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 cable jacket extruder comprises a chamber, a feeding port disposed at one end of the chamber, an extruding screw disposed inside the chamber, a pathway connected to an outlet at another end of the chamber, wherein a vent is defined on the pathway, and a nozzle connected to the pathway. In another example, a tandem-type cable jacket extruder is provided. The tandem-type cable jacket extruder comprises a first chamber and a second chamber connected in tandem via a pathway, a vent disposed on the pathway, a feeding port disposed at one end of the first chamber, and an extruding screw disposed in each of the first and second chambers. A method for manufacturing cable jackets is also provided.

Injector (14) for injecting a liquid formulation into a molten polymer includes outlet (21) at one end and, at its other end, is arranged to be connected to upstream conduit (25) via a coupling housing (26) so that liquid formulation can pass from conduit into the injector, and further includes an elongate conduit (27) in which an elongate pin is slideably arranged being capable of expelling all liquid formulation from conduit. To address the risk the outlet could become blocked in use, whilst avoiding the need to depressurize and/or stop the flow or polymer in extruder (19), the injection apparatus includes a spool (34) which is rotatably mounted within wall (35) of the extruder and is arranged to be rotated about an axis which extends substantially perpendicularly to the elongate extent of the extruder through which a polymer stream (18) flows. The spool may be moved between a first configuration and a second configuration wherein a flow path is interrupted, but wherein molten polymer continues to flow in said polymer flow conduit.

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.

Systems for manufacturing bulked continuous carpet filament from polymer, where the systems are configured for: (1) melting polymer (e.g., derived from post-consumer PET bottles) to create a first single stream of polymer melt; (2) separating the first single stream of polymer melt into multiple streams of polymer melt; (3) exposing the multiple streams of polymer melt to a pressure of between about 0 millibars and about 5 millibars; (4) allowing the multiple streams of polymer melt to fall into a receiving section of a melt processing unit; (5) recombining the multiple streams of polymer melt into a second single stream of polymer melt; and (6) providing the second single stream of polymer melt to one or more spinning machines that are configured to form the second single stream of polymer melt into bulked continuous carpet filament.

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 system comprising: (1) a grinding unit configured to receive and grind recycled PET bottles into a group of polymer flakes comprising up to about ten percent colored polymer flakes and balance substantially clear polymer flakes; (2) a washing unit configured to wash the group of polymer flakes; and (3) an extruder configured to extrude material in a plurality of different extrusion streams. The extruder may be further configured to: (1) receive a concentrate-polymer mixture comprising a mixture of the polymer flakes and a color concentrate; (2) melt the concentrate-polymer mixture to produce a polymer melt; (3) reduce a pressure within the extruder; and (4) pass the polymer melt through the extruder so that the polymer melt is divided into the plurality of extrusion streams. The system may then filter the polymer melt through at least one filter and form the polymer melt into bulked continuous carpet filament.

A system comprising: (1) a grinding unit configured to receive and grind recycled PET bottles into a group of polymer flakes comprising up to about ten percent colored polymer flakes and balance substantially clear polymer flakes; (2) a washing unit configured to wash the group of polymer flakes; and (3) an extruder configured to extrude material in a plurality of different extrusion streams. The extruder may be further configured to: (1) receive a concentrate-polymer mixture comprising a mixture of the polymer flakes and a color concentrate; (2) melt the concentrate-polymer mixture to produce a polymer melt; (3) reduce a pressure within the extruder; and (4) pass the polymer melt through the extruder so that the polymer melt is divided into the plurality of extrusion streams. The system may then filter the polymer melt through at least one filter and form the polymer melt into bulked continuous carpet filament.

A substantially dry product is produced by a process comprising the steps of: removing moisture from a raw material having a first moisture content to produce the substantially dry final product having a final moisture content; (b) advancing the raw material longitudinally along and between at least a first screw and a second screw comprising at least a compression zone and a dehydrating zone which are arranged successively within the first and second screws; and (c) entrapping and removing a predetermined percentage of moisture as the raw material moves through the compression zone and dehydrating zone.

Methods of manufacturing bulked continuous carpet filament which, in various embodiments, comprise: (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) adding one or more color concentrates to the flakes; (E) passing the group of flakes through an MRS extruder (400) while maintaining the pressure within the MRS portion (420) of the MRS extruder (400) below about 25 millibars; (F) passing the resulting polymer melt through at least one filter (450) 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.