Patents Assigned to Zimmer Aktiengesellschaft
  • Patent number: 7538143
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the treatment of waste containing polyamide comprising a) depolymerisation of the waste containing polyamide, whereby a caprolactam raw material (6) and a flow (3), comprising the secondary constituents and additives from the depolymerisation, are obtained, and b) leaching of the flow (3) at least once using an extracting agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2009
    Assignee: Zimmer Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Rudolf Kämpf, Reinhard Wolf, Joachim Seelig
  • Publication number: 20080230687
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method, which is used to monitor the composition of a polymer blend, melt and/or solution used to produce a polymer and to an automatic analysis device (27). To produce the polymer, the polymer blend, melt and/or solution is guided through an installation volume and a sample gas that is formed from said polymer blend, melt and/or solution is withdrawn, preferably at several sampling sites (30 to 36). The sample gas is fed to a mass spectrometer (28), which automatically emits an analysis signal representing the composition of the sample gas. The sampling site is connected to the mass spectrometer in a switchable manner via an automatically switchable shut-off device (47, 48), in such a way that several sampling sites can be sampled in succession by the mass spectrometer (28).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2004
    Publication date: September 25, 2008
    Applicant: Zimmer Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Rudolf Kampf
  • Publication number: 20080048358
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for producing Lyocell fibres which are extruded from a cellulose solution of water, cellulose and tertiary amine oxide in a spinning head (25). The cellulose solution is obtained in a number of process steps directly from the cellulose (3, 4) or with the formation of a cellulose suspension. Since the degree of polymerisation decreases in the course of processing the cellulose through to its extrusion in the cellulose solution, with the processing of celluloses with a low degree of polymerisation there is the risk that the endless moulded bodies (2) extruded in the spinning head (25) exhibit defective quality.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2005
    Publication date: February 28, 2008
    Applicant: ZIMMER AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Stefan Zikeli, Michael Longin
  • Publication number: 20080042309
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device (1) for the production of a cellulose solution, from which endless moulded bodies (2) can be extruded. First, a cellulose suspension is produced from cellulose (3, 4) and water (6) in a pulper (5). The cellulose suspension is then expressed by a press device (10). After expressing, a tertiary amine oxide, in particular N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide, is fed as a solvent to the cellulose suspension, thus producing a cellulose solution. The efficiency of the method and the device and their environmental compatibility can be improved in that the press water (11) expressed by the press device (10) is at least in part fed back to the pulper (5). In a further development the proportion of the press water (15) in the water (6) is varied depending on the metal content of the cellulose (3, 4) and/or of the cellulose solution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2005
    Publication date: February 21, 2008
    Applicant: ZIMMER AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Stefan Zikeli, Werner Schumann, Lutz Glaser, Michael Longin
  • Publication number: 20070210481
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for producing Lyocell fibers, which are extruded from a spinning mass containing water, cellulose and tertiary amine oxide. The spinning mass is obtained from cellulose in a number of process steps, wherein a treatment medium is added to the cellulose, cellulose suspension and/or cellulose solution. In order to be able to implement a stable and environmentally compatible spinning method irrespective of the type of cellulose used, according to the invention, provision is made that the content of at least one type of metal ion destabilising the cellulose suspension and/or cellulose solution is monitored in the cellulose, cellulose suspension and/or cellulose solution and adjusted below a stability limit. With the device according to the invention, the metal ion content is measured via sensors (23, 23?) and the metal ion content is adjusted using a control device (17).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2005
    Publication date: September 13, 2007
    Applicant: ZIMMER AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Stefan Zikeli, Werner Schumann, Lutz Glaser, Michael Longin
  • Patent number: 7244806
    Abstract: In the continuous production of polyesters, the esterification/transesterification of dicarboxylic acids or esters of the dicarboxylic acids with diols is performed in at least one reaction stage, the prepolycondensation of the esterification/transesterification product is performed under a vacuum in a reaction stage consisting of a vertical tube, and the polycondensation of the prepolycondensation product is performed in at least one reaction stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2007
    Assignee: Zimmer Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Fritz Wilhelm, Michael Reisen
  • Patent number: 7241855
