A twin screw extruder (10) according to the present invention is a twin screw extruder (10), in which a reinforcing fiber is fed through an input port (18) into a molten thermoplastic resin having been formed in a resin feed part (13) and the reinforcing fiber and the molten thermoplastic resin pass through a kneading part (15) so that a fiber-reinforced resin composition is manufactured, wherein the kneading part (15) is provided at the discharge-side end part of the extruder (10); a conveying part (14) is provided between the input port (18) and the kneading part (15), and tip clearance (Sc) of a screw element (12b) configuring the conveying part (14) is larger than screw clearance (Ss).

In a multi-shaft extruder for the processing of free-flowing material having a barrel and a plurality of co-rotating, tightly intermeshing conveyor shafts (1 to 3) arranged in parallel which have at least two flights and are each guided in a bore (1 to 3) in the barrel, each conveyor shaft (1 to 3) is spaced with the ridge (O) of one of its flights from the bore wall (1, 2, 3) by a clearance over at least part of the processing length of the extruder, whereas a gap is formed between the ridge (a, b, c) of another of its flights and the bore wall (1, 2, 3). The conveyor shafts (1 to 3) are arranged in an offset manner relative to each other at an angle such that, at least in one rotational position, the conveyor shaft (2) arranged between two conveyor shafts (1 to 3) is coatable with the free-flowing material on its flanks (A, B) between its ridges (b, O) by means of the gap-forming ridges (a, c) of the two adjacent conveyor shafts (1 and 3), with the said flanks (A, B) being cleanable again from the free-flowing material by means of the ridges (O) of the two adjacent conveyor shafts (1 and 2) spaced from the bore wall (1, 2, 3) by a clearance in at least one further rotational position of the conveyor shaft.

The invention relates to a mixing device for a twin-screw extruder, in particular a twin-screw extruder rotating in the opposite direction, comprising a first screw and a second screw, for mixing a melt flow in a screw antechamber, wherein the first screw has an extension in the form of a mixing screw tip connected to the first screw in a fixed manner, and a first melt channel, into which the first screw feeds, is arranged in a flow-connected manner via an elongated slot with a second melt channel, into which the second screw feeds.

Methods for granulating powder in a single piece of equipment include at least the following: (a) continuously introducing the powder and a granulating fluid to the single piece of equipment; (b) passing the powder and the granulating fluid through a granulating zone of the single piece of equipment to form wet granules; (c) passing the wet granules through a drying zone of the single piece of equipment; (d) optionally passing granules through a discharge zone of the single piece of equipment; and (e) continuously discharging the granules from the single piece of equipment where the single piece of equipment is not a fluid bed processor.

Methods for granulating a pharmaceutical powder in a single piece of equipment include at least the following: (a) continuously introducing the pharmaceutical powder and a granulating fluid to the single piece of equipment, (b) passing the pharmaceutical powder and the granulating fluid through a granulating zone of the single piece of equipment to form wet granules, (c) passing the wet granules through a drying zone of the single piece of equipment, (d) optionally passing granules through a discharge zone of the single piece of equipment, and (e) continuously discharging the granules from the single piece of equipment where the single piece of equipment is not a fluid bed processor.

The present invention provides a kneading method for a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin with which dispersibility of reinforcement fibers is enhanced and sufficient reinforcement fibers having a proper fiber length remain, and a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin plasticizing device and an extruding machine for carrying out the method. The kneading method comprises supplying a thermoplastic resin and reinforcement fibers into a cylinder of a plasticizing device, and rotating a screw to obtain a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin, wherein the size of a clearance between the bore of the cylinder and the screw is made different between an upstream side in the vicinity of a reinforcement fiber loading port and a downstream side, so that the clearance becomes larger from the vicinity of the reinforcement fiber loading port toward the downstream side compared with the upstream side.

A method in which a stream of dry cementitious powder from a dry powder feeder passes through a dry cementitious powder inlet conduit to feed a first feed section of a fiber-slurry mixer. An aqueous medium stream passes through at least one aqueous medium stream conduit to feed a first mixing section the fiber-slurry mixer. A stream of reinforcing fibers passes from a fiber feeder through a reinforcing fibers stream conduit to feed a second mixing section of the fiber-slurry mixer. The stream of dry cementitious powder, aqueous medium stream, and stream of reinforcing fibers combine in the fiber-slurry mixer to make a stream of fiber-cement mixture which discharges through a discharge conduit at a downstream end of the mixer.

A fractional lobe processor is disclosed. The fractional lobe processor comprises an intake zone comprising at least one deep flighted shovel element on each intermeshing screw for receiving a input blend comprising an active substance and an excipient; a granulation zone consisting of only fractional lobe elements, and having a provision for introducing moisture or a binder solution, for granulating the active substance and the excipient; an optional, drying zone for drying the wet granules; and a discharge zone for discharging the granules; wherein the granulation zone is located before the discharge zone and after the intake zone; wherein the drying zone has one or more fractional lobe elements on each shaft; and wherein the granulation zone has a plurality of fractional lobe elements on each shaft.

A screw element (100) for an extrusion machine is provided. The screw element (100) includes a first section (200) and a second section. The first section (200 has a first core (212) with a plurality of facets (214) connected to each other along splines (216). The facets (214) and splines (216) extend longitudinally along the screw element (100). The facets (214) and splines (216) can be helically-shaped. The first core (212) increases in diameter in a continuous manner along the direction of flow of material. The first and second sections (200, 300) include one or more helically-shaped flights (218,219) wrapped around the longitudinal axis of the screw element (100).

A method in which a stream of dry cementitious powder from a dry powder feeder passes through a dry cementitious powder inlet conduit to feed a first feed section of a fiber-slurry mixer. An aqueous medium stream passes through at least one aqueous medium stream conduit to feed a first mixing section the fiber-slurry mixer. A stream of reinforcing fibers passes from a fiber feeder through a reinforcing fibers stream conduit to feed a second mixing section of the fiber-slurry mixer. The stream of dry cementitious powder, aqueous medium stream, and stream of reinforcing fibers combine in the fiber-slurry mixer to make a stream of fiber-cement mixture which discharges through a discharge conduit at a downstream end of the mixer.