US 4,850,842 AGranted

Screw extruder

AssigneeNabisco Brands, Inc.

InventorTerrance L. Van Alstine

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Abstract

An extruder having an extruder head that forms a tubular passageway, an extruder screw rotatably disposed in the tubular passageway, and a first motor connected to the extruder screw for rotating that screw to force an extrudable material through the tubular passageway. The extruder further has a feed hopper for holding the extrudable material, and having an outlet in communication with an inlet of the extruder head for conducting the material thereinto. The feed hopper defines a supplemental opening adjacent the inlet of the extruder head, and a feed assist roller is rotatably supported on the extruder and extends partly through this supplemental opening to a location adjacent the inlet of the extruder head. A second motor is connected to the feed assist roller for rotating that roller to facilitate moving the extrudable material from the feed hopper and into the tubular passageway of the extruder head.

Claims15

Dependent claims

An extruder, comprising:

support means;
an extruder head connected to and supported by the support means, and forming a tubular passageway having an inlet and an outlet;
an extruder screw rotatably disposed in the tubular passageway;
screw drive means connected to the extruder screw for rotating said screw to force an extrudible material through the tubular passageway and through the outlet thereof;
a hopper including an exterior wall member defining
(i) an inlet for receiving the extrudible material,
(ii) an outlet in communication with the inlet of the tubular passageway for conducting the extrudible material thereinto,
(iii) an internal passageway for holding the extrudible material and for conducting the extrudible material from the hopper inlet to the hopper outlet, and
(iv) a supplemental opening extending completely through the wall member, adjacent the inlet of the tubular passageway;
a feed assist roller extending through the supplemental opening to a location adjacent the extruder screw;
means rotatably mounting the feel assist roller on the extruder;
and
roller drive means connected to the feed assist roller for rotating said roller to facilitate moving the extrudible material from the hopper and into the tubular passageway.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.