Method of compressing and cooling plastic purge as it emanates from a plastic injection molding machine
OwnerSiebolt Hettinga, Peter J. Aretzinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for recycling pure which is disgorged from a plastic injection molding machine. The apparatus has a hopper which is placed below the injection nozzle of an injection molding machine. Purge is released from the injection nozzle and falls into a hopper located on the apparatus. From the hopper the purge is drawn downward by two coacting compression rollers which have the dual function of compressing and forming the purge into a recyclable form. After compression and forming the purge is available for storage or reuse.
Claims15
A method for compressing and cooling plastic purge as it emanates from a plastic injection molding machine and for compressing the purge into recyclable sheets for grinding and remolding, said method comprising:
- (a) providing a plastic injection molding machine having a purge outlet nozzle;
- (b) filling said plastic injection molding machine with a plastic material;
- (c) heating said plastic material within said plastic injection molding machine;
- (d) forcing said plastic material through said nozzle;
- (e) placing a hopper, having a purge inlet and a purge outlet, below said nozzle;
- (f) providing at least two rollers operably secured to and below said hopper;
- (g) directing purge from said nozzle to said hopper;
- (h) transferring said purge from said hopper between said at least two rollers;
- (i) revolving at least one of said at least two rollers sufficiently to compress said purge as said purge exits from said hopper;
- (j) compressing said purge between said at least two rollers to a thickness sufficient for subsequent reprocessing;
- and
- (k) removing said purge from said at least two rollers.
A method for compressing and cooling plastic purge as it emanates from a plastic injection molding machine and for compressing the purge into recyclable sheets for grinding and remolding, said method comprising:
- (a) providing a plastic injection molding machine having an outlet nozzle through which plastic material is ejected from said plastic injection molding machine;
- (b) placing a plastic material in said plastic injection molding machine;
- (c) plasticizing said plastic material within said plastic injection molding machine;
- (d) providing a plastic purge recycling apparatus comprising:
- (i) a mobile support frame, said frame having a compressed purge storage area;
- (ii) a hopper mounted to said mobile support frame, said hopper having a purge inlet and a purge outlet;
- (iii) a first roller mounted to said support frame so as to receive purge exiting from said purge outlet of said hopper;
- (iv) a second roller mounted near said first roller so as to compress said purge against said first roller as said purge exits said purge outlet of said hopper;
- and
- (v) compressed purge guiding means mounted to said support frame for guiding said purge away from said rollers after said purge is compressed between said rollers;
- (e) placing said purge recycling apparatus below said nozzle of said plastic injection molding machine in a position to allow purge exiting from said nozzle to be deposited within said hopper of said purge recycling apparatus;
- (f) ejecting purge from said plastic injection molding machine through said nozzle and into said hopper of said purge recycling apparatus;
- (g) rotating said rollers of said purge recycling apparatus at a rate sufficient to compress said purge between said rollers as said purge exits purge outlet of said hopper;
- (h) removing said compressed purge from said rollers after said purge has hardened;
- and
- (i) directing said compressed hardened purge into a compressed purge storage area.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.