In particular embodiments, a process for producing bulked continuous carpet filament from recycled polymer utilizes two vacuum pumps (140A, 140B) in combination with a single extruder (100). In various embodiments, the dual vacuum arrangement (e.g., at least two vacuum pumps (140A, 140B)) operably coupled to the single extruder (e.g., MRS extruder (100)) may be configured to remove one or more impurities from recycled polymer as the recycled polymer passes through the extruder.

The invention describes a method for manufacture of plasticized homopolymeric polyvinyl alcohol, the method including the steps of introducing a polyvinyl alcohol polymer or a blend thereof having a degree of hydrolysis in the range of 93 wt % to 98 wt % into a mixing reactor; adding a processing agent, a plasticizer and a reactive stabilizer to form a reaction mixture; wherein the plasticizer is selected from the group consisting of sugar alcohols, diols, triols, polyols and mixtures thereof; wherein the reactive stabilizer is selected from the group consisting of sodium stearate, potassium oleate, sodium benzoate, calcium stearate, stearic acid, dimethyl propionic acid, and mixtures thereof;-reacting the reaction mixture in a reaction zone to form plasticized polymer; and-allowing the plasticized polymer to pass from the reaction zone.

A screw includes a screw main body, a conveyance portion conveying a raw material, and a passage provided in the screw main body. The passage includes a first passage element, a second passage element, and a third passage element. The screw main body has a plurality of cylindrical bodies arranged in an axial direction of the rotating shaft. At least a portion of the conveyance portion is formed on outer peripheral surfaces of the cylindrical bodies adjacent to each other, and the passage is formed in the cylindrical body so as to cross over between the adjacent cylindrical bodies.

A method of continuously manufacturing a cured membrane includes continuously compounding and mixing a vulcanizable rubber composition in a mixing extruder while continuously removing gasses from the vulcanizable rubber composition during mixing with a vacuum. The vulcanizable rubber composition may be continuously extruded to form an extrudate, which may be continuously calendered to form a green membrane. The green membrane may be continuously cured, such as by a hot air conveyor curing system, to form a cured membrane.

A method of continuously manufacturing a cured membrane includes continuously compounding and mixing a vulcanizable rubber composition in a mixing extruder while continuously removing gasses from the vulcanizable rubber composition during mixing with a vacuum. The vulcanizable rubber composition may be continuously extruded to form an extrudate, which may be continuously calendered to form a green membrane. The green membrane may be continuously cured, such as by a hot air conveyor curing system, to form a cured membrane.

A screw includes a screw main body, a conveyance portion conveying a raw material, and a passage provided in the screw main body. The passage includes a first passage element, a second passage element, and a third passage element. The screw main body has a plurality of cylindrical bodies arranged in an axial direction of the rotating shaft. At least a portion of the conveyance portion is formed on outer peripheral surfaces of the cylindrical bodies adjacent to each other, and the passage is formed in the cylindrical body so as to cross over between the adjacent cylindrical bodies.

The invention relates to a mixing and kneading machine for continuous preparation processes, such as for producing granules, extruded profiles, or molded articles, such as polymer granules, polymer extruded profiles, or polymer molded parts, having a feeding and mixing device (12) and a discharge device (14), wherein the feeding and mixing device includes a housing (18), a screw shaft (34), and a connecting element (24), wherein the connecting element is arranged at a front side of the housing and is also connected to the discharge device, wherein a hollow interior is formed in both the housing and the connecting element, and the screw shaft extends, at least sectionally, in the axial direction through the interior of the housing and, at least sectionally, in the axial direction through the interior of the connecting element, and wherein a plurality of kneading elements (40), which extend from the inner circumferential surface of the housing into the interior, are provided in the housing, and wherein kneading elements (40) are also arranged on the inner circumferential surface of the connecting element and extend into the interior of the connecting element, and the discharge device has a degassing device (26).

For the production of polymers in which there are fillers with particle sizes below 10 μm incorporated and homogeneously distributed, a polymer starting material is input into a twin-screw extruder and is melted there to give a melt. In a conveying and mixing section, a suspension, which is formed of the fillers and of a carrier liquid, is injected into the melt. The melt viscosity is reduced by injection of the carrier liquid in the conveying and mixing section in that a cleavable polycondensate is used as polymer and low-molecular-weight cleavage product arising during the polycondensation is used as carrier liquid, and therefore the molten polymer is at least to some extent depolymerized within the conveying and mixing section. That the mixture, which is formed of the melt whose viscosity is reduced by cleavage, of the remainder of the carrier liquid and of the fillers, is homogenized.

A method of manufacturing bulked continuous carpet filament from polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT) with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) comprises: (1) splitting the PTT stream extruded from the primary extruder into a number of polymer streams, each of the plurality of polymer streams having an associated spinning machine; (2) adding a colorant to each split polymer stream; (3) adding PET to the extruded polymer stream downstream of the primary extruder; (4) using one or more static mixing assemblies for each split polymer stream to substantially uniformly mix each split polymer stream and its respective colorant and PET; and (5) spinning each polymer stream with its substantially uniformly mixed colorant and any additives into BCF using the respective spinning machine.

An extruder screw includes a screw main body, conveyance portions, barrier portions, and paths. The raw materials, the conveyance of which is limited by the barrier portions, flow in from the entrance. The raw materials flowing in from the entrance flow through the paths in an opposite direction to a conveyance direction of the conveyance portions. The exit is opened in the outer circumferential surface of the screw main body at a position on an upstream side in the conveyance direction in the conveyance portions in which the entrance is opened.