Apparatus for feeding single grains to one or more processing machines comprising at least one singulating device, a granular material reservoir for a bulk material, and a feeding device for feeding the singulated bulk material to the injection molding machine. The singulating device is formed from a singulating disk provided with suction openings distributed over the pitch circle. On one side of the singulating disk, the granular material reservoir is arranged to hold bulk material. Via the shaft, the singulating disk is mounted to be rotated with the suction openings for receiving and dispensing grains. Furthermore, a grain scraper and/or a grain aligner for the bulk material or grains is arranged on the singulating disk in order to scrape off the grains and/or align the grains, or a stirring or carry-along element is arranged on the singulating disk for receiving the bulk material or on the shaft.

An additive feeder system is presented which is operable for use in a plastic injection molding machine including an injection component and a clamping component. The additive feeder system includes a feeder control unit, a feeder supply mechanism and feeder dosage control mechanism. The additive feeder system is operable to provide a specific dosage of the additive materiel in real-time for mixing with the raw material to achieve desired product characteristics. The additive feeder system may be applied to injection molding and extrusion, such as molding processes, plastic molding processes, blow molding, compression molding, extrusion molding, injection molding and laminating, and comprising additive feeders, for example for color mixing and nutrient supplements.

A micro moulding machine and process for forming small plastic parts for the medical device industry. The machine adds heat in two steps to a precision sized plastic pellet and then displaces the entire pellet volume into the mould cavity. A substantial amount of heat is added to the pellet by forcing it through an orifice very near the gate of the mould. The pneumatic pressure to drive the pellet through the orifice is controlled to regulate the amount of heat introduced into the pellet.

A plasticizing device includes a passage defining section that is coupled to a hopper which stores a material and that defines a supply passage to which the material is supplied from the hopper, a plasticizing section that includes an introduction portion which communicates with the supply passage, and a screw, and that plasticizes the material supplied from the introduction portion by rotation of the screw to form a molten material, and a material detection section that detects the presence or absence of the material in the supply passage.

The invention relates to a device (1) for supplying at least one molding device (2) with a polymerizable mixture of at least two reactants. According to the invention, said supply device comprises: a buffer tank (10) suitable for receiving said polymerizable mixture via an inlet (101) of said buffer tank, a supply circuit (11), looped with said buffer tank, to convey the polymerizable mixture to an inlet (110) of said at least one molding device and including, beyond said inlet of the molding device, a return pipe (115) connected to the inlet of the buffer tank for sending a portion of the polymerizable mixture from said return pipe, and a filling pipe (42) of said buffer tank, connected to said inlet of said buffer tank, separate from the return pipe, wherein said buffer tank is also suitable for receiving said polymerizable mixture or at least one of said reactants from said filling pipe.

The invention relates to a feeding apparatus for feeding pasty masses, in particular silicone, to an injection molding machine, having a pressing cylinder which receives the pasty mass, and a pressing plunger which is arranged axially in said pressing cylinder and presses the pasty mass out of a squeezing nozzle of the pressing cylinder. It is an object of the invention to avoid operational interruptions for cleaning work in the case of a feeding apparatus of this type and to avoid material losses within the feeding apparatus in the case of the successive use of different pasty masses. In order to achieve said object, the invention proposes that the pressing cylinder is configured as a cartridge (3) which contains the pasty mass, consists of a polymer, and can be inserted exchangeably into a supporting housing (2) which supports the cartridge on all sides and is connected to an axial actuating drive (5) for the pressing plunger (3d) which is situated in the cartridge.

An extruding system includes a melting unit configured to convey a polymeric material, a mixing unit configured to mix the polymeric material with a blowing agent to form a mixture, an injection unit configured to inject the mixture, a first flow control element disposed between the melting unit and the mixing unit, and a second flow control element disposed between the mixing unit and the injection unit. A method of extruding includes conveying a polymeric material from a melting unit to a mixing unit, conveying a blowing agent into the mixing unit, mixing the polymeric material with the blowing agent to form a mixture, conveying the mixture from the mixing unit to an injection unit, and discharging the mixture from the injection unit, wherein flow of the polymeric material is controlled by a first flow control element, and flow of the mixture is controlled by a second flow control element.

An additive feeder system is presented which is operable for use in a plastic injection molding machine including an injection component and a clamping component. The additive feeder system includes a feeder control unit, a feeder supply mechanism and feeder dosage control mechanism. The additive feeder system is operable to provide a specific dosage of the additive materiel in real-time for mixing with the raw material to achieve desired product characteristics. The additive feeder system may be applied to injection molding and extrusion, such as molding processes, plastic molding processes, blow molding, compression molding, extrusion molding, injection molding and laminating, and comprising additive feeders, for example for color mixing and nutrient supplements.

A device for dosing bulk material, in particular plastic granules, for machines that process plastic granules, in particular for injection molding machines. The invention provides a bulk material feed (1), a material hopper (3) formed by multiple, preferably four, individually removable material hopper containers (2) and arranged under the bulk material feed (1) and ending in a dosing base device (4), and, optionally, a weighing container with a scale in the dosing base device (4). The individual material hopper containers (2) are arranged on a support spider (5) and the support spider (5) is formed by support spider plates (11) arranged vertically and perpendicular to one another. The support spider is mounted on the housing of the dosing base device (4). The support spider (5) has a height (h), which is at least the height (h.sub.1) of the material hopper container (2), which extends over the dosing base device (4), and corresponds to the immersion depth (h.sub.2) of the material hopper (3) into the dosing base device (4). A material hopper cover (6) is provided on the end of the support spider (5) facing away from the dosing base device (4).

A method for increasing the injection speed of a melted plastic injection device for injecting said melted plastic into a molding cavity (51), said injection device comprising: a first cylinder (1) provided with a tubular casing (2) defining a first inner diameter d.sub.1, and a first piston (3) slidable inside said tubular casing (2), adapted to be loaded with melted plastic and to inject said melted plastic toward the molding cavity (51); a second cylinder (21) constrained to the first cylinder (1) and provided with a second piston (23) which rod (24) is connected to the first piston (3) and is adapted to actuate said first cylinder (1) during an injection operation; the method comprising the steps of: releasing second cylinder (21) and first cylinder (1) by extracting the first piston (3) from the tubular casing (2); coaxially inserting a tubular body (12), defining a second inner diameter d.sub.3 which is smaller than the first inner diameter d.sub.1, into the tubular casing (2); disconnecting the first piston (3) from the rod (24); connecting a third piston (13) to the rod (24), said third piston (13) being sized to slide inside said tubular body (12); constraining second cylinder (21) and first cylinder (1) by inserting the third piston (3) into the tubular casing (2).