    Abstract: A method is described for the manufacture of polyesters of aromatic dicarboxylic acids with aliphatic and/or cycloaliphatic dials, in which an aromatic dicarboxylic acid in the presence of a monocarboxylic acid or a mixture of a monocarboxylic acid present in a saturated solution with water or another suitable solvent is converted with an aliphatic or cycloaliphatic dial to a dicarboxylic acid alkanediolestercarboxylate and/or its oligomers, which are polycondensed in further process steps to the polyester.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2007
    Assignee: Zimmer Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Stefan Deiss, Michael Reisen, Karl-Heinz Heldmann, Eckhard Seidel
  • Patent number: 7204265
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a bursting insert for installation in a pipeline system for transporting a fluid showing a spontaneous exothermic reaction. The bursting insert comprises a wall which surrounds—at least in part on the outside—a passage volume having the fluid flowing therethrough in a passage direction. A pressure discharge line which is sealed relative to the passage volume with a bursting body extends out of the passage volume. When a predetermined bursting pressure is exceeded, the bursting body can be transferred into a state in which the passage volume and the pressure discharge line are interconnected in fluid-conducting fashion. For an easy mounting of the bursting body, the bursting insert can be designed as a pipeline module which can be installed and dismounted repeatedly in the pipeline system for replacing the bursting body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2007
    Assignee: Zimmer Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Stefan Zikeli, Friedrich Ecker
  • Publication number: 20070073037
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing a granulate with a low acetaldehyde content and improved processing properties from a high-viscosity polyester melt, wherein the polyester melt strand is fragmented under water at the highest possible temperature, the accompanying water is separated from the granulate with the least possible cooling of the granulate, the low-water granulate obtained in this way is passed after removal of the water directly into a dealdehydisation container and the granulate in the dealdehydisation container is treated with a flow of rinsing air, plus a device for carrying out this method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2006
    Publication date: March 29, 2007
    Applicant: Zimmer Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Brigitta Otto, Rainer Linke, Roland Schafer, Holger Bachmann
  • Patent number: 7173127
    Abstract: This invention relates to a continuous and efficient method for the manufacture of highly pure caprolactam suitable for the polycondensation of Polyamide 6 (polycaprolactam) from polyamide waste. In particular the invention relates to a method for the manufacture of caprolactam from waste containing polyamides, including the steps a) depolymerisation of the waste containing polyamides, whereby a caprolactam raw material and a flow containing secondary constituents or additives is obtained, b) at least one distillation of the caprolactam raw material, and c) at least one crystallisation of the caprolactam material obtained in step b), by which means caprolactam is obtained, whereby at least part of the caprolactam obtained in step c) with a permanganate number of<10000 sec. and a UV transmission of<85% is added to the waste containing polyamides before and/or during the depolymerisation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2007
    Assignee: Zimmer Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Claus Born, Rudolf K{hacek over (a)}mpf, Joachim Seelig, Reinhard Wolf
  • Patent number: 7129347
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the continuous production of caprolactam from waste containing polyamide, comprising a) depolymerisation of the waste containing polyamide, whereby a caprolactam raw material and, where applicable, a flow containing secondary constituents or additives is obtained, and b) irradiation of the caprolactam raw material with UV radiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2006
    Assignee: Zimmer Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Rudolf Kampf, Reinhard Wolf, Joachim Seelig
  • Patent number: 7084234
    Abstract: In a process for producing polyester, the esterification of dicarboxylic acids and diols is carried out in at least one reaction stage, the prepolycondensation of the esterification product in at least one reaction stage and the polycondensation of the prepolycondensation product in at least one reaction stage. To increase the capacity of the apparatus forming one or more of the reaction stages in the production of the polyesters, at at least one of the reaction stages the supplied product system before it enters the reaction stage or within the reaction stage is divided into at least two partial streams and the partial streams entirely or partially separate from one another are passed through the reaction stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2006
    Assignee: Zimmer Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Fritz Wilhelm, Michael Reisen
  • Patent number: 7084235
    Abstract: Latent heat crystallized polyesters and copolyesters of a degree of crystallization greater than 38% and made by a process in which, without prior additive admixtures and without further cooling, the granulate is fed directly from the latent heat crystallization into a solid phase polycondensation reactor and condensed to a higher viscosity and subjected to acetaldehyde reduction. Alternatively without additive admixtures the granulate is subjected to dealdehydization and then worked up into bottles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2006
