Screw apparatus and method for supplying reinforcing fiber-containing molten resin using the apparatus
AssigneeSumitomo Chemical Company, Limited
InventorsMasahito Matsumoto, Takeo Kitayama
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A screw apparatus comprises a melting extruder for melting a resin; a screw unit for kneading molten resin and reinforcing fibers to obtain a reinforcing fiber-containing molten resin and supplying it; and a mixer in which at least a part of the reinforcing fibers attach to the molten resin which is extruded from the melting extruder and flows down owing to gravity in an open space, and then the reinforcing fibers and the molten resin are fed into the screw unit.
Claims49
A screw apparatus comprising:
- a melting extruder comprising a barrel which has a resin material inlet provided on a first end portion side thereof and a molten resin outlet provided on a second end portion side thereof, said second end portion being opposite to the first end portion, an extruding means positioned in the barrel, a driving means connected to the extruding means and a barrel heater for heating the barrel;
- a screw unit comprising a cylinder having a feed opening provided on a first end portion side thereof and positioned under the molten resin outlet and an outlet provided on a second end portion side thereof, said second end portion being opposite to the first end portion, a screw inserted in the cylinder, a driving unit connected to the screw, and a cylinder heater for keeping the cylinder at a given temperature;
- and
- a mixer which is positioned between the molten resin outlet and the feed opening, which has a reinforcing fiber inlet, which defines a space through which reinforcing fibers fed from the reinforcing fiber inlet flow down owing to gravity together with molten resin extruded from the molten resin outlet and then the reinforcing fibers and the molten resin are fed to the feed opening, and in which at least a part of the reinforcing fibers attach to the molten resin flowing down owing to gravity in an open space.
A mixing unit comprising:
- a melting extruder comprising a barrel which has a resin material inlet provided on a first end portion side thereof and a molten resin outlet provided on a second end portion side thereof, said second end portion being opposite to the first end portion, an extruding means positioned in the barrel, a driving means connected to the extruding means and a barrel heater for heating the barrel;
- and
- a mixer which is connected to the molten resin outlet, which has a reinforcing fiber inlet, which defines a space through which reinforcing fibers fed from the reinforcing fiber inlet flow down owing to gravity together with molten resin extruded from the molten resin outlet, and in which at least a part of the reinforcing fibers attach to the molten resin flowing down owing to gravity in an open space.
A screw unit comprising a cylinder having a feed opening provided on a first end portion side thereof and an outlet provided on a second end portion side thereof, said second end portion being opposite to the first end portion, a screw inserted in the cylinder, a driving unit connected to the screw, and a cylinder heater for keeping the cylinder at a given temperature, in which a compression ratio is 4 or less, and an apparent shear rate is 100 sec.sup.-1 or less.
A method for supplying a reinforcing fiber-containing molten resin, which comprises:
- a step of attaching at least a part of reinforcing fibers to molten resin flowing down owing to gravity in an open space outside a screw unit;
- a step of feeding the reinforcing fibers and the molten resin to which at least a part of the reinforcing fibers attach to a feed opening of the screw unit;
- and
- a step of kneading the molten resin and the reinforcing fibers by a screw of the screw unit and supplying the resulting reinforcing fiber-containing molten resin from an outlet of the screw unit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.