In a continuous kneading apparatus according to an embodiment, for each of a plurality of ring-shaped heaters, a control unit determines a current state and a reward for an action selected in the past based on a control error calculated from an acquired temperature; updates a control condition based on the reward, and determines an optimum action corresponding to the current state under the updated control condition, the control condition being a combination of a state and an action; and controls a target ring-shaped heater based on the optimum action.

The invention relates to compositions comprising composite materials comprised of discontinuous fibers and one or more polymers and/or oligomers. The invention relates to methods of making the same. The composite materials can be in the form of compositions, composite sheets, laminates, pellets, and/or shaped composite products.

A composite and method for producing the composite by incorporating wood or wood pulp fibres with a suitable thermoplastic polymer and coupling agent are described. Homogeneous, void-free transparent/translucent thermoplastic materials in the form of pellets, films or three-dimensional moldable products are produced. The wood pulp fibres can be discrete natural fibres, and flexible assemblies of nano to micro elements, e.g., assemblies of aggregated carbon nanotubes. It is also possible to use our vacuum-assisted co-extrusion process to produce hybrid composites comprising the wood pulp fibre and a further rigid fibre, like glass or carbon fibres, and a flexible fibre or fibrillar network, like cellulose fibres or cellulose filaments. The thermoplastic resin can be, but not limited to, polyolefins, like polypropylene or polyethylene, or polyesters, like polylactic acid, or co-polymers, like acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene terpolymer.

A plastics material transformation plant (100) comprises a transformation machine (10) for the plastics material by means of moulding or extrusion, a feeding hopper (13) which is positioned upstream of the transformation machine and a metering device (1) which is arranged to add a liquid additive to the transformation machine. The metering device (1) comprises a container (4) in which the liquid additive is contained, a metering pump (5) which is connected to the container in order to take the liquid additive and to supply it to the transformation machine (10), and a thermo-regulation system of the liquid additive which is arranged to maintain the temperature of the liquid additive in a range of 2° C. more or 2° C. less than a predetermined temperature value.

A method for mixing a heat-dissipating material, is provided. The method for mixing a heat-dissipating material includes determining a capacity (V) of the static mixer based on an injection amount (Q) per process unit time, a process unit time (td) and a time (t2) during which the viscosity of the heat-dissipating material flowing out of the static mixer becomes twice of the initial mixing viscosity, where when the heat-dissipating material is sequentially injected into first and second external devices using the static mixer, the process unit time is the difference between a first time point on which the heat-dissipating material starts to be injected into the second external device and a second time point on which the heat-dissipating material starts to be injected into the first external device.

An organic fiber-reinforced resin formed body that contains a resin and a cellulose fiber, wherein the resin formed body has a density of 0.65 g/cm.sup.3 or less, and a method for producing the same.

The embodiments relate to a heat shrinkable film and a process for regenerating a polyester container using the same. The heat shrinkable film comprises a copolymerized polyester resin comprising a diol component and a dicarboxylic acid component and has a heat shrinkage rate of 30% or more in the main shrinkage direction upon thermal treatment at a temperature of 80° C. for 10 seconds, a melting point of 190° C. or higher as measured by differential scanning calorimetry, and a peak temperature (Tp) of 95° C. to 115° C. as measured in the endothermic and exothermic curve (heat flow) by differential scanning calorimetry. It not only solves the environmental problem by improving the recyclability of the polyester container, but also is capable of enhancing the yield and productivity.

At a part of the screw main body at which the kneading portion is provided, conveyance portions, a barrier portion and a path are provided at a plurality of places. At least one of the places, the path is provided inside the screw main body, and includes an entrance and an exit. The entrance is opened in such a manner that the raw material whose pressure is enhanced by being restricted in conveyance by the barrier portion flows into the entrance. The path is formed in such a manner that the raw material flowing into the path from the entrance flows toward the exit in a direction opposite to the direction of conveyance.

A kneading method includes conveying a raw material along a conveyance path; and increasing the raw material in pressure by restricting a conveyer from conveying the raw material by a barrier, causing the raw material with an increased pressure to flow into a passage from an inlet located at the conveyer, circulating the raw material having flowed into the passage to an outlet in the same direction as the conveying direction of the conveyer, and causing the raw material having circulated in the passage to flow out from the outlet to the outer circumference of a screw body. The raw material includes a polypropylene-based resin composition containing polypropylene and olefin rubber.

A polymer composite contains tubular particles, which contain at least one resin with fibres embedded. The tubular particles have an average length in the range of 0.5 mm to 60 mm and an average wall thickness in the range of 0.0005 mm to 30 mm, whereas the fibers have an average diameter in the range of 0.0005 mm to 5.0 mm. A process can be used to prepare the polymer composite containing tubular particles. The polymer composite can be used as a cushioning material, which can be formed into a cushioning article such as a shoe sole, a furniture cushion, a bed mattress, an automotive seat cushion, a flooring substrate, an outdoor/walking surface, a mat, a pad, and the like.