    Assignee: Zimmer Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Brigitta Otto, Holger Bachmann, Roland Schäfer
  • Publication number: 20060083918
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and device for producing Lyocell fibres from a spinning solution containing water, cellulose and tertiary amine oxide. The spinning solution is extruded to form spun threads (10). The spun threads (10) are stretched and passed through a precipitation bath (16) in order to precipitate the cellulose. It has been surprisingly revealed that the tenacity of the Lyocell fibres produced in this way can be increased when the stretched fibres are subjected to post-stretching in a post-stretching means. The post-stretched Lyocell fibres have a wet modulus of at least 260 cN/tex.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2005
    Publication date: April 20, 2006
    Applicant: ZIMMER AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Stefan Zikeli, Klaus Weidinger, Lutz Glaser, Werner Schumann
  • Patent number: 6967235
    Abstract: In a process of producing PBT, a mixture of BDO and TPA is esterified in the presence of a catalyst solution, and the esterification product is polycondensated. To avoid the formation of deposits in the PBT, the catalyst solution contains 0.05 to 10 wt-% alkyl titanate, 85 to 99 wt-% BDO, 50 to 50,000 ppm bifunctional carboxylic acid equivalents and/or monofunctional hydroxycarboxylic acid equivalents and not more than 0.5 wt-% water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2005
    Assignee: Zimmer Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Eckhard Seidel, Fritz Wilhelm
  • Publication number: 20050127285
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the analysis of refuse objects (2) containing polymers, in particular of carpets, in a recycling plant (1) and an automatic analytical device (7). In order to determine the polymer constituents of the refuse object (2), according to the invention, part of the refuse object (2) is vaporised and examined by a mass spectrometer (18). Using the method according to the invention and the automatic analytical device according to the invention, the refuse objects (2) can be classified for further processing (9, 10, 11) more accurately and more reliably during transport on a conveyor device (6).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2004
    Publication date: June 16, 2005
    Applicant: ZIMMER AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Rudolf Kampf, Reinhard Wolf
  • Patent number: 6887410
    Abstract: A parallel spinning process, in particular for filaments, e.g. for textile or industrial applications, made from polymers such as, for example, PET or PA, in each case having a thread interlacing device between two godets for each individual thread, the godets being moved in relation to one another during the piercing or feeding operation in such a way that each individual thread is automatically threaded into its interlacing device associated therewith, and the angle of wrap in the operating mode is at least from 85° to at most 200°, preferably from 175° to 185°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2005
    Assignee: Zimmer Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Michael Kress, Thomas Gries
  • Patent number: 6877305
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and to a device for detecting a thickening in a running thread. The thread runs through a forked guide element which is moved away from an initial position by a thickening in the thread, thereby triggering a signal. While the guide element is moved away, it allows the thread having the thickening to continue running and is then returned to its initial position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Assignee: Zimmer Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Andreas Weichel, Stefan Seibel
  • Publication number: 20050056532
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the continuous production of caprolactam from waste containing polyamide, comprising a) depolymerisation of the waste containing polyamide, whereby a caprolactam raw material and, where applicable, a flow containing secondary constituents or additives is obtained, and b) irradiation of the caprolactam raw material with UV radiation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2004
    Publication date: March 17, 2005
    Applicant: ZIMMER AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Rudolf Kampf, Reinhard Wolf, Joachim Seelig
  • Publication number: 20050051210
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a bursting insert for installation in a pipeline system for transporting a fluid showing a spontaneous exothermic reaction. The bursting insert comprises a wall which surrounds—at least in part on the outside—a passage volume having the fluid flowing therethrough in a passage direction. A pressure discharge line which is sealed relative to the passage volume with a bursting body extends out of the passage volume. When a predetermined bursting pressure is exceeded, the bursting body can be transferred into a state in which the passage volume and the pressure discharge line are interconnected in fluid-conducting fashion. For an easy mounting of the bursting body, the bursting insert can be designed as a pipeline module which can be installed and dismounted repeatedly in the pipeline system for replacing the bursting body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2004
    Publication date: March 10, 2005
    Applicant: ZIMMER AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Stefan Zikeli, Friedrich Ecker