Apparatus for filtering plasticized thermoplastics

An apparatus for filtering plasticized thermoplastic synthetic plastic material, comprising:

• a housing with at least one inflow channel for receiving the material to be filtered, which channel leads the material to be filtered to an inflow surface of an inflow side of at least one filter element, the filter element having a perforated zone of fine filtering holes through which the material to be filtered passes, the housing further including at least one outflow channel disposed adjacent an outflow side of the filter element for conducting filtrate out of the housing;
• a plurality of scrapers disposed in the housing adjacent the inflow surface of the filter element, the scrapers having a scraping edge configured and arranged to move relative to the filter element, such that as the edges of the plurality of scrapers brush over the inflow surface of the filter element they push waste residues along the inflow surface of the filter element to at least one discharge channel;
• and
• a non-perforated zone adjoining the perforated zone of the filter element and disposed between the perforated zone and the discharge channel, which non-perforated zone is also brushed over by the scrapers, an inflow surface of the non-perforated zone including grooves facing the scrapers and adjoining the discharge channel, the direction of the grooves being constructed and arranged to intersect the path of the scraping edges brushing over these grooves such that thickened waste residue on the non-perforated zone is readily transported toward the discharge channel.