Color blender for plastic-processing machines

Claim 2

A blender for plastic-processing machines comprising a combining chamber, a first metering screw conveyor having an inlet adapted to receive a continuous supply of primary plastic material in particulate form and having an outlet opening into said chamber, a constant speed drive means connected with said first metering conveyor whereby the material is delivered to said chamber at a constant rate, a second metering conveyor having an inlet adapted to receive a continuous supply of secondary material in particulate form and having an outlet opening into said chamber, adjustable speed drive means connected with said second metering conveyor whereby the secondary material is delivered to the chamber at a preselected rate, a mixing conveyor having an inlet connected with the chamber and an outlet adapted to be connected with a receiving means, said mixing conveyor being connected with said fixed speed drive means for displacement in synchronism with the first metering coNveyor, said conveyors being screw type conveyors extending in parallel overlapping relationship, the first and second metering conveyors having their discharge ends extending into the combining chamber adjacent each other, and the mixing conveyor and the first metering conveyor being connected to the constant speed drive means at one end thereof and extending into the combining chamber at the other end thereof.

Claim 3

The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said conveyors are disposed in different horizontal planes with the mixing conveyor being at the lowermost level and the metering conveyors are at the intermediate and uppermost levels whereby the primary and secondary materials are commingled in the gravity drop to said mixing conveyor within said combining chamber.

Claim 4

The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said receiving means comprises a holding container and a level control means operatively connected with said container and both of said drive means for stopping all of said conveyors when the container is filled to a predetermined level.

Claim 5

The invention as defined in claim 1 including a supply hopper having its outlet connected to the inlet of the first metering conveyor and drying means connected with said hopper for drying said primary material.

Claim 6

A color blender for supplying colored plastic in particulate form to the throat of a plastic-processing machine with a holding hopper on the processing machine adapted to receive a charge of said plastic, said blender comprising a first metering screw conveyor having an inlet adjacent one end thereof adapted to receive a supply hopper containing a supply of uncolored plastic in particulate form, a second metering screw conveyor having an inlet adapted to receive a canister containing a supply of color additive material, a combining chamber disposed at the outlet ends of said metering conveyors, a mixing screw conveyor extending from the bottom of said combining chamber to the inlet of said holding hopper, a constant speed drive means connected with said first metering conveyor whereby the uncolored plastic is delivered to said chamber at a constant rate, an adjustable speed drive means connected with said second metering conveyor whereby the color additive is delivered to the chamber at a preselected rate, said mixing conveyor being connected with said constant speed drive means for displacement in synchronism with the first metering conveyor whereby the colored plastic delivered to said holding hopper is a mixture of uncolored plastic and said color additive in a ratio equal to the ratio of the constant feed rate of the first metering conveyor and the preselected feed rate of the second metering conveyor, said mixing conveyor and the first metering conveyor extending in a parallel and overlapping relationship with said constant speed drive means connected thereto at one end, said second metering conveyor extending in parallel overlapping relationship with said first metering conveyor into said combining chamber and being connected thereby to the inlet of said mixing conveyor.

Claim 7

A color blender for supplying colored plastic in particulate form to the throat of a plastic-processing machine with a holding hopper on the processing machine adapted to receive a charge of said plastic, said blender comprising a first metering screw conveyor having an inlet adjacent one end thereof adapted to receive a supply hopper containing a supply of uncolored plastic in particulate form, a second metering screw conveyor having an inlet adapted to receive a canister containing a supply of color additive material, a combining chamber disposed at the outlet ends of said metering conveyors, a mixing screw conveyor extending from the bottom of said combining chamber to the inlet of said holding hopper, a constant speed drive means connected with said first metering conveyor whereby the uncolored plastic is delivered to said chamber at a constant rate, an adjustable speed drive means connected with said second metering conveyor whereby the color additive is delivered to the chamber at a preselected rate, said mixing conveyor being connected with said constant speed drive means for displacement in synchronism with the first metering conveyor whereby the colored plastic delivered to said holding hopper is a mixture of uncolored plastic and said color additive in a ratio equal to the ratio of the constant feed rate of the first metering conveyor and the preselected feed rate of the second metering conveyor, said mixing conveyor and the first metering conveyor extending in a parallel and overlapping relationship with said constant speed drive means connected thereto at one end, said second metering conveyor extending in parallel overlapping relationship with said first metering conveyor into said combining chamber and being connected thereby to the inlet of said mixing conveyor.

