A Mortar Delivery System is described. The Mortar Delivery System provides precise control of the delivery and application of mortar in addition to the mixing and tempering of mortar. Such control eliminates the use of a hand trowel in brick, block and stone laying applications. Sensing and control are integrated with the Mortar Delivery System to make it an important element of a robotic brick laying system. The Mortar Delivery System contains sensors to measure mortar viscosity and workability, mortar flow rate, and mortar nozzle pressure. The data from the Mortar Delivery System sensors can be used to change the rotational speed of the shear blades, change the amount of water being used for mixing or tempering, and change the delivery speed of the mortar. Such changes result in precise control of mortar that is in turn suitable for automated or semi-automated building processes.

A developer conveyor includes a shaft; a first blade helically wound around the shaft in a first direction, a second blade disposed away from an end of the first blade with a gap in a longitudinal axial direction of the developer conveyor and helically wound around the shaft in a second direction opposite the first direction, and a third blade helically wound around the shaft in the first direction at least at a position where the gap is formed.

A blender has a mixing chamber for reception of materials to be blended. A mixing screw is mounted at a bottom of the mixing chamber for mixing materials within the mixing chamber and delivering mixed materials to an outlet feeding a processing line. The blender has a plurality of material handling compartments. One or more cleaning air jets are provided in each material handling compartment. The cleaning air jets are operable to direct material towards an outlet of the compartment. Each cleaning air jet is connected to a pressurised air supply through a valve which controls delivery of pressurised air to the cleaning air jet.

A continuous extrusion kneader comprising a first supply section for supplying a solid electrolyte, a first kneading section for kneading a material supplied from the first supply section to provide an intermediate mixture, a second supply section for supplying an electrode active material to the intermediate mixture, and a second kneading section for kneading the intermediate mixture and the material supplied from the second supply section, wherein the first kneading section comprises a forward kneading section for kneading the material supplied from the first supply section and conveying the material downstream, and a reverse kneading section for kneading the material supplied from the forward kneading section and applying a force in the upstream direction.

Provided is a device for continuously decomposing a rare earth concentrate ore. The device includes a body, a bidirectional propeller and a driving assembly. The body has a material inlet, two liquid inlets and two exhaust gas outlets disposed at the top of the body, two material outlets disposed at the bottom of the body and a heat preservation chamber provided inside a side wall of the body. The bidirectional propeller is provided in the body and extends along a length direction of the body. The driving assembly is connected to the rotating shaft.

A system for processing liquid or semi-liquid food products includes a machine provided with: at least one containment vessel for containing the product to be processed; a stirrer arranged inside the containment vessel;
the system is characterized in that said stirrer includes, in combination, at least: a rotating body rotating about an axis of rotation, said rotating body including a plurality of propellers extending about said axis of rotation; a plurality of scraping elements, supported by said rotating body; a drive shaft, connectable to the rotating body, for the rotation of the rotating body about the axis of rotation; a curvilinear element extending around the axis of rotation and configured to be inserted inside the rotating body and rotatably coupled with the drive shaft.

High thermal transfer, hollow core extrusion screws (50, 52, 124, 126, 190) include elongated hollow core shafts (54, 128, 130, 192) equipped with helical fighting (56, 132, 134, 194) along the lengths thereof. The fighting (132, 134, 194) may also be of hollow construction which communicates with the hollow core shafts (54, 128, 130, 192). Structure (88, 90) is provided for delivery of heat exchange media (e.g., steam) into the hollow core shafts (54, 128, 130, 192) and the hollow fighting (132, 134, 194). The fighting (56, 132, 134, 194) also includes a forward, reverse pitch section (64, 162, 216). The extrusion screws (50, 52, 124, 126, 190) are designed to be used as complemental pairs as a part of twin screw processing devices (20), and are designed to impart high levels of thermal energy into materials being processed in the devices (20), without adding additional moisture.

High thermal transfer, hollow core extrusion screws (50, 52, 124, 126, 190) include elongated hollow core shafts (54, 128, 130, 192) equipped with helical fighting (56, 132, 134, 194) along the lengths thereof. The fighting (132, 134, 194) may also be of hollow construction which communicates with the hollow core shafts (54, 128, 130, 192). Structure (88, 90) is provided for delivery of heat exchange media (e.g., steam) into the hollow core shafts (54, 128, 130, 192) and the hollow fighting (132, 134, 194). The fighting (56, 132, 134, 194) also includes a forward, reverse pitch section (64, 162, 216). The extrusion screws (50, 52, 124, 126, 190) are designed to be used as complemental pairs as a part of twin screw processing devices (20), and are designed to impart high levels of thermal energy into materials being processed in the devices (20), without adding additional moisture.

Apparatus and methods for food production including a food preconditioner (228) operable to heat and partially pre-cook food ingredients, and a twin screw extruder (20) operable to further cook the preconditioned ingredients to create final food products. The extruder (20) includes a pair of hollow core extrusion screws (50, 52, 124, 126, 190) having elongated hollow core shafts (54, 128, 130, 192) equipped with helical fighting (56, 132, 134, 194) along the lengths thereof. The fighting (132, 134, 194) is also of hollow construction which communicates with the hollow core shafts (54, 128, 130, 192). The flighting (56, 132, 134, 194) also includes forward, reverse pitch sections (64, 162, 216). The extrusion screws (50, 52, 124, 126, 190) are designed to impart high levels of thermal energy into materials being processed in the extruders (20), without adding additional moisture.

High thermal transfer, hollow core extrusion screws (50, 52, 124, 126, 190) include elongated hollow core shafts (54, 128, 130, 192) equipped with helical fighting (56, 132, 134, 194) along the lengths thereof. The fighting (132, 134, 194) may also be of hollow construction which communicates with the hollow core shafts (54, 128, 130, 192). Structure (88, 90) is provided for delivery of heat exchange media (e.g., steam) into the hollow core shafts (54, 128, 130, 192) and the hollow fighting (132, 134, 194). The fighting (56, 132, 134, 194) also includes a forward, reverse pitch section (64, 162, 216). The extrusion screws (50, 52, 124, 126, 190) are designed to be used as complemental pairs as a part of twin screw processing devices (20), and are designed to impart high levels of thermal energy into materials being processed in the devices (20), without adding additional moisture.