Abstract: A method of continuously manufacturing chip and fiberboard webs having uniform thickness across their width in a press comprising a centrally disposed press cylinder journalled to rotate in bearings in uprights and at least one pressure roller, and preferably three pressure rollers, disposed adjacent the periphery of the press cylinder. An endless steel band carrying the material for forming the web is subjected to tensile stress and is guided around the press cylinder and through the nip defined between the press cylinder and the pressure roller. The material is pressed between the endless steel band and the surface of the press cylinder. The pressure roller is journalled for rotation in bearings at each of its ends. When the press is in its loaded state, the bearing body at one end of the pressure roller is displaced by the application of a preselected pressure towards the axis of rotation of the press cylinder.

Abstract: An extrusion head for processing rubber or thermoplastic plastics material including a housing flange-mountable on a screw extrusion device. The head further including an inlet region for receiving material from the extrusion device and for receiving the downstream end of the screw, the inlet leading into a flow channel portion and a nozzle outlet which receives the material from the flow channel for extrusion in the form of a shaped profile. A sealable air discharge device is disposed in the flow channel portion to remove air bubbles, particularly that which is formed during the start up phase of the extrusion downstream of the downstream end of the screw.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for uniformly and rapidly heating, pasteurizing and/or sterilizing food products which comprises a conveyor on which the food products are conveyed and a source of radio-frequency radiation which is directed at the food products. The source is connected to shaped electrodes, the shaping of the electrodes and their spacing from the food product being selected in dependence upon the configuration and irradiation required of the product being treated. The food product may be a pre-cooked meal comprising a plurality of constituents and the electrode is then shaped to take into account the geometry of the different constituents and in combination with the spacing of the electrode from the product, takes the heating requirements of the individual components into account.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for even and rapid heating, pasteurization or sterilization of food by microwave energy. The products to be heated are passed through an oblong microwave treatment chamber on a continuous conveyor belt. The beginning and end of a container on the conveyor is registered before or during entry into the treatment chamber, and this information is transmitted to a computer. On the basis of this information, the computer switches on and off the input microwave energy of the individual input channels when the containers or packages pass under the input channels, the switch-on and switch-off points being set in relation to the container or package length and the axial aperture center of the input channels. The microwave energy to be input into the product is preset in the computer.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for even and rapid heating, pasteurization or sterilization of products contained in a package, such as, for example, pharmaceutical products or food, which are conveyed through a microwave treatment chamber on a continuous conveyor belt. In order to heat components of the products having different heat absorption for the purpose of reaching the pasteurization temperature rapidly and evenly, the temperature of the components is recorded by a temperature sensor, and on the basis of this the computer calculates the respective .DELTA.T, taking into account given product parameters and the desired temperature to be reached. When the product passes under the following input aperture, a given microwave energy level is coupled into each specific component, as a result of which an even temperature of all products in the package is achieved very rapidly without overheating of the product.

Abstract: An extruder for degassing a thermoplastic plastics material melt comprises at least one screw mounted for rotation in a barrel. The barrel includes a first feed aperture for the introduction of the melt and a degassing port downstream thereof connectable to means for degassing the melt. The at least one screw is mounted on a shaft and has a helical flight. In the region of the port, the flight is replaced by alternating disc members and spacer members mounted on the shaft. The diameter or major dimension of the disc members corresponds substantially to the combined diameter of the screw core and its flight whilst the diameter of the spacer members corresponds to that of the screw core. The disc members have profiled downstream faces and the thickness of each disc member and each spacer member lies in the range of 0.1 to 0.5 times the diameter of the screw.

Abstract: A press for the continuous production of thin chipboard and fibreboards a heated, rotatable central pressing drum, which is mounted in a support arrangement which includes a plurality of interconnected support members and a plurality of pressure rollers, disposed around a major portion of the periphery of the drum. An endless steel belt is guided around the major portion of the periphery of the drum between the drum and the pressure rollers. The belt carries the material from which the boards are to be produced and can be tensioned. The material, a chip or fibre layer mixed with a binding agent is subjected to a surface pressure between the endless steel belt and the pressing drum, and to a linear pressure in the nips between the pressing drum and the pressure rollers.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for producing laminated profile strips from a plurality of rubber components destined to be used in automotive vehicle tires are disclosed. The individual rubber profile strips, formed from various mixtures are each extruded from individual extrusion devices. Each extrusion device has its own extrusion head having an appropriate nozzle outlet which delivers each strip onto its own individual roller. The edges of each strip are trimmed while it is on its roller. The rollers are disposed adjacent one another so as to define roller nips therebetween. The component strips are subsequently laminated together in the nips to form either an intermediate or final profile strip. If an intermediate strip is produced, this remains on one of the rollers and is jointly passed through a further nip between the roller on which is located and a further roller carrying either a further individual strip or a further intermediate profile strip produced in a like manner to produce the final strip.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for the uniform and rapid heating of foodstuffs, usually for pasteurization and sterilization purposes, by means of microwave energy. The cross-sectional shape of the outlet of the wave guides through which the microwave energy is supplied is selected so as to be geometrically similar to that of the product to be treated. A spacing is maintained between the outlet aperture and the surface of the product, which spacing is not greater than the wavelength of the microwave energy be used. These features provide rapid and appropriate processing of a food product while, at the same time, preventing the harmful overheating of the edge regions of the product.

Abstract: A method of degassing thermoplastic plastic melts over a wide range of viscosities in a degassing extruder including a plurality of sequential degassing sections. Each degassing section includes at least one screw section having flights formed thereon. Each section includes a degassing region and a metering section downstream thereof. The height and length with which the flights are filled in the degassing regions in the individual degassing sections is controlled by the comparison of a pressure gradient measured in the metering region of that section with a desired pressure gradient and on the basis of this, the melt is conveyed with substantially the same throughput capacity in each degassing section. As a result of these measures, the degassing is effected in all of the degassing sections with optimally partially filled screw threads and with an optimum filling length of the worm threads, which is independent of the viscosity of the melt.

