A barrel main body, a sleeve, and a fixing mechanism (a fastening hole and a fastening device) are provided. The barrel main body includes a barrel hole having a cylindrical shape and a slit dividing an inner circumferential surface of the barrel hole. The sleeve having a hollow cylindrical shape is removably incorporated into the barrel hole. The slit includes two cutout surfaces facing each other with a space between. The fixing mechanism brings the inner circumferential surface of the barrel hole into close contact with the sleeve without any gap by narrowing the space between the cutout surfaces and deforming the barrel main body.

A melt processing plant including a melt charger for charging a processing head, in particular a pelletizing head, with melt, is provided. Upstream of the processing head a diverter valve for discharging the melt during a starting and/or retooling phase is associated with the melt charger, and a portioning device for portioning the discharged melt into melt portions is associated to the diverter valve. A cooling device for cooling the melt portions to at least partly solidified chunks of material is also provided, the cooling device including a cooling bath having an associated belt conveyor with a first collecting belt portion inclined at an acute angle to the horizontal and extending through the level of the cooling bath for collecting chunks of solidified material.

An air ring comprises a circular plenum in fluid communication with a source of pressurized air. An upper and lower annular lips are in fluid communication with the plenum through upper and lower channels and are arranged to supply air to the blown film bubble. A plurality of vanes are disposed in the upper channel and extend radially inwardly from the plenum to the upper annular lip. The vanes divide the upper channel into a plurality of radially extending channel segments. Each vane has a selected length and a distal end proximal the upper annular lip, the distal end being spaced from the upper annular lip no greater than about 20% of the length of the vanes. A powered plunger extends between the vanes of each of the channel segments to vary the cross-sectional area of the channel segments.

A method for controlling the temperature of a polymer melt in an extrusion tool includes flowing the polymer melt via at least one flow channel from an input to an output and around at least one temperature-control element in the at least one flow channel. The temperature control element includes a plurality of temperature control units. The temperature of the polymer melt flowing around the temperature-control element is controlled by individually controlling each of the temperature-control units so as to vary a degree of temperature control of the temperature-control element such that a degree of temperature control is controllable to be the same or different at locations throughout the temperature control-element.

A method of making a mesh cushion. The method includes extruding a material through a plurality of filament forming openings in at least one die plate to form a plurality of filaments. The filaments may be at least partially submerged into a fluid to cool and harden the filaments into the mesh cushion.

Provided is a thickness variation adjustment-type air ring capable of accurately and optimally controlling the volume of cooling air at all positions in the circumferential direction, and stably manufacturing a synthetic resin film having an exceptionally low thickness variation. A thickness variation adjustment-type air ring is provided on a die of an inflation film manufacturing apparatus which locally controls the volume of cooling air discharged from a cooling air passage in a circumferential direction to adjust the thickness variation of a synthetic resin film when blowing the cooling air around a molten synthetic resin tube extruded in a longitudinal direction to cool and solidify the molten synthetic resin tube to form the synthetic resin film, the thickness variation adjustment-type air ring. The thickness variation adjustment-type air ring includes: a ring-shaped passage adjustment portion arranged sequentially in the circumferential direction inside of the cooling air passage; and a plurality of moving portions connected at a predetermined position in the circumferential direction of the passage adjustment portion so as to move a connecting portion of the passage adjustment portion in a predetermined direction independently from other portions, wherein a space in which cooling air can circulate inside the cooling air passage is locally adjusted in the circumferential direction and the volume of cooling air is locally controlled in the circumferential direction.

Improvements in the extrusion of thermohardenable materials are achieved by cooling the material in the initial zone of the extruder and reducing residence time by use of a prescribed length to diameter ratio and screw speed, particularly useful for intermittent application during robotically controlled mass production.

A cooling apparatus for an extruder includes a supply line configured to receive bulk coolant from a supply circuit via an inlet. The supply line delivers supply coolant to the extruder along a flow path. A return line communicates expelled coolant from the extruder, and a circulation line connects the supply line to the return line. The circulation line supplies a recirculated portion of the expelled coolant to the supply line and mixes the bulk coolant with the recirculated portion of the expelled coolant forming the supply coolant. A bypass line connects the supply line to the return line, and a flow control valve connects one of the supply line and the return line to the bypass line. A proportion of the expelled coolant to the bulk coolant forming the supply coolant is adjusted by the flow control valve to control the temperature of the supply coolant.

A method of making a mesh cushion. The method includes extruding a material through a plurality of filament forming openings in at least one die plate to form a plurality of filaments. The filaments may be at least partially submerged into a fluid to cool and harden the filaments into the mesh cushion.

The invention relates to a method for producing a cable comprising at least one elongate electrically conductive element, a first semiconductor layer surrounding the elongate electrically conductive element, an electrically insulating thermoplastic layer surrounding the first semiconductor layer, and a second semiconductor layer surrounding the electrically insulating thermoplastic layer, the electrically insulating thermoplastic layer being obtained from an electrically insulating composition comprising at least one thermoplastic polymer (e.g. a propylene polymer), the method implementing controlled cooling of the cable after extrusion of the aforementioned layers.