Hybrid apparatus and method for blending materials
AssigneeHydreclaim Corporation
InventorRichard W. Moller
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A blender for plastic materials weighs a charge of virgin plastic pellets as they are added to a hopper, similarly weighs plastics regrind material as it is added to the hopper, calculates the weight of color material (or other additive) on the basis of the actual virgin material weight and the desired color percentage, calculates from the weight of color material and a calibration of a volumetric feeder the volumetric amount of color material needed and then dispenses the calculated volume of color material. The apparatus is hybrid, using weight ratio measuring devices for the primary components and a volumetric feeder for dispensing the additives.
Claims13
A method of blending a plurality of materials comprising:
- (a) introducing a quantity of a first material from a source thereof to a container;
- (b) weighing said first material in said container;
- (c) introducing a quantity of a second material to said container;
- (d) calculating a quantity of a third material that is required to be combined with said first material to produce a selected weight ratio of said first and third materials only;
- (e) dispensing to a mixing chamber a quantity of said third material corresponding to the quantity calculated in step (d);
- (f) discharging said first and second materials from said container to said mixing chamber;
- and
- (g) mixing said first, second, and third materials in said mixing chamber.
A method of batch blending a plurality of materials comprising:
- (a) introducing a quantity of a first material from a source thereof to a container;
- (b) measuring the weight of said first material in said container;
- (c) introducing a quantity of at least one other material to said container;
- (d) calculating that quantity of an additive material that is required to be combined with the quantity of only said first material in said container to produce a predetermined weight ratio of said first and additive materials in the combination thereof;
- (e) extracting from a source of said additive material a quantity thereof corresponding to the quantity calculated in step (d);
- (f) introducing into a mixing chamber all of said materials;
- and
- (g) mixing all of said materials in said mixing chamber.
Apparatus for blending a plurality of blendable materials comprising:
- (a) a mixing chamber;
- (b) a container;
- (c) means for delivering a quantity of a first material from a source thereof to said container;
- (d) means for weighing the quantity of said first material in said container;
- (e) means for delivering a quantity of a second material from a source thereof to said container;
- (f) means for extracting from a source thereof a quantity of a third material corresponding to a predetermined percentage of the weight of said first material only in said container;
- (g) means for discharging said first and second materials from said container to said mixing chamber;
- (h) means for dispensing said extracted quantity of said third material to said mixing chamber;
- and
- (i) means in said mixing chamber for mixing said first, second, and third materials.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.