A multiple screw extruder (50) combines application of vacuum to a vacuum vent (62) positioned between material feed locations (70, 72) of the extruder and use of specially configured extruder screws (58) to extract gases, primarily air, out of the extruder to densify the materials introduced into it and to extract unwanted fluid from material introduced for mixture with molten polymeric material flowing through the extruder. The multiple screw extruder is operationally versatile in that it is capable of carrying out the material densification and fluid extraction processes either separately or simultaneously. Implementation of the disclosed vacuum feed technology provides an increase in rate of extrudate throughput as compared with that achievable by implementation of atmospheric venting (16) in a conventionally configured extruder (10a, 10b).

Melt pumps for pressing synthetic melt through a tool are disclosed. An example melt pump for building up pressure for pressing synthetic melt through a tool includes a compressor with two worm conveyors disposed in a housing, a transmission by means of which the worm conveyors are synchronously drivable, and a drive, where the transmission is disposed between the drive and the compressor. In the example melt pump, each worm conveyor in the transmission has an output shaft, and each worm conveyor is coupled to the corresponding output shaft by a coupling. In the example melt pump, the coupling comprises an output gear provided on the output shaft, and a drive gear provided on the worm conveyor and a coupling sleeve gripping the output gear and the drive gear, where the drive gear and the output gear have a different number of teeth.

A compact camera module that contains a generally planar base on which is mounted a lens barrel is provided. The base, barrel, or both are molded from a polymer composition that includes a thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer and a plurality of mineral fibers (also known as whisker). The mineral fibers have a median width of from about 1 to about 35 micrometers and constitute from about 5 wt. % to about 60 wt. % of the polymer composition.

A compact camera module that contains a generally planar base on which is mounted a lens barrel is provided. The base, barrel, or both are molded from a polymer composition that includes a thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer and a plurality of mineral fibers (also known as whisker). The mineral fibers have a median width of from about 1 to about 35 micrometers and constitute from about 5 wt. % to about 60 wt. % of the polymer composition.

Compositions for removing contaminants from plastics processing equipment are described herein. The compositions may include a polymeric carrier component, an oxidizing agent, an abrasive and/or a gas agent. Methods of preparing the compositions described herein and methods of removing contaminants from plastics processing equipment are also described.

Disclosed are plastic products from a recycled plastic mix of unidentified, unclean and unsorted mixed plastic waste made with a system comprising thermal and mechanical processing of the recycled plastic waste using continuous extrusion foaming, two-phase cooling, continuous metering of the pulling strength and automatic adjustment of the pulling speed and extrusion speed.

Disclosed are plastic products from a recycled plastic mix of unidentified, unclean and unsorted mixed plastic waste made with a system comprising thermal and mechanical processing of the recycled plastic waste using continuous extrusion foaming, two-phase cooling, continuous metering of the pulling strength and automatic adjustment of the pulling speed and extrusion speed.

A single-screw extruder for changing a morphology of superabsorbent polymer gel. The single-screw extruder has an input aperture, a channel, a screw and an output aperture. The screw in the invention has a first pitch value of a pitch of the screw flights along the conveying zone of the channel and, following in conveying direction, has a second pitch value of the pitch of the screw flights along the conveying zone of the channel, where the second pitch value is smaller than the first pitch value.

A single-screw extruder for changing a morphology of superabsorbent polymer gel. The single-screw extruder has an input aperture, a channel, a screw and an output aperture. The screw in the invention has a first pitch value of a pitch of the screw flights along the conveying zone of the channel and, following in conveying direction, has a second pitch value of the pitch of the screw flights along the conveying zone of the channel, where the second pitch value is smaller than the first pitch value.

A single-screw extruder for changing a morphology of a superabsorbent polymer, specifically a polymer gel. The single-screw extruder has an input aperture, a channel, a screw and an output aperture. The screw has a pitch value of a pitch of the screw flights along the conveying zone of the channel, where the channel has a mixing-element arrangement with at least one mixing element which protrudes into the channel of the single-screw extruder and which is configured for the mixing of the SAP polymer gel.