In-line color mixer
AssigneesReduction Engineering, Inc., ColorMatrix Group, Inc.
InventorsRobert Sly, Jim Mauri, Jeff Masar, Keith Bell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The method of producing a colored powder of a polymeric material includes the steps of selecting a feedstock of said polymeric material, pulverizing said polymeric material in a pulverizer to produce a powder, moving the powder directly from the pulverizer to a mixer; spraying a liquid formulation including a colorant into the powder within the mixer, and mixing the liquid formulation and powder.
Claims17
An apparatus for producing a colored powder of a polymeric material, the apparatus comprising:
- a pulverizer which produces a powder from polymeric material, wherein the temperature of the powder increases during pulverization;
- and
- a mixer which mixes the powder with a colorant while the powder retains at least some of the temperature increase produced by the pulverization;
- wherein the colorant is a liquid formulation which further comprises a water component to facilitate coating of the powder at the increased temperature in which a portion of the water component is driven off upon contact in the mixer with the increased temperature powder.
An apparatus for producing a colored powder of a polymeric material, the apparatus comprising:
- a pulverizer which produces a powder from polymeric material, wherein the temperature of the powder increases during pulverization;
- a mixer which mixes the powder with a colorant while the powder retains at least some of the temperature increase produced by the pulverization;
- and
- an outlet of the pulverizer is positioned less than 50 cm from an inlet of the mixer so as to minimize a loss of the temperature increase of the powder.
An apparatus for producing a colored polymeric material, the apparatus comprising:
- a pulverizer which produces a powder from polymeric material, wherein the temperature of the powder increases during pulverization;
- a continuous mixer which mixes the powder with a colorant while the powder retains at least some of the temperature increase produced by the pulverization;
- an inlet of the mixer being directly coupled to an outlet of the pulverizer so as to minimize a loss of the temperature increase of the powder;
- wherein the colorant further comprises a liquid formulation having a water component to facilitate coating of the powder at the increased temperature in which a portion of the water component is driven off upon contact in the mixer with the increased temperature powder;
- and
- a spray device operatively coupled to the mixer to produce a spray of the colorant directed at the powder in the mixer;
- wherein the mixer produces a fluidized bed of the powder and the colorant.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.