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.

3D printing of moldings takes place by an extruder in which solid plastic is melted, the melt being discharged through a die which can be closed completely or partially or opened completely or partially and the melt which is not discharged through the die is returned into the extruder.

A system comprising: (1) a grinding unit configured to receive and grind recycled PET bottles into a group of polymer flakes comprising up to about ten percent colored polymer flakes and balance substantially clear polymer flakes; (2) a washing unit configured to wash the group of polymer flakes; and (3) an extruder configured to extrude material in a plurality of different extrusion streams. The extruder may be further configured to: (1) receive a concentrate-polymer mixture comprising a mixture of the polymer flakes and a color concentrate; (2) melt the concentrate-polymer mixture to produce a polymer melt; (3) reduce a pressure within the extruder; and (4) pass the polymer melt through the extruder so that the polymer melt is divided into the plurality of extrusion streams. The system may then filter the polymer melt through at least one filter and form the polymer melt into bulked continuous carpet filament.

A system comprising: (1) a grinding unit configured to receive and grind recycled PET bottles into a group of polymer flakes comprising up to about ten percent colored polymer flakes and balance substantially clear polymer flakes; (2) a washing unit configured to wash the group of polymer flakes; and (3) an extruder configured to extrude material in a plurality of different extrusion streams. The extruder may be further configured to: (1) receive a concentrate-polymer mixture comprising a mixture of the polymer flakes and a color concentrate; (2) melt the concentrate-polymer mixture to produce a polymer melt; (3) reduce a pressure within the extruder; and (4) pass the polymer melt through the extruder so that the polymer melt is divided into the plurality of extrusion streams. The system may then filter the polymer melt through at least one filter and form the polymer melt into bulked continuous carpet filament.

A method of manufacturing bulked continuous carpet filament that includes providing a polymer melt and separating the polymer melt from the extruder into at least eight streams. The multiple streams are exposed to a chamber pressure within a chamber that is below approximately 25 millibars, or another predetermined pressure. The streams are recombined into a single polymer stream. Polymer from the polymer stream is then formed into bulked continuous carpet filament.

A method of manufacturing bulked continuous carpet filament that includes providing a polymer melt and separating the polymer melt from the extruder into at least eight streams. The multiple streams are exposed to a chamber pressure within a chamber that is below approximately 25 millibars, or another predetermined pressure. The streams are recombined into a single polymer stream. Polymer from the polymer stream is then formed into bulked continuous carpet filament.

The invention relates to a method for homogenously incorporating filler into a self-adhesive compound, in particular a thermally crosslinkable self-adhesive compound, based on non-thermoplastic elastomer in a continuously working unit with a filling part and a compounding part. The self-adhesive compound contains at least one solid component, at least one liquid component, and at least one filler, and the method has the following steps: (a) feeding at least part of the at least one solid component, such as the non-thermoplastic elastomer in particular, and optionally part of the at least one liquid component to the filling part; (b) transferring the components of step (a) from the filling part to the compounding part; (c) optionally adding additional solid components or additional parts of the solid components to the compounding part; (d) adding the at least one liquid component to the compounding part if the liquid component was not already added to the filling part in step (a); (e) producing a homogenous self-adhesive compound in the compounding part; and (f) discharging the self-adhesive compound. The invention is characterized in that at least part of the at least one filler is pre-dispersed into at least one dispersion liquid in a separate unit and the dispersion obtained in this manner is added to the compounding part. The method prevents high sheering or frictional energies while introducing the filler into the compounding part of the continuously working unit and thus allows the use of temperature-sensitive components, such as temperature-sensitive chemical crosslinking agents in particular.

The invention relates to a method for homogenously incorporating filler into a self-adhesive compound, in particular a thermally crosslinkable self-adhesive compound, based on non-thermoplastic elastomer in a continuously working unit with a filling part and a compounding part. The self-adhesive compound contains at least one solid component, at least one liquid component, and at least one filler, and the method has the following steps: (a) feeding at least part of the at least one solid component, such as the non-thermoplastic elastomer in particular, and optionally part of the at least one liquid component to the filling part; (b) transferring the components of step (a) from the filling part to the compounding part; (c) optionally adding additional solid components or additional parts of the solid components to the compounding part; (d) adding the at least one liquid component to the compounding part if the liquid component was not already added to the filling part in step (a); (e) producing a homogenous self-adhesive compound in the compounding part; and (f) discharging the self-adhesive compound. The invention is characterized in that at least part of the at least one filler is pre-dispersed into at least one dispersion liquid in a separate unit and the dispersion obtained in this manner is added to the compounding part. The method prevents high sheering or frictional energies while introducing the filler into the compounding part of the continuously working unit and thus allows the use of temperature-sensitive components, such as temperature-sensitive chemical crosslinking agents in particular.

A method of manufacturing bulked continuous carpet filament which, in various embodiments, comprises: (A) grinding recycled PET bottles into a group of flakes; (B) washing the flakes; (C) identifying and removing impurities, including impure flakes, from the group of flakes; (D) adding one or more color concentrates to the flakes; (E) passing the group of flakes through an extrusion system while maintaining the pressure within the extrusion system below about 25 millibars; (F) passing the resulting polymer melt through at least one filter having a micron rating of less than about 50 microns; and (G) forming the recycled polymer into bulked continuous carpet filament that consists essentially of recycled PET.

A method of manufacturing bulked continuous carpet filament which, in various embodiments, comprises: (A) grinding recycled PET bottles into a group of flakes; (B) washing the flakes; (C) identifying and removing impurities, including impure flakes, from the group of flakes; (D) adding one or more color concentrates to the flakes; (E) passing the group of flakes through an extrusion system while maintaining the pressure within the extrusion system below about 25 millibars; (F) passing the resulting polymer melt through at least one filter having a micron rating of less than about 50 microns; and (G) forming the recycled polymer into bulked continuous carpet filament that consists essentially of recycled PET.