An extruder is disclosed, and more particularly, to an integrated single screw extruder and a twin screw extruder for mixing, compounding, kneading and/or extruding of materials. The integrated extruder includes a first barrel assembly and a second barrel assembly. The integrated extruder further includes a first screw having a first threaded portion and a second threaded portion. The first threaded portion is housed within the first barrel assembly and is configured to provide upstream material processing. The second threaded portion is housed within the second barrel assembly and is configured to provide downstream material processing. The integrated extruder further includes a second screw having a non-threaded shaft portion and a threaded portion. The threaded portion of the second screw is housed within the second barrel assembly and is configured to provide the downstream material processing with the second threaded portion of the first screw.

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 device according to various embodiments for drying wet grain can include a first screw configured to receive wet grain. A second screw receives the wet grain from the first screw. At least one mechanism is included within at least one of the first screw and the second screw to vaporize water content in the wet grain.

A method for continuous bulk polymerization is disclosed that includes providing a planetary roller extruder having a plurality of planetary roller zones, introducing an acrylate monomer, a di-vinyl monomer, and a hydroxyl functional acrylic monomer into the planetary roller extruder, introducing an initiator into the planetary roller extruder for initiation of a free-radical polymerization of the acrylate monomer, the di-vinyl monomer, and the hydroxyl functional acrylic monomer to form an acrylic polymer, maintaining the temperature of the free-radical polymerization in the planetary roller extruder below 240 C., and discharging a portion of the acrylic polymer from the planetary roller extruder, and returning the portion of the acrylic polymer to one or more of the plurality of planetary roller zones.

Extruded plastic profiles with integrated insulation, the method for extruding such products, and the windows and doors made with such plastic extrusions. The plastic extrusions may additionally include a low heat build-up capstock system comprising an acrylic cap and pigment system that is substantially IR transparent. The extruded plastic profiles with integrated insulation are recyclable using conventional plastic extrusion process and are fully weldable in conventional window and door manufacturing.

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 MRS extruder while maintaining the pressure within the MRS portion of the MRS extruder below about 1.5 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.