere having a pressure lower than the internal pressure of the vessel.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the ratio L 1 /L 2 is 0.01 to 0.1.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the impeller blade is inclined relative to the depth direction, and has an angle of inclination (θ 1 ) of 20° to 70°.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a length (d) of the impeller blade and an inner diameter (D 2 ) of the vessel have a ratio (d/D 2 ) of 0.255 to 0.375, wherein D 2 is an inner diameter of the vessel at the position where the impeller blade is provided.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a width (b 2 ) of the impeller blade and a length (d) of the impeller blade have a ratio (b 2 /d) of 0.4 to 1.0.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the blade stirrer comprises a plurality of the impeller blades.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, in 60% or more of a bottommost line of the impeller blade, a shortest distance C from any point on the bottommost line of the impeller blade to an inner wall of the vessel is 5 mm to 100 mm.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the inclined portion has an angle of inclination (θ 2 ) of 2° to 60°.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the vessel is heat resistant and pressure resistant.

Assignees

• Kaneka Corp

Inventors

• Iwata Yasuhiro

Classifications

• C08J9/16

  Making expandable particles · CPC title

• B29C44/00

  Shaping by internal pressure generated in the material, e.g. swelling or foaming {; Producing porous or cellular expanded plastics articles} · CPC title

• B29C44/02

  for articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles · CPC title

• B29C44/3461 Primary

  Making or treating expandable particles · CPC title

• C08J9/236

  using binding agents · CPC title