A method of manufacturing bulked continuous carpet filament from recycled polymer. In various embodiments, the method includes: (1) reducing recycled polymer material into polymer flakes; (2) cleansing the polymer flakes; (3) melting the flakes into a polymer melt; (4) removing water and contaminants from the polymer melt by dividing the polymer melt into a plurality of polymer streams and exposing those streams to pressures below 5 millibars; (5) recombining the streams; and (6) using the resulting purified polymer to produce bulked continuous carpet filament.

The present invention relates to specific deoxybenzoin containing flame retardant polyesters and flame retardant thermoplastic polymer molding compositions comprising deoxybenzoin containing flame retardant polyesters as well as their preparation and use for producing moldings, fibers or foils.

A system for manufacturing bulked continuous carpet filament that is adapted for providing a polymer melt and dividing the polymer melt into a plurality of streams (e.g., at least six or eight streams) to increase a surface area of the polymer melt. The plurality of streams is then exposed to a pressure that is below approximately 5 millibars. The streams are then recombined into a single polymer stream and formed into bulked continuous carpet filament. In various embodiments, an extruder, such as a multi-screw extruder, is used to divide the polymer melt into the plurality of streams.

A method for manufacturing bulked continuous carpet filament, the method comprising: (1) reducing a chamber pressure within a chamber to below about 5 millibars; (2) after reducing the chamber pressure to below about 5 millibars, providing a polymer melt to the chamber; (3) separating the polymer melt into at least eight streams; (4) while the at least eight streams of the polymer melt are within the chamber, exposing the at least eight streams of the polymer melt to the chamber pressure of below about 5 millibars; (5) after exposing the at least eight streams of the polymer melt to the chamber pressure of below about 5 millibars, recombining the at least eight streams into a single polymer stream; and (6) forming polymer from the single polymer stream into bulked continuous carpet filament.

Methods of manufacturing multi-material fibers having one or more electrically-connectable devices disposed therein are described. In certain instances, the methods include the steps of: positioning the electrically-connectable device(s) within a corresponding pocket provided in a preform material; positioning a first electrical conductor longitudinally within a first conduit provided in the preform material; and drawing the multi-material fiber by causing the preform material to flow, such that the first electrical conductor extends within the multi-material fiber along a longitudinal axis thereof and makes an electrical contact with a first electrode located on each electrically-connectable device. A metallurgical bond may be formed between the first electrical conductor and the first electrode while drawing the multi-material fiber and/or, after drawing the multi-material fiber, the first electrical conductor may be located substantially along a neutral axis of the multi-material fiber.

A method of manufacturing bulked continuous carpet filament that includes providing a polymer melt and separating the polymer melt from the extruder into at least eight streams. The multiple streams are exposed to a chamber pressure within a chamber that is below approximately 25 millibars, or another predetermined pressure. The streams are recombined into a single polymer stream. Polymer from the polymer stream is then formed into bulked continuous carpet filament.

A method for synthesizing polyacrylonitrile (PAN) polymer with a narrow molecular weight distribution is disclosed. The preferred PAN polymer has a PDI (Mw/Mn) of about 2 or less. Such PAN polymer is synthesized by controlled/living radical polymerization using a special RAFT (Reversible Addition-Fragmentation Chain Transfer) agent. Also disclosed is a method for producing carbon fibers from PAN polymer with low PDI.

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A method of manufacturing bulked continuous carpet filament which, in various embodiments, comprises: (A) grinding recycled PET bottles into a group of flakes; (B) washing the flakes; (C) identifying and removing impurities, including impure flakes, from the group of flakes; (D) passing the group of flakes through an expanded surface area extruder while maintaining a pressure within the expanded surface area extruder below about 25 millibars; (E) passing the resulting polymer melt through at least one filter having a micron rating of less than about 50 microns; and (F) forming the recycled polymer into bulked continuous carpet filament that consists essentially of recycled PET.

A method of manufacturing bulked continuous carpet filament that includes providing a polymer melt and separating the polymer melt from the extruder into at least eight streams. The multiple streams are exposed to a chamber pressure within a chamber that is below approximately 5 millibars. The streams are recombined into a single polymer stream and formed into bulked continuous carpet filament.

A method of manufacturing bulked continuous carpet filament which, in various embodiments, comprises: (A) grinding recycled PET bottles into a group of flakes; (B) washing the flakes; (C) identifying and removing impurities, including impure flakes, from the group of flakes; (D) passing the flakes through a PET crystallizer; (E) passing the group of flakes through an MRS extruder while maintaining the pressure within the MRS portion of the MRS extruder below about 18 millibars; (F) passing the resulting polymer melt through at least one filter having a micron rating of less than about 50 microns; and (G) forming the recycled polymer into bulked continuous carpet filament that consists essentially of recycled PET.