Apparatus for simultaneous plasticating and mixing

Claim 2

Apparatus for preparing a plasticated mixture from a basic material and at least one selected ingredient such that the ingredient is mixed throughout the plasticated mixture, said apparatus comprising: a barrel extending axially between an upstream end and a downstream end; a screw conveyor in the barrel; a flight on the screw conveyor for conveying material axially downstream along the barrel, said flight having a leading face facing downstream and a trailing face facing upstream; said flight defining a channel between the leading face and the trailing face, through which channel said material will pass as the material is conveyed downstream; means for supplying the basic material to the channel; means for supplying the ingredient to the channel separate from the basic material; and means for confining the ingredient to a portion of the channel at least until the remainder of the channel is supplied with the basic material.

Claim 3

The invention of claim 1 wherein said portion of the channel is juxtaposed with the trailing face of the flight and the remainder of the channel is between said portion and the leading face of the flight.

Claim 4

The invention of claim 1 wherein the means for supplying the basic material is located downstream of the means for supplying ingredient.

Claim 5

Apparatus for preparing a plasticated mixture from a basic material and at least one selected ingredient such that the ingredient is mixed relatively uniformly throughout the plasticated mixture, said apparatus comprising: a barrel extending axially between an upstream end and a downstream end; a screw conveyor in the barrel; a main flight on the screw conveyor for conveying material axially downstream along the barrel, said flight having a leading face facing downstream and a trailing face facing upstream; said flight defining a main channel extending between the leading face and the trailing face, through which channel said material will pass as the material is conveyed downstream, said main channel having an upstream terminus; an auxiliary flight on the screw conveyor; said auxiliary flight defining an auxiliary channel spaced axially from the leading face of the main flight and juxtaposed with the trailing face thereof, said auxiliary channel extending upstream beyond the upstream terminus of the main channel and terminating downstream axially short of the downstream extent of the main channel; means communicating with the main channel for supplying the basic material to the main channel; and means communicating with the auxiliary channel upstream of the upstream terminus of the main channel for supplying the ingredient to the auxiliary channel before basic material is supplied to the main channel.

Claim 6

Apparatus for preparing a plasticated mixture from a basic material and at least one selected ingredient such that the ingredient is mixed relatively uniformly throughout the plasticated mixture, said apparatus comprising: a barrel extending axially between an upstream end and a downstream end; a screw conveyor in the barrel; a main flight on the screw conveyor for conveying material axially downstream along the barrel, said flight having a leading face facing downstream and a trailing face facing upstream; said flight defining a main channel extending between the leading face and the trailing face, through which channel said material will pass as the material is conveyed downstream, said main channel having an upstream terminus; an auxiliary flight on the screw conveyor; said auxiliary flight defining an auxiliary channel spaced axially from the leading face of the main flight and juxtaposed with the trailing face thereof, said auxiliary channel extending upstream beyond the upstream terminus of the main channel and terminating downstream axially short of the downstream extent of the main channel; means communicating with the main channel for supplying the basic material to the main channel; and means communicating with the auxiliary channel upstream of the upstream terminus of the main channel for supplying the ingredient to the auxiliary channel before basic material is supplied to the main channel.

Claim 7

The invention of claim 4 wherein the axial spacing between the main flight and the auxiliary flight decreases in a downstream direction such that the axial width of the auxiliary channel decreases as the auxiliary channel progresses downstream.

Claim 8

The invention of claim 5 wherein the auxiliary flight merges into the main flight in the downstream direction.

Claim 9

The invention of claim 4 wherein the main channel and the auxiliary channel each have a given radial depth and the radial depth of the auxiLiary channel decreases in the downstream direction.

Claim 10

The invention of claim 4 wherein the auxiliary channel merges gradually into the main channel in the downstream direction.

Claim 11

The invention of claim 4 wherein the main channel includes a solids conveying zone, a melting zone downstream of the solids conveying zone, and a melt conveying zone downstream of the melting zone, and said auxiliary channel merges into the main channel in the solids conveying zone.

Claim 12

The invention of claim 4 wherein the main channel includes a solids conveying zone, a melting zone downstream of the solids conveying zone, and a melt conveying zone downstream of the melting zone, and said auxiliary channel extends into the melting zone.

Claim 13

The invention of claim 10 wherein the overall outside diameter of the screw in the melting zone is somewhat smaller than the outside diameter of the barrel in the melting zone to provide a clearence between the screw conveyor and the barrel and the overall outside diameter of the auxiliary flight is somewhat smaller than the overall diameter of the main flight so that the clearance between the auxiliary flight and the barrel is greater than the clearance between the main flight and the barrel.

Claim 14

A screw conveyor for use in an apparatus in which a plasticated mixture is prepared from a basic material and at least one selected ingredient such that the ingredient is mixed relatively uniformly throughout the plasticated mixture while being conveyed axially through a barrel from an upstream location toward a downstream location, said screw conveyor comprising: a main flight on the screw conveyor for conveying material axially downstream along the barrel, said flight having a leading face facing downstream and a trailing face facing upstream; said flight defining a main channel extending between the leading face and the trailing face, through which channel said material will pass as the material is conveyed downstream, said main channel having an upstream terminus; an auxiliary flight on the screw conveyor; said auxiliary flight defining an auxiliary channel spaced axially from the leading face of the main flight and juxtaposed with the trailing face thereof, said auxiliary channel extending upstream beyond the upstream terminus of the main channel and terminating downstream axially short of the downstream extent of the main channel.

Claim 15

A screw conveyor for use in an apparatus in which a plasticated mixture is prepared from a basic material and at least one selected ingredient such that the ingredient is mixed relatively uniformly throughout the plasticated mixture while being conveyed axially through a barrel from an upstream location toward a downstream location, said screw conveyor comprising: a main flight on the screw conveyor for conveying material axially downstream along the barrel, said flight having a leading face facing downstream and a trailing face facing upstream; said flight defining a main channel extending between the leading face and the trailing face, through which channel said material will pass as the material is conveyed downstream, said main channel having an upstream terminus; an auxiliary flight on the screw conveyor; said auxiliary flight defining an auxiliary channel spaced axially from the leading face of the main flight and juxtaposed with the trailing face thereof, said auxiliary channel extending upstream beyond the upstream terminus of the main channel and terminating downstream axially short of the downstream extent of the main channel.

Claim 16

The invention of claim 12 wherein the axial spacing between the trailing face of the main flight and the auxiliary flight decreases in a downstream direction such that the axial width of the auxiliary channel decreases as the auxiliary channel progresses downstream.

Claim 17

The invention of claim 13 wherein the auxiliary flight merges into the main flight in the downstream direction.

Claim 18

The invention of claim 12 wherein the main channel and the auxiliary channel each have a given radial depth and the radial depth of the auxiliary channel decreases in the downstream direction.

Claim 19

The invention of claim 12 wherein the auxiliary channel merges gradually into the main channel in the downstream direction.

Claim 20

The invention of claim 12 wherein the main channel includes a solids conveying zone, a melting zone downstream of the solids conveying zone, and a melt conveying zone downstream of the melting zone, and said auxiliary channel merges into the main channel in the solids conveying zone.

Claim 21

The invention of claim 12 wherein the main channel includes a solids conveying zone, a melting zone downstream of the solids conveying zone, and a melt conveying zone downstream of the melting zone, and said auxiliary channel extends into the melting zone.