Apparatus and method for gravimetric blending with horizontal material feed
OwnerStephen B. Maguireinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus of supplying material from a storage hopper (12) to a weighing hopper (16) where the material is fed at a controllable rate by a sliding plate member (104) that acts as a shutter for the storage hopper (12), which includes an aperture (154) for receiving material gravity fed from the storage hopper (12). As the plate (104) is reciprocated horizontally at a preselected frequency, material is conveyed at a controlled rate from the storage hopper (12) to the weighing hopper (16).
Claims18
A method for providing granular plastic resin material pellets at an adjustably preselected controlled rate to a weigh station prior to manufacturing processing, comprising the steps of:
- a. providing a granular flow of said material to an upwardly facing surface of a laterally reciprocable material vertical support member;
- b. laterally reciprocating said member in a desired direction of material travel at a frequency to induce material travel along said upwardly facing surface of said reciprocable member at said controlled rate to a mixing station;
- c. mixing said material into a blend preparatory to said manufacturing processing via molding or extrusion.
A method for preparing granular plastic resin material pellets for manufacturing processing, comprising the steps of:
- a. monitoring weight of material, if any, at a weighing station;
- b. providing a downwardly directed granular flow of said pellets to an upwardly facing surface of the horizontally reciprocal member having transverse length, in the direction of desired pellet horizontal movement, at least five times average cross-sectional dimension of said pellets;
- c. reciprocating said horizontal member in the direction of desired horizontal travel of said pellets through a stroke length substantially the average diameter of said pellets thereby encouraging horizontal travel of said pellets along said upwardly facing surface through a distance about at least about five times average diameter of said pellets to where said pellets drop vertically from said horizontal member to a mixing station;
- d. mixing said pellets together with other resin material components into a blend preparatory to said manufacturing processing via molding or extrusion.
A method for preparing plastic resin material for manufacturing processing, comprising the steps of:
- a. monitoring weight of material, if any, at a weighing station;
- b. serially horizontally reciprocatingly metering solid resinous material to said weighing station until preselected weights of materials are at said station;
- c. providing said serially metered materials unitarily to a mixing station;
- d. mixing said unitarily supplied serially metered materials into a blend preparatory to said manufacturing processing via molding or extrusion.
A gravimetric blender comprising:
- a. a frame;
- b. a hopper supported on said frame;
- c. a weigh bin below said hopper;
- d. means for sensing weight of said bin and any material contained therein;
- e. means for horizontally reciprocatingly metering material from said hopper to said bin;
- and
- f. a mix chamber below said bin including mixing means therewithin.
A gravimetric blender comprising:
- a. a frame;
- b. a hopper supported on said frame;
- c. a weigh bin below said hopper and connected to said frame;
- d. a laterally reciprocable horizontally elongated valve, for receiving vertical flow of material from said hopper and laterally conveying said material at an adjustably selectable rate by horizontal valve reciprocation to a position at which material is discharged downwardly from said valve into a mix chamber;
- e. pneumatically actuated means connected to said frame for reciprocating said valve in the direction of material lateral movement.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.