# US 11,999,074 B2 · Systems and methods for stiffening wet extrudate by circumferential irradiation > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,999,074 B2 - Document ID: US11999074B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/634,771 - Filed: 2020-08-07 - Published: 2022-10-20 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2019-08-14 - Assignees: Corning Incorporated - Applicants: Corning Incorporated - Inventors: Ravindra Kumar Akarapu; Priyank Paras Jain; Xinghua Li; John Forrest Wight, Jr. - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11999074B2 ## CPC - B28B 11/243: {Setting, e.g. drying, dehydrating or firing ceramic articles (B28B11/242 takes precedence)} - B28B 3/269: {For multi-channeled structures, e.g. honeycomb structures} - B29C 48/11: comprising two or more partially or fully enclosed cavities, e.g. honeycomb-shaped - B29C 48/9105: {of hollow articles} - B28B: SHAPING CLAY OR OTHER CERAMIC COMPOSITIONS; SHAPING SLAG; SHAPING MIXTURES CONTAINING CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL, e.g. PLASTER (foundry moulding B22C; working stone or stone-like material B28D; shaping of substances in a plastic state, in general B29C; making layered products not composed wholly of these substances B32B) - B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00) ## Abstract An extrusion system (100) according to certain aspects includes at least one infrared emitting device (102) arranged in a generally cylindrical shape with a hollow interior. The at least one infrared emitting device (102) is positioned downstream of an outlet of an extrusion die (110) to irradiate a perimeter of wet extrudate material in a uniform manner to form stiffened wet extrudate material (116) before such material is received by an extrudate support channel (118). The at least one infrared emitting device (102) generally uniformly stiffens the skin of the wet extrudate material (116) to resist mechanical deformation of the extrudate material during subsequent handling steps. Such skin stiffening allows for increased tolerance of handling forces and permits extrusion of softer wet extrudate material without compromising the shape of a fired ceramic product. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An extrusion system comprising: an extrusion die comprising an outlet and configured to continuously form wet extrudate material comprising a honeycomb cross-section; at least one infrared emitting device having a hollow interior, positioned downstream of the outlet in a direction of travel of the wet extrudate material, arranged in a generally cylindrical shape around a perimeter of the wet extrudate material, and configured to uniformly irradiate the perimeter of the wet extrudate material, without any portion of the wet extrudate material being supported from below within the hollow interior, to form stiffened wet extrudate material; and an extrudate support channel, positioned downstream of the at least one infrared emitting device and configured to receive the stiffened wet extrudate material following passage of the wet extrudate material through the hollow interior of the at least one infrared emitting device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The extrusion system of claim 1 wherein: the at least one infrared emitting device is configured to produce infrared emissions having at least one peak emission wavelength and at least one full-width, half-maximum emission wavelength range; the wet extrudate material comprises a plurality of constituents each having an absorption spectrum having at least one peak absorption wavelength and at least one full-width, half-maximum absorption wavelength range; and the at least one full-width, half-maximum emission wavelength range comprises at least one wavelength value within 1 micrometer of a wavelength of the at least one full-width, half-maximum absorption wavelength range of the absorption spectrum of at least one constituent of the plurality of constituents. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The extrusion system of claim 2 wherein the at least one peak emission wavelength comprises at least one of 1.2 μm or 2.9 μm. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The extrusion system of claim 2 wherein the at least one peak absorption wavelength comprises at least one of 3 μm, 6 μm, or 10 μm. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The extrusion system of claim 1 wherein the generally cylindrical shape of the at least one infrared emitting device comprises an internal diameter of at least 100 mm. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The extrusion system of claim 1 wherein the at least one infrared emitting device comprises at least one laser. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The extrusion system of claim 1 wherein the at least one infrared emitting device comprises at least one lamp. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The extrusion system of claim 1 wherein the at least one infrared emitting device comprises a plurality of infrared emitting devices, and each infrared emitting device of the plurality of infrared emitting devices is configured to produce infrared emissions of a different peak emission wavelength and a different full-width, half-maximum emission wavelength range. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The extrusion system of claim 1 wherein the at least one infrared emitting device comprises a plurality of infrared emitting devices including a first infrared emitting device and a second infrared emitting device positioned downstream of the first infrared emitting device in the direction of travel of the wet extrudate material. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The extrusion system of claim 9 wherein the first infrared emitting device and the second infrared emitting device are each arranged in the generally cylindrical shape, and the first and second infrared emitting devices are configured to irradiate the wet extrudate material with differing total radiant flux. ### Claim 11 A method of forming a stiffened wet extrudate material, the method comprising: continuously forming wet extrudate material comprising a honeycomb cross-section from an outlet of an extrusion die; uniformly irradiating a perimeter of the wet extrudate material with infrared emissions produced by at least one infrared emitting device having a generally cylindrical shape with a hollow interior and positioned downstream of the outlet, without any portion of the wet extrudate material being supported from below within the hollow interior, to form stiffened wet extrudate material; and passing the stiffened wet extrudate material through the hollow interior of the at least one infrared emitting device onto an extrudate support channel positioned downstream of the at least one infrared emitting device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11 wherein: the infrared emissions comprise at least one peak emission wavelength and at least one full-width, half-maximum emission wavelength range corresponding to the at least one peak emission wavelength; the wet extrudate material comprises a plurality of constituents each having an absorption spectrum having at least one peak absorption wavelength and at least one full width, half-maximum absorption wavelength range corresponding to the at least one peak absorption wavelength; and the at least one full-width, half-maximum emission wavelength range corresponding to the at least one peak emission wavelength comprises at least one wavelength value within 1 micrometer of a wavelength of the at least one full-width, half-maximum absorption wavelength range corresponding to the at least one peak absorption wavelength of the absorption spectrum of at least one constituent of the plurality of constituents. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12 wherein the at least one peak emission wavelength comprises at least one of 1.2 μm or 2.9 μm. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12 wherein the at least one peak absorption wavelength comprises at least one of 3 μm, 6 μm, or 10 μm. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11 wherein the generally cylindrical shape of the at least one infrared emitting device comprises an internal diameter of at least 100 mm. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11 wherein the at least one infrared emitting device comprises at least one laser. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11 wherein the at least one infrared emitting device comprises at least one lamp. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11 wherein the at least one infrared emitting device comprises a plurality of infrared emitting devices, and each infrared emitting device of the plurality of infrared emitting devices is configured to produce infrared emissions of a different peak emission wavelength and a different full-width, half-maximum emission wavelength range. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11 wherein the at least one infrared emitting device comprises a plurality of infrared emitting devices including a first infrared emitting device and a second infrared emitting device positioned downstream of the first infrared emitting device in a direction of travel of the wet extrudate material, and the method further comprises irradiating the wet extrudate material with a first radiant flux using the first infrared emitting device and irradiating the wet extrudate material with a second radiant flux using the second infrared emitting device, and the second radiant flux differs from the first radiant flux. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11 wherein uniformly irradiating the perimeter of the wet extrudate material further comprises uniformly irradiating with an intensity and duration selected to provide the stiffened wet extrudate material with a uniformly stiffened external surface and a non-stiffened core.