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US 10,751,918 B2Granted
Vacuum drying method and apparatus
AssigneeMaguire Products, Inc.
InventorsStephen B. Maguire, Michael E. Gera
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Method and apparatus for drying granular resin material by drawing vacuum over heating resin material in a vessel, while periodically purging the vessel with the material therein with dry air and bathing the vacuum dried material with dry air until furnished to a processing machine.
Claims20
An apparatus for drying granular resin material prior to molding or extrusion processing thereof, comprising:
- a. a heating chamber;
- b. a vacuum chamber below the heating chamber;
- c. a retention hopper below the vacuum chamber;
- d. a blower for supplying heated ambient air upwardly through the heating chamber;
- e. a conduit for introducing dry purge air into the vacuum chamber;
- and
- f. a conduit for introducing blanketing dry air into the retention hopper.
4 more elements
A method for drying granular resin material prior to processing thereof by molding or extrusion, comprising:
- a. heating granular resin material in a heating hopper;
- b. monitoring air temperature at the top of the heating hopper;
- c. regulating heat input to the heating hopper so that monitored air temperature at the top of the heating hopper does not exceed a preselected temperature;
- d. releasing heated granular resin material from the heating hopper for flow downwardly into a vacuum chamber while replenishing the heating hopper from above with fresh resin material in an amount substantially equal to that released into the vacuum chamber;
- e. drawing vacuum in the vacuum chamber while periodically purging the vacuum chamber with dry air;
- f. draining resin material from the vacuum chamber into a retention hopper;
- g. blanketing resin material in the retention hopper with dry air.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.