A foam forming device has an inlet, an outlet and a longitudinal axis that leads from the inlet to the outlet. The foam forming device has a plurality of surface pairs. Each surface pair has two opposing surfaces. The surfaces delimit a foaming space at least to some extent. At least one of the surfaces of the surface pairs is an adjustable surface whose orientation relative to the longitudinal axis can be adjusted. The first surface pair and the second surface pair are off-set from one another along the periphery of the foaming space. Also disclosed is a foam extrusion apparatus having a foam forming device.

Method and apparatus for pulling polymeric material from an extrusion die as a tubular extrusion uses a pair of mutually-facing endless belts for pulling the extrusion from the extrusion die by frictional contact with the extrusion, the belts being spaced apart from one another for frictional driving passage of the tubular extrusion therebetween, spacing of the belts being continuously adjusted in response to signal from a gauge continuously measuring outer diameter of the tubular extrusion upstream of the belts.

It is provided an apparatus for supporting the erection of a plastics profile during the start-up process of an extrusion line for the extrusion of plastics profiles. An initially bulky profile strand of the plastics profile, which is withdrawn through a calibration unit, can be enclosed by a profile guiding trim of a profile guiding device in front of a caterpillar take-off, wherein the profile guiding trim and/or the profile guiding device can be spatially fixed against a displacement in the extrusion direction in front of an inlet region into the caterpillar take-off and can be shifted and fixed with regard to the vertical and/or lateral position and/or can be rotated about the extrusion direction and be fixed.

Apparatus and methods for manufacturing compostable, biodegradable drink straws from polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) material are disclosed herein. Such apparatus may include a hopper that contains raw PHA material, an extruder that receives the raw PHA material from the hopper and produces extruded PHA material, one or more waters baths that cool the extruded PHA material, a puller that pulls a tubular stream of PHA material through the system, and a cutter that is configured to cut the stream of PHA material into finished straws. The finished straws may be soil- and marine-biodegradable, as well as home- and industrial-compostable.

Apparatus and methods for manufacturing compostable, biodegradable drink straws from polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) material are disclosed herein. Such apparatus may include a hopper that contains raw PHA material, an extruder that receives the raw PHA material from the hopper and produces extruded PHA material, one or more waters baths that cool the extruded PHA material, a puller that pulls a tubular stream of PHA material through the system, and a cutter that is configured to cut the stream of PHA material into finished straws. The finished straws may be soil- and marine-biodegradable, as well as home- and industrial-compostable.

A method for the active adjustment of the profile of a film produced with blown extrusion technology, a film obtained with such method and a reel resulting from the winding of the film.

A drip irrigation lateral comprising a water conduit manufactured of a polymeric composition comprising pyrethroid.

A blown film line and process for making blown film, including an annular extrusion or coextrusion die, a plurality of nip rollers at a location remote from the annular die, a blown film bubble extruding from the annular die and traveling toward the nip rollers along a traveling path, an air cooling apparatus in the vicinity of the annular die, and a water cooling apparatus located downstream from the air cooling apparatus along the traveling path. The water cooling apparatus includes a wet porous material in direct contact with the blown film bubble and surrounding an outer circumference of the blown film bubble. The wet porous material continuously wipes the blown film bubble with water as the blown film bubble moves along the traveling path.

An air ring has a main body including a plenum through which pressurized air enters the air ring, the main body including a generally circular interior that is unobstructed vertically above the main body. A generally circular forming-cone assembly is received in the generally circular interior of the main body, and includes at least one annular lip defining a passage through which pressurized air from the plenum exits the air ring for impingement upon the polymer tube. A plurality of fasteners secure the forming-cone assembly in the interior of the main body, the fasteners and forming-cone assembly being unobstructed vertically above the air ring, wherein the fasteners are accessible from vertically above the air ring and the forming-cone assembly is removable from the main body by vertical lifting without removal of other components from the air ring.

Plastic profile extrusion system includes an extrusion die that pre-forms a hot, unfrozen plastic profile shape. Cooled calibration device receives the hot plastic in a longitudinal cavity through the calibration device to conductively cool the plastic as it holds the plastic profile to size and dimensions. For plastic parts with channels, inside corners, or other difficult to cool sections, the calibration device would require a metal ridge to hold the shape of that channel or corner as the heat is conducted from the hot plastic through the metal ridge into the body of the calibration device. This invention replaces metal ridges that hold the shape of the plastic profile during cooling in at least part of the calibration device with fluid cooling passages that communicates with the moving portion of the plastic profile and cooling medium to fill the flow passages to extract heat from the plastic material.