Low pressure dryer
OwnerStephen B. Maguireinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A low pressure dryer for granular or powdery material includes a plurality of canisters rotatable about a common vertical axis serially among material heating, vacuum drying and material inventory discharge positions; pneumatic piston-cylinder means for rotating the canisters about said axis among said heating, vacuum drying and inventory discharge positions; means for heating contents of a canister at said heating position; means for sealing and drawing vacuum within a canister at said vacuum drying position and means for selectably permitting downward flow of dried granular or powdery material out of a canister at said discharge position where said canisters move collectively and unitarily one with another.
Claims20
A low pressure dryer for granular or powdery material comprising:
- a. a frame;
- b. a plurality of canisters movably carried on said frame at least among material heating and vacuum drying positions;
- c. a material fill hopper supported by said frame;
- d. a valve supported by said frame for permitting downward flow of material from said fill hopper into a movable canister located below said fill hopper;
- and
- e. means for sensing presence of a canister below said fill hopper and disabling said valve from opening in the absence of a canister thereat.
A plastics resin material dryer comprising:
- a. a rotatable carousel including vertically oriented vane means for vertically supporting a manually removable canister and moving said canister among heating and vacuum drying positions;
- b. means for rotatably moving said carousel and supported canisters at least among said heating and vacuum drying positions;
- c. at least one canister for holding resin material being manually mountable on and removable from said carousel and being moved by carousel rotation at least among said heating and vacuum drying positions;
- and
- d. manually deactuable latching means for retaining a canister lowered into position on said carousel in locking engagement therewith.
A vacuum dryer for granular or powdery material including:
- a. at least one canister movable serially among at least material heating and vacuum drying positions;
- b. means for moving said canister among at least said heating and vacuum drying positions;
- c. a blower;
- d. a fitting for connecting a canister at the vacuum drying position to a source of vacuum;
- and
- e. a manifold for selectably directing air from said blower either to a canister at said heating position or to a delivery device portion of said dryer for pneumatic conveyance of dried granular material from said dryer to a receptacle for molding or extrusion.
In a vacuum dryer for granular or powdery material including:
- a. a plurality of canisters rotatable about a common vertical axis serially among material heating, vacuum drying and material inventory management positions;
- b. means for moving said canisters about said axis among said heating, vacuum drying and material inventory management positions;
- c. means for heating contents of a canister at the heating position;
- d. means for drawing vacuum in a canister at the vacuum drying position;
- the improvement by which said moving means further comprises:
- e. a carousel rotatable about said axis for carrying said canisters among said heating, vacuum drying and material inventory management positions, comprising a plurality of vanes extending radially outwardly from a vertically extending axial shaft, said vanes having upwardly facing vertices for receiving pins extending outwardly from said canisters thereby to vertically support said canisters as said carousel rotates.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.