An apparatus for controlling temperature of materials in a flowable state as they flow through a barrel. The apparatus includes a band surrounding the barrel having a plurality of connected blocks, each block having an inner surface in communication with the barrel. One or more of the connected blocks has a slot therein and has a removable, temperature controlling mechanism slidably received in the slot. A flexible cover surrounds an outer surface of the band with the flexible cover having a pouch for receiving a temperature sensing element.

The extrusion of polymer compositions based on polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and in particular to a method in which polymer compositions are produced that have an elongation at break of at least 200%, a tensile strength of at least 10 N/mm2 with a specific energy input SEI of 0.03 to 0.20 kWh/kg and in particular 0.04 to 0.16 kWh/kg. The method is expediently carried out such that a plasticizer is added in a plurality of portions to the non-composed polyvinyl chloride and mixed into said polyvinyl chloride. The method thereby offers a fast and simple possibility of producing products from finished soft PVC, the production of said products requiring only a single processing device in the form of an extruder.

In various embodiments, a device for producing a high density compact livestock feed from a loose granular material according to various embodiment can include a source for supplying a loose granular material to be treated and moving the treated material through a series of successive treatment zones. Rotatable screws are provided within an extruder to compress and transport the treated material a die. The treated material is pressed through the die while a two-dimensional cross-section compression is applied to the treated material. In various embodiments, the high density compact livestock feed is produced having a high protein content, a high fat content, high shipping durability, high quality, and high nutritional value, without the addition of additives.

Three-dimensional printer fabrication is improved by receiving a digital model of an object specifying two or more different build materials, prioritizing the different build materials with a ranking, identifying exclusive locations where a surface layer of the object has one of the build materials, generating an external structure for the object according to one or more design rules, matching a first build material of the external structure to a second build material of the object at each of the exclusive locations, the matching based on at least one shared property of the materials, generating tool instructions for fabricating the object and the external structure, the tool instructions including one or more selections between the first build material and the second build material based upon the ranking and the matching, and controlling the three-dimensional printer according to the tool instructions to fabricate the object and the external structure.

An apparatus for thermally insulating a cylindrical barrel and monitoring the temperature thereof. The apparatus includes a plurality of flexible covers, each flexible cover circumnavigating the cylindrical barrel. Each of the plurality of flexible covers includes a temperature sensing element thereon.

A single-screw extrusion desulfurization and post-processing system and a method for preparing reclaimed rubber. The single-screw extrusion desulfurization and post-processing system comprises: a single-screw desulfurization device, a single-screw post-processing device and a closed connection device for connecting the single-screw desulfurization device and the single-screw post-processing device, the single-screw post-processing device includes a post-processing feeding unit and a post-processing unit which are connected with each other, and a post-processing screw running through the post-processing feeding unit and the post-processing unit.

An apparatus (1) for optical inspection of a mass of polymeric material (2) passing through an extruder (3) having a hollow extrusion cylinder (4) extending elongately in a longitudinal direction comprises an optical sensor (8) which can be operatively coupled to the extrusion cylinder (4) and having an infrared light emitter (8a) and a receiver (8b) configured to measure a measurement parameter representing an optical property of the polymeric material (2) inside the extrusion cylinder (4) and is characterized in that it comprises a plurality of the optical sensors (8) which can be operatively coupled to the extrusion cylinder (4) in a plurality of measurement sites located in succession and spaced from each other along the longitudinal direction and a processor (9) programmed to acquire a plurality of measurement signals containing the measurement parameters measured by the corresponding optical sensors (8) and programmed to process the plurality of measurement signals in order to calculate a corresponding plurality of values of a control parameter indicating a physical state of the polymeric material (2) as a function of a longitudinal position.

An mixing section for an extrusion screw has an inlet end and an outlet end as well as alternating wiping lands and barrier lands. The wiping lands have a greater helix angle than the barrier lands. The wiping lands and the barrier lands define inlet channels which narrow toward the outlet end and outlet channels which widen toward the outlet end. A helical pattern of mixing channels is cut into the wiping lands and the barrier lands. The mixing channels may be oriented generally at approximately right angles to the wiping lands and the barrier lands. A portion of the extrudate encounters the inside wall surfaces of the mixing channels and changes direction which improves the mixing of the extrudate.

A method for producing magnet-polymer pellets useful as a feedstock in an additive manufacturing process, comprising: (i) blending thermoplastic polymer and hard magnetic particles; (ii) feeding the blended magnet-polymer mixture into a pre-feed hopper that feeds directly into an inlet of a temperature-controlled barrel extruder; (iii) feeding the blended magnet-polymer mixture into the barrel extruder at a fixed feed rate of 5-20 kg/hour, wherein the temperature at the outlet is at least to no more than 10 C. above a glass transition temperature of the blended magnet-polymer mixture; (iv) feeding the blended magnet-polymer mixture directly into an extruding die; (v) passing the blended magnet-polymer mixture through the extruding die at a fixed speed; and (vi) cutting the magnet-polymer mixture at regular intervals as the mixture exits the extruding die at the fixed speed. The use of the pellets as feed material in an additive manufacturing process is also described.

A tubular parison for forming a medical device balloon. The parison is formed of a polymeric material, for instance a thermoplastic elastomer. The parison has an elongation at break which is not more than 80% of the elongation of the bulk polymeric material. The elongation of the parison is controlled by altering extrusion conditions. Balloons prepared from the parisons provide higher wall strength and/or higher inflation durability than balloons prepared from conventional parisons of the same material.