Claim 8

The invention as defined in claim 5 wherein said screw conveyors are disposed at different horizontal levels with the mixing conveyor at the lowermost level, the first metering conveyor at the intermediate level and the second metering conveyor at the uppermost level whereby said uncolored resin and the color additive are commingled in the gravity drop to the inlet of said mixing conveyor.

Claim 9

A color blender for supplying colored plastic in particulate form to the throat of a plastic-processing machine with a holding hopper on the processing machine adapted to receive a charge of said plastic, said blender comprising a first metering screw conveyor having an inlet adjacent one end thereof adapted to receive a supply hopper containing a supply of uncolored plastic in particulate form, a second metering screw conveyor having an inlet adapted to receive a canister containing a supply of color additive material, a combIning chamber disposed at the outlet ends of said metering conveyors, a mixing screw conveyor extending from the bottom of said combining chamber to the inlet of said holding hopper, a constant speed drive means connected with said first metering conveyor whereby the uncolored plastic is delivered to said chamber at a constant rate, an adjustable speed drive means connected with said second metering conveyor whereby the color additive is delivered to the chamber at a preselected rate, said mixing conveyor being connected with said constant speed drive means for displacement in synchronism with the first metering conveyor whereby the colored plastic delivered to said holding hopper is a mixture of uncolored plastic and said color additive in a ratio equal to the ratio of the constant feed rate of the first metering conveyor and the preselected feed rate of the second metering conveyor, said second metering conveyor, said adjustable speed drive means, and said canister are interconnected to form an operative variable rate supply unit for supplying said color additive to the combining chamber, means for detachably mounting said variable rate supply unit on said first metering conveyor with said second metering conveyor extending into said chamber whereby said variable rate supply unit may be readily removed from the color blender and replaced thereon by a variable rate supply unit of similar structure having a different color additive in its canister.

Claim 10

A color blender for supplying colored plastic in particulate form to the throat of a plastic-processing machine with a holding hopper on the processing machine adapted to receive a charge of said plastic, said blender comprising a first metering screw conveyor having an inlet adjacent one end thereof adapted to receive a supply hopper containing a supply of uncolored plastic in particulate form, a second metering screw conveyor having an inlet adapted to receive a canister containing a supply of color additive material, a combIning chamber disposed at the outlet ends of said metering conveyors, a mixing screw conveyor extending from the bottom of said combining chamber to the inlet of said holding hopper, a constant speed drive means connected with said first metering conveyor whereby the uncolored plastic is delivered to said chamber at a constant rate, an adjustable speed drive means connected with said second metering conveyor whereby the color additive is delivered to the chamber at a preselected rate, said mixing conveyor being connected with said constant speed drive means for displacement in synchronism with the first metering conveyor whereby the colored plastic delivered to said holding hopper is a mixture of uncolored plastic and said color additive in a ratio equal to the ratio of the constant feed rate of the first metering conveyor and the preselected feed rate of the second metering conveyor, said second metering conveyor, said adjustable speed drive means, and said canister are interconnected to form an operative variable rate supply unit for supplying said color additive to the combining chamber, means for detachably mounting said variable rate supply unit on said first metering conveyor with said second metering conveyor extending into said chamber whereby said variable rate supply unit may be readily removed from the color blender and replaced thereon by a variable rate supply unit of similar structure having a different color additive in its canister.

Claim 11

A blender for plastic-processing machines comprising a combining chamber, a constant-rate-metering conveyor having an inlet adapted to receive a continuous supply of primary plastic material in particulate form and having an outlet opening into said chamber for delivering the primary plastic material into said chamber at a constant rate, a first variable rate metering conveyor having an inlet adapted to receive a continuous supply of secondary material in particulate form and having an outlet opening into said chamber, a first variable speed drive means connected with said variable-speed-metering conveyor whereby the secondary material is delivered to the chamber at a preselected rate, a second variable-speed-metering conveyor having an inlet adapted to receive a continuous supply of tertiary material in particulate form and having an outlet opening into said chamber, a second variable speed drive means connected with the second variable-rate-metering conveyor whereby the tertiary material is delivered to the chamber at a preselected rate, a mixing conveyor having an inlet connected with said chamber and an outlet adapted to be connected with a receiving means a constant speed drive means connected with said constant-rate-metering conveyor and with said mixing conveyor for displacement thereof in synchronism with each other, said mixing conveyor and said constant-rate-metering conveyor being screw-type conveyors extending in parallel overlapping relationship and connected to the constant speed drive means at one end thereof and extending into the combining chamber at the other end thereof, said variable rate metering conveyors being screw-type conveyors and extending in parallel overlapping relationship with the constant rate metering conveyor and having discharge ends extending into the combining chamber adjacent the discharge end of the first metering conveyor.

