CONTINUOUS LATEX PRODUCTION PROCESSES

摘要

Processes for continuously producing latex emulsions are disclosed. A multi-screw extruder is used for the production of the emulsion. A resin is fed into the extruder, heated, optionally dissolved in a solvent, mixed with a base to neutralize the resin and form particles, then mixed with a surfactant and water to form a phase inverted emulsion (PIE). The PIE may be sent to a distillation column to separate out the solvent, and the resulting latex emulsion is then sent to a receiving tank. These processes are useful for making precursors for toner compositions.

主权项

1. A continuous process for preparing a latex emulsion, comprising:
feeding a resin into a first zone of a multi-screw extruder; mixing the resin with a solvent in the first zone to dissolve the resin in the solvent and form a resin solution; adding a basic solution to the resin solution in a second zone of the extruder to form colloid particles in a slurry; adding water and a surfactant to the slurry in a third zone of the extruder to obtain a phase inverted emulsion; pumping the emulsion from an outlet port of the multi-screw extruder into a distillation column; and distilling the solvent from the emulsion to obtain the latex emulsion.