DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DEGASSING AND FILTERING POLYMER MELTS

Abstract

An apparatus for filtering and degassing a plastic melt, in particular of a thermoplastic plastic melt, comprising a feeding extruder (11) which comprises at least one extrusion worm (13) which is rotatable in a housing, wherein the feeding extruder opens into the feeding region of one or several parallel melt filter modules (31) and a discharge extruder (21) with at least one extrusion worm (23) is situated in the discharge region of the melt filter(s), said discharge extruder being operated in the opposite direction of the feeding extruder in such a way that the worm tip (24) acts as the intake zone and the region near the drive acts as the discharge zone, wherein, for discharging the melt, a discharge aperture (27) in the housing is provided before the drive (22) of the discharge extruder, wherein the shaft of the extrusion worm of the discharge extruder is sealed against the drive of the discharge extruder with a sealing element (26) and wherein the feeding extruder opens into melt valves (25) and/or melt deflectors which are upstream of the melt filter, and, in the discharge region of the melt filter(s) and downstream of the melt filter, melt valves (25) and/or melt deflectors are provided, subsequent to which the discharge extruder is situated and the worm tips are mounted.

Claims

1. An apparatus for filtering and degassing plastic melts, in particular of thermoplastic plastic melts, comprising a feeding extruder which comprises at least one extrusion worm which is rotatable in a housing, wherein the feeding extruder opens into the feeding region of one or several parallel melt filters and a discharge extruder with at least one extrusion worm is situated in the discharge region of the melt filter(s), the discharge extruder being operated in the opposite direction of the feeding extruder in such a way that the worm tip acts as the intake zone and the region near the drive acts as the discharge zone, wherein, for discharging the melt, a discharge aperture in the housing is provided before the drive of the discharge extruder, wherein the shaft of the extrusion worm is sealed against the drive of the discharge extruder with sealing elements and wherein the feeding extruder opens into melt valves and/or melt deflectors which are upstream of the melt filter, and, in the discharge region of the melt filter(s) and downstream of the melt filter, melt valves and/or melt deflectors are provided, subsequent to which the discharge extruder is situated and the worm tips are mounted.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the region of the discharge extruder, the discharge aperture is arranged in an angle of up to 120.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge extruder comprises at least one intake zone, one compression zone and one discharge zone.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the region of the discharge extruder, one or several degassing zones are provided.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein degassing in the degassing zone is carried out under negative pressure.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein degassing in the degassing zone is supported by means of wires, meanders, pins or shear gaps.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the feeding extruder comprises least one intake zone, one compression zone and one discharge zone.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein (a) mixing and conveyor zone(s) is/are provided in the discharge extruder in a mirror-inverted manner with respect to the arrangement of the corresponding zones in the feeding extruder.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein melt solidification means, counter-rotating elements or a labyrinth system are used as sealing elements which seal the area of the discharge extruder worm against the drive of the exit extruder, or in that sealing is accomplished by supplying sealants or plastic granulate, if necessary via an additional extruder.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the worm geometry in the discharge extruder is configured in a mirror-inverted manner with respect to the worm geometry of the feeding extruder.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge extruder and/or the feeding extruder comprise(s) one or several extrusion worms, which may be configured in an equidirectional or reverse manner.

12. A method for filtering and degassing plastic melts, in particular of thermoplastic plastic melts, carried out in an apparatus according to claim 1.

Description

[0013] It was the object of the invention to provide an apparatus and a method for degassing and filtering plastic melt which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.

[0014] Therefore, the object of the invention is an apparatus for filtering and degassing plastic melts, in particular of thermoplastic plastic melts, comprising a feeding extruder which comprises at least one extrusion worm which is rotatable in a housing, wherein the feeding extruder opens into the feeding region of one or several parallel melt filters and a discharge extruder with at least one extrusion worm is situated in the discharge region of the melt filter(s), said discharge extruder being operated in the opposite direction of the feeding extruder in such a way that the worm tip acts as the intake zone and the region near the drive acts as the discharge zone, wherein, for discharging the melt, a discharge aperture in the housing is provided before the drive of the discharge extruder, wherein the shaft of the extrusion worm is sealed against the drive of the discharge extruder with sealing elements and wherein the feeding extruder opens into melt valves and/or melt deflectors which are upstream of the melt filter, and, in the discharge region of the melt filter(s) and downstream of the melt filter, melt valves and/or melt deflectors are provided, subsequent to which the discharge extruder is situated and the worm tips are mounted.

