Process for producing a glass fibre-reinforced thermoplastic polymer composition

A process for producing an article, which comprises the sequential steps of:

• a) unwinding from a package of a continuous glass multifilament strand at a line speed;
• b) applying an impregnating agent to said continuous glass multifilament strand;
• c) after applying an impregnating agent to said continuous glass multifilament strand, applying a sheath of thermoplastic polymer around the continuous glass multifilament strand by passing the continuous glass multifilament strand through a polymer melt in a die to form a sheathed continuous multifilament strand;
• d) cutting the sheathed continuous glass multifilament strand into pellets;
• and
• e) moulding the glass fibre-reinforced thermoplastic polymer composition into the article,
• wherein the unwound, continuous glass multifilament strand is transported through the inside of a protective tube having an entrance opening that is funnel shaped over a certain distance between the location of unwinding from a package of said continuous glass multifilament strand in step a), and the location of applying said sheath of thermoplastic polymer around said continuous glass multifilament strand in step c), and wherein the line speed is at least 100 m/min, and
• wherein the sheath of thermoplastic polymer is around a plurality of glass multifilament strands, and
• wherein the certain distance is at least 60% of the total distance between locations of steps a) and b) respectively.

A process for producing a glass fibre-reinforced thermoplastic polymer composition, which comprises the sequential steps of:

• a) unwinding from a package of a continuous glass multifilament strand at a line speed,
• b) applying a sheath of thermoplastic polymer around the continuous glass multifilament strand to form a sheathed continuous multifilament strand;
• wherein the unwound, continuous glass multifilament strand is transported through the inside of a protective tube over a certain distance between the location of unwinding from a package of said continuous glass multifilament strand in step a), and the location of applying said sheath of thermoplastic polymer around said continuous glass multifilament strand in step b), and wherein the line speed is at least 100 m/min, and
• wherein the certain distance is at least 60% of the total distance between locations of steps a) and b) respectively.