Claim 12

A blender for plastic-processing machines comprising a combining chamber, a constant-rate-metering conveyor having an inlet adapted to receive a continuous supply of primary plastic material in particulate form and having an outlet opening into said chamber for delivering the primary plastic material into said chamber at a constant rate, a first variable rate metering conveyor having an inlet adapted to receive a continuous supply of secondary material in particulate form and having an outlet opening into said chamber, a first variable speed drive means connected with said variable-speed-metering conveyor whereby the secondary material is delivered to the chamber at a preselected rate, a second variable-speed-metering conveyor having an inlet adapted to receive a continuous supply of tertiary material in particulate form and having an outlet opening into said chamber, a second variable speed drive means connected with the second variable-rate-metering conveyor whereby the tertiary material is delivered to the chamber at a preselected rate, a mixing conveyor having an inlet connected with said chamber and an outlet adapted to be connected with a receiving means a constant speed drive means connected with said constant-rate-metering conveyor and with said mixing conveyor for displacement thereof in synchronism with each other, said mixing conveyor and said constant-rate-metering conveyor being screw-type conveyors extending in parallel overlapping relationship and connected to the constant speed drive means at one end thereof and extending into the combining chamber at the other end thereof, said variable rate metering conveyors being screw-type conveyors and extending in parallel overlapping relationship with the constant rate metering conveyor and having discharge ends extending into the combining chamber adjacent the discharge end of the first metering conveyor.

Claim 13

The invention as defined in claim 8 wherein said conveyors are disposed in different horizontal planes with the mixing conveyor being at the lowermost level and the metering conveyors are at intermediate and uppermost levels whereby the materials are commingled in the gravity drop to said mixing conveyor within said combining chamber.

Claim 14

A color blender for supplying colored plastic in particulate form to the throat of a plastic-processing machine with a holding hopper on the processing machine adapted to receive a charge of said plastic, said blender comprising a first metering screw conveyor having an inlet adjacent one end thereof adapted to receive a supply hOpper containing a supply of uncolored plastic in particulate form, a second metering screw conveyor having an inlet adapted to receive a canister containing a supply of color additive material, a combining chamber disposed at the outlet ends of said metering conveyors, a mixing screw conveyor extending from the bottom of said combining chamber to the inlet of said holding hopper, a constant speed drive means connected with said first metering conveyor whereby the uncolored plastic is delivered to said chamber at a constant rate, an adjustable speed drive means connected with said second metering conveyor whereby the color additive is delivered to the chamber at a preselected rate, said mixing conveyor being connected with said constant speed drive means for displacement in synchronism with the first metering conveyor whereby the colored plastic delivered to said holding hopper is a mixture of uncolored plastic and said color additive in a ratio equal to the ratio of the constant feed rate of the first metering conveyor and the preselected feed rate of the second metering conveyor, level control means operatively connected with said holding hopper and both of said drive means for stopping all of said conveyors when the holding hopper is filled to a predetermined level, and drying means in said supply hopper whereby the uncolored plastic may be dried and colored immediately prior to admission to the processing machine.

Claim 15

A color blender for supplying colored plastic in particulate form to the throat of a plastic-processing machine with a holding hopper on the processing machine adapted to receive a charge of said plastic, said blender comprising a first metering screw conveyor having an inlet adjacent one end thereof adapted to receive a supply hOpper containing a supply of uncolored plastic in particulate form, a second metering screw conveyor having an inlet adapted to receive a canister containing a supply of color additive material, a combining chamber disposed at the outlet ends of said metering conveyors, a mixing screw conveyor extending from the bottom of said combining chamber to the inlet of said holding hopper, a constant speed drive means connected with said first metering conveyor whereby the uncolored plastic is delivered to said chamber at a constant rate, an adjustable speed drive means connected with said second metering conveyor whereby the color additive is delivered to the chamber at a preselected rate, said mixing conveyor being connected with said constant speed drive means for displacement in synchronism with the first metering conveyor whereby the colored plastic delivered to said holding hopper is a mixture of uncolored plastic and said color additive in a ratio equal to the ratio of the constant feed rate of the first metering conveyor and the preselected feed rate of the second metering conveyor, level control means operatively connected with said holding hopper and both of said drive means for stopping all of said conveyors when the holding hopper is filled to a predetermined level, and drying means in said supply hopper whereby the uncolored plastic may be dried and colored immediately prior to admission to the processing machine.