Apparatus for treating powdery rubber mixtures

Claim 1

Apparatus for treating powdery rubber mixtures to form processed intermediate products, said apparatus comprising a filling extruder having a rotary filling screw disposed in a filling extruder housing, and means for feeding the powdery rubber mixtures to said filling extruder housing; a mixing and plasticising housing secured to the downstream end of said filling extruder housing, said mixing and plasticising housing having teeth formed on the interior thereof and having positioned therein a central conveyor spindle having exterior teeth and rotatably coupled to the downstream end of said rotary filling screw and disposed concentrically in said plasticising housing, a plurality of axially freely movable planetary gear spindles having exterior teeth, said planetary gear spindles being symmetrically disposed around said central conveyor spindle within said plasticising housing, the teeth on said planetary gear spindles meshing with the internal teeth on said plasticising housing and the exterior teeth in said central conveyor spindle thereby causing said planetary spindles to orbit about said central conveyor spindle and provide a conveying action, said central conveyor spindle and said planetary spindle achieving essentially pressure-less plasticisation and uniform distribution and consequent homogeneity of the components of the powdery rubber mixtures, means located in the region of the discharge end of said plasticising housing axially to locate said planetary spindles, and a forming extruder at the downstream side of said plasticising housing to process material discharged from said mixing and plasticising housing, said forming-out extruder being in cascade arrangement with said plasticising housing to receive therefrom the essentially pressure-free components homogenized in said plasticizing housing.