Injection molding machine and process for plasticizing plastic material

Claim 2

IN A PROCESS FOR MOLDING SYNTHETIC ORGANIC PLASTIC MATERIALS, THE STEPS COMPRISING: PLACING A QUANTITY OF MATERIAL IN A FIRST ZONE AND CONTINUOUSLY IMPOSING A SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE BY A RECIPROCATING RAM ON SAID QUANTITY TO MOVE IT THROUGH SAID FIRST ZONE AND THENCE THROUGH AN ORIFICE INTO A PLASTICIZING ZONE, THE SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE BEING OF A VALUE SUFFICIENT TO FEED SAID MATERIAL INTO AND THROUGH SAID PLASTICIZING ZONE; IMMEDIATELY UPON ENTRY OF MATERIAL INTO SAID PLASTICIZING ZONE SUBJECTING IT TO AN INTENSIVE SIMULTANEOUS FRICTIONAL HEATING, AGITATION AND COMPRESSION BY A ROTATING SCREW IN SAID PLASTICIZING ZONE AND, AT THE SAME TIME, PROGRESSIVELY MOVING THE MATERIAL AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED THROUGH PASSAGES OF SMALL CROSS SECTIONAL AREA AROUND SAID SCREW AND OUT OF SAID PLASTICIZING ZONE BY SAID SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, CONTINUING THE HEATING, AGITATION AND COMPRESSION OF THE MATERIAL AT A HIGH LEVEL OF INTENSITY THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE PLASTICIZING ZONE FOR PROGRESSIVELY AND QUICKLY RAISING THE TEMPERATURE AND REDUCING THE VISCOSITY OF THE MATERIAL SO THAT THE MATERIAL LEAVING THE PLASTICIZING ZONE HAS A UNIFORM VICOSITY AND TEMPERATURE SUITABLE FOR MOLDING; AND EXPELLING THE MATERIAL FROM SAID PLASTICIZING ZONE INTO A SHAPING APPARATUS.

Claim 3

AN INJECTION MOLDING MACHINE, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: A PLASTICIZING UNIT INCLUDING MEANS DEFINING AN ELONGATED PLASTICIZING CHAMBER HAVING AN INPUT END AND A DISCHARGE END AND A PASSAGEWAY COMMUNICATING WITH THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID CHAMBER; A PLASTICIZING SCREW WITHIN SAID CHAMBER FORMING PASSAGES OF SMALL CROSS SECTIONAL AREA WITHIN SAID CHAMBER AND MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID SCREW TO PLASTICIZE THE MATERIAL FLOWING THROUGH SAID CHAMBER BY AN INTENSIVE SIMULTANEOUS FRICTIONAL HEATING, AGITATION AND COMPRESSION; A FEEDING DEVICE FOR INTRODUCING SUBSTANTIALLY UNPLASTICIZED PLASTIC MATERIAL UNDER SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE INTO SAID PLASTICIZING CHAMBER AT A POINT ADJACENT THE INPUT END OF SAID CHAMBER, SAID FEEDING DEVICE COMPRISING AN ELONGATED RECIPROCABLE RAM AND POWER MEANS FOR RECIPROCATING SAID RAM AND CAPABLE OF EXERTING SUFFICIENT PRESSURE ON SAID RAM SO THAT SAID RAM IMPOSES A SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE OF AT SUFFICIENTLY GREAT VALUE TO FEED THE MATERIAL INTO AND THROUGH SAID PLASTICIZING ZONE; AND MEANS DEFINING AN ELONGATED INJECTION INJECTION CHAMBER CONNECTED TO SAID PASSAGEWAY AND A PRESSURE APPLYING MEANS FOR DRIVING FROM WITHIN SAID INJECTION CYLINDER INTO A MOLD, THE LONGITUDINAL AXES OF BOTH SAID RAM AND SAID INJECTION CHAMBER LYING IN SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL PLANES, BOTH OF WHICH ARE SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENICULAR TO THE AXIS OF SAID PLASTICIZING SCREW.

Claim 4

AN INJECTION MOLDING MACHINE, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: A PLASTICIZING UNIT INCLUDING MEANS DEFINING AN ELONGATED PLASTICIZING CHAMBER HAVING AN INPUT END AND A DISCHARGE END AND A PASSAGEWAY COMMUNICATING WITH THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID CHAMBER; A PLASTICIZING SCREW WITHIN SAID CHAMBER FORMING PASSAGES OF SMALL CROSS SECTIONAL AREA WITHIN SAID CHAMBER AND MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID SCREW TO PLASTICIZE THE MATERIAL FLOWING THROUGH SAID CHAMBER BY AN INTENSIVE SIMULTANEOUS FRICTIONAL HEATING, AGITATION AND COMPRESSION; A FEEDING DEVICE FOR INTRODUCING SUBSTANTIALLY UNPLASTICIZED PLASTIC MATERIAL UNDER SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE INTO SAID PLASTICIZING CHAMBER AT A POINT ADJACENT THE INPUT END OF SAID CHAMBER, SAID FEEDING DEVICE COMPRISING AN ELONGATED RECIPROCABLE RAM AND POWER MEANS FOR RECIPROCATING SAID RAM AND CAPABLE OF EXERTING SUFFICIENT PRESSURE ON SAID RAM SO THAT SAID RAM IMPOSES A SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE OF AT SUFFICIENTLY GREAT VALUE TO FEED THE MATERIAL INTO AND THROUGH SAID PLASTICIZING ZONE; AND MEANS DEFINING AN ELONGATED INJECTION INJECTION CHAMBER CONNECTED TO SAID PASSAGEWAY AND A PRESSURE APPLYING MEANS FOR DRIVING FROM WITHIN SAID INJECTION CYLINDER INTO A MOLD, THE LONGITUDINAL AXES OF BOTH SAID RAM AND SAID INJECTION CHAMBER LYING IN SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL PLANES, BOTH OF WHICH ARE SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENICULAR TO THE AXIS OF SAID PLASTICIZING SCREW.