In-line color mixer
AssigneesColorMatrix Group, Inc., Reduction Engineering, Inc.
InventorsRobert Sly, Jim Mauri, Jeff Masar, Keith A. 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.
Claims20
A method of producing a colored powder of a polymeric material, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) selecting a feedstock of polymeric material;
- (b) pulverizing the polymeric material in a pulverizer to produce a powder having a temperature greater than the ambient temperature;
- (c) moving the powder directly from the pulverizer to a mixer maintaining the powder at a temperature greater than the ambient temperature;
- (d) adding a colorant into mixer;
- (e) mixing the colorant and powder while the powder remains at a temperature greater than the ambient temperature.
A method of producing a colored powder of a polymeric material comprising the steps of:
- pulverizing a feedstock of polymeric material in a pulverizer to produce a powder having a temperature at least 10° C. greater than an ambient temperature;
- directly coupling an outlet of the pulverizer to an inlet of a mixer;
- moving the powder from the pulverizer to the mixer while maintaining the temperature at least 10° C. greater than the ambient temperature;
- spraying a colorant of a liquid formulation at the powder in the mixer;
- and
- continuously mixing the colorant and the powder in the mixer while the powder remains at the temperature at least 10° C. greater than the ambient temperature;
- wherein the continuously mixing step further comprises coating the powder with a water component of the liquid formulation and driving off a portion of the water component upon contact in the mixer with the powder.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.