Pelletizing
AssigneeVelcro Industries B.V.
InventorsPeter J. Mueller, Richard H. Fetter, Robert A. Hewitt, Jamie Allen Chomas, Jason Bradley Forgash
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A continuous length of material of non-circular cross-section is pelletized to form discrete bits, by feeding the material to a cutting wheel with shaped cutters that form non-planar bits having non-circular axial projections and that are aligned with the material. The material is fed so as to maintain a rotational orientation with respect to the cutters, and so as to avoid buckling. Multiple banks of strands of material are severed simultaneously, thereby producing high volumes of shaped bits that are useful as filling and as filter material, and as friction-enhancing additives.
Claims19
A method of pelletizing a length of material to form discrete bits of material, the method comprising
- feeding a longitudinally continuous length of material through a guide aperture;
- supporting a distal region of the length of material against a support surface defining an edge beyond which a distal end of the length of material is fed downstream of the guide aperture;
- and, while continuing to feed the length of material through the guide aperture and over the edge of the support surface,
- severing the length of material at or beyond the distal edge at discrete intervals by a series of cutters disposed at spaced intervals about a cutting wheel, to form discrete and separate bits of the material,
- wherein the length of material is of non-circular cross-section, the cutting wheel is maintained in alignment with the guide aperture, and the cutters are shaped such that severing the length of material forms cut surfaces that have
- perimeters of non-circular axial projection;
- and
- non-planar cut profiles perpendicular to a direction in which the cutter moves through the length of material.
A pelletizing machine for pelletizing a continuous length of material, the machine comprising:
- a pair of feed rolls arranged to form a feed nip therebetween, at least one of the feed rolls being driven so as to feed the length of material;
- a guide aperture positioned to receive the length of material downstream of the nip and configured to guide the fed length of material over a support surface to extend beyond an edge;
- and
- a cutting wheel carrying a series of cutters disposed at spaced intervals about the cutting wheel, the cutting wheel configured for rotation with respect to the guide aperture so as to bring the cutters adjacent the edge in succession, to sever a distal end portion of the length of material extending beyond the edge, to form discrete and separate bits of the material,
- wherein the guide aperture is of non-circular cross-section so as to maintain a rotational orientation of the length of material approaching the edge, and
- wherein the cutters are shaped so as to form non-planar cut profiles through the length of material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.