METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING THERMOPLASTIC AND PRODUCTS PRODUCED THEREFROM

摘要

A method and apparatus are disclosed for producing various types of materials and products of a thermoplastic nature. In the method, a source of thermoplastic material is subjected to a high intensity mixing and melting step to form a material which is non-flowable but is a self-sustaining mass, the mass having a temperature low enough to prevent it from being readily flowable while in a subsequent step, the method involves heating the material so obtained between a fixed rigid surface and a moving rigid surface to force air from the mass and to cause the mass to densify, compress and convert it to a flowable form whereafter it is passed through a restricted opening. In the apparatus, there is provided a combination of a high intensity mixer and melting apparatus in which the product produced by the apparatus is fed directly into a gear-pump type of apparatus where the material is passed between a fixed rigid surface and a moving surface. Higher output speeds can be obtained using the method and apparatus compared to conventional extrusion techniques; in addition, materials not readily processable by conventional extruding operations can be processed.