Apparatus for converting free-flowing, at least partially thermoplastic feed material, into granules, agglomerates, pellets, compacts, and the like

An apparatus for converting free-flowing, at least partially thermoplastic feed material, such as films, fibers, foams, powders, and the like, into granules, agglomerates, pellets, compacts, and the like, under the application of pressure, the apparatus comprising:

• a conveyor screw being arranged about an axis of rotation, the conveyor screw having at least one screw spiral and is located within a screw housing;
• a rotationally symmetric working chamber arranged about the axis of rotation, the working chamber being formed by two annular walls arranged at an axial distance from one another and by an annular perforated die that is encompassed by the annular walls;
• a central opening formed in one of the annular walls, the central opening being arranged coaxial to the axis of rotation such that the conveyor screw discharges feed material towards the working chamber;
• a region of the working chamber between the central opening and the perforated die forming a compaction chamber;
• and
• a pressure element provided within the working chamber that rotates about the axis of rotation and that has at least one pressure arm, which extends from the axis of rotation toward the perforated die and whose front side in the direction of rotation forms a contact surface that delivers the axially supplied feed material to the perforated die in the radial direction and compacts it while doing so,
• wherein the pressure element and the conveyor screw are positioned relative to one another such that, proceeding from a radial line through a point of intersection S of the front side of the pressure arm with the central opening of the first annular wall, an end of the contact surface of the screw spiral is located within a sector from about 30° opposite the direction of rotation to about 40° in the direction of rotation referenced to the radial line.