Apparatus and method for degassing a plasticized material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12115708-B2
Application number	US-202217714358-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 6, 2022
Priority date	Apr 7, 2021
Publication date	Oct 15, 2024
Grant date	Oct 15, 2024

Abstract

Apparatus for degassing a plasticizable material, wherein the apparatus has at least one passage having a inlet opening for the feed of the material in the plasticized state. Provided downstream of the at least one passage in the flow direction of the plasticized material is a plurality of substantially parallelly arranged partial passages so that a material flow flowing through the passage is split up into partial flows by the partial passages, and the partial passages open into a free space so that the material expands in the free space, wherein at least one of the partial passages has a taper.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for degassing a plasticizable material, comprising:
at least one essentially vertical passage having a first inlet opening for a feed of the material in a plasticized state;
a plurality of substantially parallelly arranged vertical partial passages downstream of the at least one essentially vertical passage in a flow direction of the plasticized material so that a material flow flowing through the at least one essentially vertical passage is split up into partial flows by the vertical partial passages,
wherein the vertical partial passages open directly into a free space such that the plasticized material of the partial flows free-falls vertically from the partial passages into the free space, the free space having a vertical dimension which allows strands of the plasticized material to enlarge during free-fall such that gas dissolved in the plasticized material is released in the free space; and
a feed device having a second inlet opening, wherein the second inlet opening is provided in a region of the free space, and the feed device is configured to feed at least one additive or a further plasticizable material to the plasticized material via the second inlet opening,
wherein at least one of the partial passages has a taper.

2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the taper has a conical region or a rounded protrusion.

3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 2 , wherein the taper has the conical region, and the conical region tapers in the flow direction of the plasticized material.

4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the partial passages has a longitudinal axis and a mandrel which is oriented substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis.

5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 4 , wherein lateral surfaces project from the mandrel along the flow direction of the plasticized material.

6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 5 , wherein the lateral surfaces project from the mandrel in the flow direction of the plasticized material at an end of the mandrel.

7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 4 , wherein the mandrel has at least one injection nozzle device, and wherein a fluid can be fed to the plasticized material by way of the at least one injection nozzle device.

8. The apparatus as set forth in claim 4 , wherein a gap is formed between the mandrel and the at least one of the partial passages having the mandrel, and wherein the gap has a size of 0.05 mm to 3 mm.

9. The apparatus as set forth in claim 8 , wherein the mandrel is mounted moveably along the longitudinal axis and is moveable or can be arrested in its position.

10. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9 , wherein the size of the gap is adjustable to a size in a range of 0.05 mm to 3 mm.

11. The apparatus as set forth in claim 8 , wherein the gap is an annular gap and has a size of 0.5 mm to 1 mm.

12. The apparatus as set forth in claim 4 , wherein in the at least one of the partial passages having the mandrel, the mandrel is centrally arranged in the at least one of the partial passages.

13. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the partial passages has a further taper.

14. The apparatus as set forth in claim 13 , wherein the further taper has a conical region or a rounded protrusion.

15. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein a projection is arranged transversely to the flow direction in the free space of the apparatus downstream in the flow direction of at least one of the partial passages.

16. The apparatus as set forth in claim 15 , wherein the projection is configured to cut open a strand of the plasticized material falling from the at least one of the partial passages.

17. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the free space is gas-tight in relation to an environment of the apparatus.

18. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the partial passages has a minimum diameter of 0.2 mm to 10 mm.

19. The apparatus as set forth in claim 18 , wherein the at least one of the partial passages has a minimum diameter of 0.3 mm to 5 mm.

20. The apparatus as set forth in claim 19 , wherein the at least one of the partial passages has a minimum diameter of 0.5 mm to 3 mm.

21. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the partial passages has a length and a minimum diameter, and wherein the length is in a ratio of smaller than 2 relative to the minimum diameter.

22. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the partial passages viewed in the flow direction has a polygonal cross-sectional shape.

23. The apparatus as set forth in claim 22 , wherein the at least one of the partial passages viewed in the flow direction has a rectangular cross-sectional shape.

24. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is in the form of a feed device for an injection unit for a shaping machine.

25. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising at least one evacuation device adapted to carry gases out of the apparatus in a region of the free space.

26. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising at least one measuring device provided in a region of the free space, wherein the at least one measuring device is adapted to determine a viscosity or a temperature or a color or a flow speed of the plasticized material.

27. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the partial passages open into the free space at an angle of between 0 degrees and 90 degrees in relation to a horizontal direction.

28. A plasticizing assembly for a shaping machine comprising:
a plasticizing unit;
an injection unit; and
the apparatus of claim 1 , wherein an outlet opening of the plasticizing unit for plasticized material is connected in a flow relationship to the first inlet opening of the apparatus and the free space is connected in a flow relationship to a barrel cylinder of the injection unit.

29. A shaping machine comprising the plasticizing assembly as set forth in claim 28 .

30. A method of degassing a plasticizable material using the apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , the method comprising:
feeding plasticized material to the at least one essentially vertical passage by way of the first inlet opening;
splitting the material flow flowing through the at least one essentially vertical passage up into partial flows by the vertical partial passages in a flow direction of the plasticized material downstream of the at least one essentially vertical passage; and
passing the material flow flowing through the at least one essentially vertical passage into the free space by way of the vertical partial passages, wherein the plasticized material expands in the free space,
wherein the plasticized material when flowing through at least one of the vertical partial passages is viscoelastically loaded by a taper so as to increase a strand enlargement which occurs in the free space relative to a strand enlargement which would occur in the absence of the taper.

Assignees

• Engel Austria Gmbh

Inventors

• Klammer Guenther
• Koepplmayr Thomas

Classifications

• B29B7/426

  with consecutive casings or screws, e.g. for charging, discharging, mixing · CPC title

• B29B7/483

  the other mixing parts being discs perpendicular to the screw axis · CPC title

• B29B7/847 Primary

  Removing of gaseous components before or after mixing · CPC title

• B29C48/76

  Venting {, drying} means; Degassing means · CPC title

• B29B7/84

  Venting or degassing {; Removing liquids, e.g. by evaporating components} · CPC title