[0015] By means of the apparatus and method according to the invention, it is possible, directly after melting, to filter gases and gas-emitting substances out of a melt, which may be produced beforehand, and to further plasticize and homogenize the material with good quality.

[0016] If necessary, the purifying process may be supported by additives, auxiliary materials, absorbers, catalysts and the like, wherein the additives may be also be removed or may outgas during filtration.

[0017] Feeding and/or discharge extruders may be configured as single-shaft, twin-shaft or multiple-shaft extruders.

[0018] The feeding extruder expediently opens into the melt valves and/or melt deflectors upstream of the melt filter(s). In the discharge region of the melt filter(s), melt valves and/or melt deflectors are provided downstream of the melt filter/the melt deflector; behind said melt valves and/or melt deflectors, the discharge extruder is situated.

[0019] For example, conventional band filters may be used as melt filters. However, any other filtration system is conceivable as well. In particular, in this region, degassing systems may also be built in which, apart from moisture, also odorous substances, for example by applying a vacuum (e.g. IO-KHmbar).

[0020] In the region of the discharge extruder, at least one discharge aperture is provided in the housing; said discharge aperture is arranged in an angle of up to 120.

[0021] The discharge extruder is operated in reverse to the usual direction. In this regard, the worm tip of the discharge extruder projects into the outlet element of the filter and conveys the melt away in the direction of the motor. Thus, the discharge extruder is configured in a mirror-inverted manner with respect to the feeding extruder.

[0022] The discharge extruder comprises an intake zone, which is located in the worm tip region. Said intake zone is followed by the compression zone and then by the discharge zone before the region of the drive of the discharge extruder. In the region of the drive of the discharge extruder, the worm is sealed with sealing means. The sealing may be carried out by means of melt solidification, a labyrinth or counter-rotating elements, for example. However, it is also possible to accomplish sealing by supplying sealants or plastic granulate, if necessary via an additional extruder.

[0023] Even if leakages occur in this region, they are not relevant for the quality of the filtered melt as the melt is already filtered and therefore cannot contribute to the wear of the components of the extruder.

[0024] In this regard, the melt is not discharged via the worm tip as usual but vertically or in an angle of up to 120. For discharging the melt, a worm which conveys the melt out of the extruder through the discharge aperture may in turn be provided in the discharge region.

[0025] In the region of the discharge extruder, one or several degassing zones may be provided. Preferably, degassing may be carried out under negative pressure in said degassing zones.

[0026] However, it is also possible to support degassing by means of wires, meanders, pins or shear gaps.

[0027] The worm tips of the feeding and/or the discharge extruder can be mounted and do not need to have free ends. This is advantageous in particular if unsymmetrical loading occurs when one of the two filters is blocked off, for example during cleaning of the filter. The mounting of the worm facilitates better synchronization, especially in the case of longer worms, and can absorb additional axial forces.

[0028] In FIG. 1, an apparatus according to the invention for filtering and degassing plastic melts is shown.

[0029] In this embodiment, 2 filter units are used

[0030] There, [0031] 10 designates the feed zone [0032] 20 designates the discharge zone [0033] 30 designates the filter zone [0034] 11 designates the feeding extruder [0035] 12 designates the drive of the feeding extruder [0036] 13 designates the worm of the feeding extruder [0037] 14 designates the worm tip of the feeding extruder [0038] 15 designates the melt valves for feeding the melt into the filter region [0039] 16 designates the supply aperture for supplying the melt to the feeding extruder [0040] 21 designates the discharge extruder [0041] 22 designates the drive of the discharge extruder [0042] 23 designates the worm of the discharge extruder [0043] 24 designates the worm tip of the discharge extruder [0044] 25 designates the melt valves for discharging the melt [0045] 26 designates a sealing element [0046] 27 designates the discharge aperture for transporting the melt out of the discharge extruder [0047] 31 designates filter modules