Machine for fabrication of moldable material

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR WORKING AND EXTRUDING SYNTHETIC PLASTIC MATERIAL TO PRODUCE A SHAPED PRODUCT IN A SINGLE CONTINUOUS OPERATION, COMPRISING: (A) A PRESSURE FEEDER PORTION FOR FEEDING SAID MATERIAL AT A PRESSURE OF AT LEAST ABOUT 200 ATMOSPHERES, SAID FEEDER PORTION HAVING A HOUSING WITH AN INLET OPENING FOR RECEIVING THE MATERIAL IN NON-PLASTIC CONDITION AND AN OUTLET OPENING, SAID FEEDER PORTION HAVING POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MEANS ROTATIONALLY MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING AND FORMING PRESSURE CHAMBERS IN SEQUENTIAL COMMUNICATION WITH SAID INLET OPENING AND WITH SAID OUTLET OPENING TO ENTRAIN THE MATERIAL AND FORCE IT THROUGH SAID OUTLET OPENING AT SAID FEEDER PRESSURE; (B) A FIXED PROCESSING PORTION COMPRISING TWO ELONGATED AND CONCENTRIC TUBULAR STRUCTURES FORMING BETWEEN EACH OTHER A NARROW ANNULAR SPACE WHOSE LENGTH IN THE FLOW DIRECTION OF THE MATERIAL IS A MULTIPLE OF THAT OF SAID RESPECTIVE COMPRESSION CHAMBERS, SAID SPACE COMMUNICATING AT ONE END WITH SAID OUTLET OPENING TO RECEIVE MATERIAL UNDER PRESSURE THEREFROM; (C) GROUPS OF OBSTACLE MEMBERS DISTRIBUTED IN SAID ANNULAR SPACE AND EXTENDING ACROSS THE RADIAL WIDTH OF SAID SPACE, SAID MEMBERS BEING OFFSET CIRCUMFERENTIALLY AND LONGITUDINALLY RELATIVE TO ONE ANOTHER AND FORMING TOGETHER A MULTIPLICITY OF INTERSITITIAL CONSTIRCTIONS AND SUBSEQUENT ENLARGEMENT IN THE FLOW PATH OF THE MATERIAL FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY KNEADING AND MIXING THE MATERIAL BY DFIRECTIONALLY CHANGING, SUBDIVIDING AND RECOMBINING ITS FLOW THROUGH SAID SPACE, SAID GROUP OF MEMBERS COVERING IN TOTALITY AN AXIAL LENGTH WHICH IS A MULTIPLE OF THE DIAMETER OF SAID ANNULAR SPACE; (D) SAID PROCESSING PORTION HAVING HEAT EXCHANGE MEANS JOINED WITH EACH OF SAID TWO TUBULAR STRUCTURES FOR THERMALLY TREATING THE MATERIAL AS IT PASSES THROUGH SAID SPACE TO CONVERT THE MATERIAL TO PLASTIC CONDITION WITHIN THE SPACE; (E) AN EXTRUSION NOZZLE CONNECTED TO SAID PROCESSING PORTION AT THE EXIT THEREOF FOR ISSUING A SHAPED STRAND OF SAID MATERIAL; SAID PRESSURE FEEDER PORTION AND SAID PROCESSING PORTION BEING FIRMLY CONNECTED WITH EACH OTHER TO JOINTLY FORM A SINGLE MACHINARY UNIT.