Pelletizer

Claim 1

A pelletizer of the type having an underwater cutter comprising a horizontally located extruder unit having a housing within which a rotatable extruder screw is mounted with its axis extending longitudinally thereof to force material strands therealong; a vertically located cutter unit including a rotatable cutter mounted therewithin and having its axis extending at right angles to said extruder unit axis, said cutter having driving means connected therewith and located directly thereabove so that said cutter is rotatable to cut the strands into pellets to be directed vertically upwards; said cutter having a plurality of blades the outer edges of which are each shaped as a truncated cone extending upwardly and outwardly to provide an inclination of said outer edges with respect to said cutter unit axis; said cutter unit including a housing surrounding said cutter, said cutter housing comprising a housing wall and a die wall with said housing wall being connected to an end of said extruder unit housing; said die wall defining a chamber surrounding said cutter blade edges and spaced a predetermined uniform distance therefrom, said die wall extending upwardly and outwardly to form a first chamber area located upwardly from said blades that is of a larger size than a second chamber area located to surround said blades, said die wall formed to have the same inclination as said blade edge inclination; a drive shaft connected to said cutter and extending upwardly therefrom, said cutter and drive shaft movable upwardly into said first chamber area to prevent clogging of pellets and said cutter and drive shaft movable downwardly into said second chamber area to regulate the size of the gap between said blades and said die wall; a plurality of die nozzles extending generally horizontally through said die wall to open into said second chamber area, said nozzles spaced vertically and provided to extrude the material therethrough from said extruder unit into said cutter unit and heating means provided in said die wall comprising a pair of jackets spaced respectively above and below adjacent to said outer edges of said cutter, said jackets connected to flow passages with a heating medium passing therethrough.