Plastic moulding method

Abstract

A method of plastic moulding to form a moulded or extruded article, the method employing a moulding apparatus comprising a barrel containing a screw extending between a feed zone supplied by a feed hopper for plastics material, a compression zone and a metering zone for delivery of molten plastics material to a mould or extrusion die, the method comprising introducing into the feed zone a first plastics material (20) and a single body of a second plastics material (22), the first plastics material (20) having a different physical property to the second plastics material and the second plastics material (22) being introduced into the feed zone in a size and a frequency of delivery relative to the flow of the material through the barrel such that the second plastics material (22) is substantially melted and blended with the first plastics material to form a third plastics material with a different physical property to the first or second plastics material across the whole cross sectional area of the metering zone, the molten plastics material delivered to the mould or extrusion die in a predetermined sequence with each plastics material having different physical properties.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.