A method and an apparatus for rapid and efficient heating of polymer pellets in preparation for processing in a plastifier. For introduction of heat energy, a gas, preferably dried air, is introduced into the polymer pellets flow so as not to be in direct countercurrent thereto. The gas is preferably introduced in its still hottest state in a targeted fashion, for the purpose of rapid energy input, at a freely selectable location. This preferably takes place at the material output of the booster hopper. The gas is preferably conducted by way of cascades, which can be of a variable design, and flows through the bulk material at least twice. The speed of the flow can be influenced.

A process for treating polymer granular material (2) comprising the steps of heating and drying the polymer granular material in a drying hopper (10) by means of a drying gas, discharging a portion of the polymer granular material into an extruder (101), inside which the polymer granular material is brought to a molten or semi-molten state and transported along the extruder by a rotating screw (104) in order to be injected into a mould (102) or caused to pass through an extrusion head. The process provides for measuring a control parameter which is correlated with the rotation of the screw inside the extruder and regulating the flow rate of the drying gas on the basis of the control parameter.

A process for treating polymer granular material (2) comprising the steps of heating and drying the polymer granular material in a drying hopper (10) by means of a drying gas, discharging a portion of the polymer granular material into an extruder (101), inside which the polymer granular material is brought to a molten or semi-molten state and transported along the extruder by a rotating screw (104) in order to be injected into a mould (102) or caused to pass through an extrusion head. The process provides for measuring a control parameter which is correlated with the rotation of the screw inside the extruder and regulating the flow rate of the drying gas on the basis of the control parameter.

A thermoplastic composite structure is produced by extruding a bead of composite material to a desired cross sectional shape. An extruder extrudes the polymer bead containing reinforcing fibers, using a low compression first extruder stage where the polymer is mixed and de-gassed, and a high compression second stage where the polymer is consolidated and extruded. The cross sectional profile of the polymer bead may be altered using a variable extruder gate.

A thermoplastic composite structure is produced by extruding a bead of composite material to a desired cross sectional shape. An extruder extrudes the polymer bead containing reinforcing fibers, using a low compression first extruder stage where the polymer is mixed and de-gassed, and a high compression second stage where the polymer is consolidated and extruded. The cross sectional profile of the polymer bead may be altered using a variable extruder gate.

The present invention relates to a process for the production of a panel for floor or wad coverings comprising the steps of mixing and homogenising raw materials, thereby obtaining a dryblend, extruding said dryblend, thereby obtaining one or more thermoplastic layers, laminating the afore-mentioned thermoplastic layers, thereby obtaining a laminate, and profiling said laminate, thereby obtaining a panel for floor or wall coverings, wherein at least one thermoplastic layer is extruded by means of a co-rotating twin-screw extruder with pressure element.

A system for fabricating an object includes an extruder for one or more deposition materials having at least one nozzle and a movable support for the nozzle. The nozzle has a nozzle axis and is rotatably attached to the movable support via a connector that is actuatable relative to the movable support to change an angular orientation of the nozzle axis, thus varying an angle between the nozzle axis and a deposition surface. The system also includes a controller that can apply a correction factor calculated for a path of the nozzle when an acute angle is formed between the nozzle axis and the deposition surface, the correction factor for moving toward the acute angle being different from that when moving away from it. The correction factor removes differences in thickness of the deposited material caused by variations in the angle formed between the nozzle axis and the deposition surface.

A spacer for insulated glazings includes a polymeric main body including two pane contact surfaces, a glazing interior surface, an outer surface, and a cavity, wherein the polymeric main body contains a thermoplastic polymer as a base material at a proportion of 30 wt.-% to 70 wt.-%, as an elastomeric additive, a thermoplastic elastomer, and/or a thermoplastic terpolymer having an elastomeric component at a proportion of 0.5 wt.-% to 20 wt.-% in total, and a reinforcing agent at a proportion of 20 wt.-% to 45 wt.-%, the thermoplastic polymer as a base material includes a styrene-based polymer, and the polymeric main body has a foamed pore structure.

A spacer for insulated glazings includes a polymeric main body including two pane contact surfaces, a glazing interior surface, an outer surface, and a cavity, wherein the polymeric main body contains a thermoplastic polymer as a base material at a proportion of 30 wt.-% to 70 wt.-%, as an elastomeric additive, a thermoplastic elastomer, and/or a thermoplastic terpolymer having an elastomeric component at a proportion of 0.5 wt.-% to 20 wt.-% in total, and a reinforcing agent at a proportion of 20 wt.-% to 45 wt.-%, the thermoplastic polymer as a base material includes a styrene-based polymer, and the polymeric main body has a foamed pore structure.

A system for depositing a composite filler material into a channel of a composite structure includes an end-effector configured to extrude a bead of the filler material into the channel. The filler material can comprise a first group of relatively long fibers, a second group of relatively short fibers and a resin. A drive system is configured to move the end-effector relative to the channel, and a position sensor is configured to detect the position of the bead relative to the channel. A controller is configured to operate the drive system in response to the detected position and to operate the end-effector to heat and compress the filler material so as to orient the longer fibers in a substantially longitudinal direction relative to the channel and the shorter fibers in substantially random directions relative to the channel when the bead is extruded into the channel.