Extrusion apparatus

Claim 1

IN AN EXTRUSION APPARATUS FOR CONVERTING THERMOPLASTIC POLYMERIC MATERIALS TO GRANULAR FORM, MEANS FOR EXTRUDING SAID MATERIALS COMPRISING A DIE PLATE MEMBER, SAID DIE PLATE MEMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF DIE ORIFICES RADIALLY DISPOSED ABOUT A CENTRAL AXIS, ROTARY CUTTER MEANS MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT SAID AXIS FOR CUTTING THE EXTRUDED MATERIAL INTO SAID GRANULES, SAID CUTTER ROTATING ABOUT SAID AXIS IN SUBSTANTIALLY SLIDING CONTACT WITH THE FACE OF SAID PLATE MEMBER, A PLURALITY OF WEAR PLATE MEANS LOCATED ONE EACH ABOUT EACH O SAID DIE ORIFICES, SAID WEAR PLATE MEANS BEING POSITIONED IN RECESSES WITHIN SAID DIE PLATE MEMBER IN SUBSTANTIALLY COPLANAR RELATION TO THE SURFACE OF SAID DIE PLATE MEMBER ADJACENT SAID ROTARY CUTTER, SAID WEAR PLATE MEANS BEING OF GENERALLY RECTANGUALR CONFIGURATION AND DIMENSIONED WHEREBY THE RADIALLY OUTERMOST POINT ON EACH WEAR PLATE IN ANY ONE ROW OF DIE ORIFICES IS AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE RADIAL DISTANCE FROM SAID CENTRAL AXIS TO THE INNERMOST RADIAL POINT ON A WEAR PLATE OF THE ADJACENT RADIALLY OUTER ROW OF DIE ORIFICES, SO AS TO EFFECT UNIFORM WEAR ALONG SUBSTANAIALLY THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF SAID CUTTER DURING ROTATION THEREOF.