Abstract: An apparatus including a single screw extruder for extruding a fused molten mass of thermoplastic material and for reverse degassing the melt. The device includes an extrusion screw rotatable in a hollow cylindrial barrel, and a hopper for introducing the melt into the barrel. The screw has at least one flight for conveying the introduced melt and a return delivery flight disposed upstream, in the direction of extrusion, of the hopper. Reverse degassing of the melt is effected by a vacuum source disposed upstream of the hopper in communication with the return delivery section, and provided with a degassing dome generating a reduced pressure or vacuum. At least one radially adjustable separating member for effecting mechanical separation of fused mass from the gas is provided in at least one location in the return delivery section. The method includes degassing of the melt by producing a reduced pressure in the return delivery section. The gas extracted from the melt is discharged.

Abstract: A process and an apparatus for continuously producing a rubber mixture. In the process, the constituents of the mixture are fed into a twin-screw extruder and are masticated and homogenized therein, with approximately 5% of the mixture being discharged and the remainder being recycled for further homogenization and for mixing with fresh batches of the constituents being fed into the extruder. The recycled mixture is circulated to and returned from a cooled, annular chamber dispersed exteriorly of the chamber of the twin-screw extruder, with the annular chamber having outflow and inflow passages communicating with the interior of the extruder.

Abstract: An appliance for the continuous treatment of foodstuffs or the like by means of microwaves in a treatment chamber, which allows individual adaptation to different product-pack heights and geometrical product forms, while at the same time ensuring the best possible utilization of the microwave energy supplied. The arrangement of an adjusting device outside the treatment chamber for axially adjusting the microwave feed ducts along their longitudinal axes and for rotating of the feed ducts about their longitudinal axes ensure that the product to be treated is subjected to the microwave energy as efficiently as possible, without the treatment process having to be interrupted by stopping it and opening the treatment chamber.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for producing a mixture of plastics materials which are capable of being foamed with propellants. The method permits plastics materials, which require considerably different processing conditions, to be fused, homogenized and mixed with a propellant in an extruder. By feeding a high-molecular weight high-temperature resistant plastics material into the extruder through a first feed opening and subsequently feeding a low-molecular weight, low-temperature-resistant plastics material into the extruder through a second feed opening disposed downstream of the first feed opening but where the first plastics material is in a fused and homogeneous state and by introducing the propellant through a third feed opening downstream of the second feed opening, the desired homogenisation of the two plastics materials and propellant is ensured.

Abstract: A planetary gear extruder for the compounding and extrusion of thermoplastic materials, in which an annular groove is formed in the metallic stop ring to receive a ceramic body which is engageable by the forward ends of the planetary spindles in order to reduce friction. A ceramic body may additionally also be arranged in a recess in the end face of each of the planetary spindles, aligned with and adapted to engage the ceramic body mounted in the stop ring. As a result, the coefficients of friction between the stop ring and the end faces of the spindles are reduced considerably, consequently reducing the wear on the planetary spindles themselves and the central spindle.

Abstract: A stretching and blow-molding apparatus for producing hollow bodies from thermoplastic plastics material comprises a rotatable blow wheel assembly on which a number of molds are mounted. Each mold comprises two mold halves mounted on a common pivot. The apparatus includes a locking device which has a frame-like configuration and comprises a continuous shaft which passes through a set of aligned bores formed in pawls provided on the external surface of one mold half and a locking member which comprises a plurality of locking sections disposed in aligned bores formed in pawls provided on both mold halves, which pawls are interdigitated in the locked position. The uppermost and lowermost locking sections are connected to the continuous shaft. Vertical movement of the continuous shaft or of the locking section causing corresponding vertical movement of the other. The individual locking sections have a length corresponding to the length of the bore in each pawl and end-abut one another.

Abstract: A preparatory station for pre-forming bar assemblies intended for use in conjunction with multiple extrusion head for producing rubber profiles for tread strips of automobile tires includes a plurality of chambers receiving said bar assemblies from said extruder head and for accommodating replacement assemblies, means being provided for heating the accommodation chambers, and further including arrangements for ejecting the pre-forming bar assemblies from the extrusion head and for removing the splicing or jointing bar assemblies and the profile bar assemblies from the pre-forming bar assemblies.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided to prevent specks of condensation products being formed on a plastics material film produced by a calendering technique. In the method, after the film has left the final calender roller, the film is passed around at least one take-up roller and is blown against the shell of the roller by compressed air issuing from nozzles. While on the shell of the roller the film is cooled to a temperature below the condensation temperature of the volatile substances released from the surface of the film.

Abstract: An arrangement for opening and closing mold halves of a blow mold is disclosed. The blow mold generally forms part of a stretching and blowing machine for blow-molding hollow bodies from thermoplastic plastics materials.The mold halves are coupled to driven rocker arms, which are driven by driving rocker arms of a four-link gear, the pivot of the four-link gear being disposed immediately at the end of the common pivotal axis of the mold halves.The driving rocker arm of the four-link gear is formed by cylinders, which are provided with cam tracks on their external curved surfaces in which rollers mounted on a sliding cam controller travel.

Abstract: An extrusion head suitable for producing tread strips for automotive vehicle tires from a plurality of rubber mixtures comprising a central head portion, upper and lower head portions disposed one on each side of said central head portion, said upper head portion and said central head portion and said lower head portion and said central head portion jointly defining at least two flow channels therebetween said flow channels being disposed above one another in a vertical plane, hydraulic means for pivoting each of said upper and lower head portions relative to said central head portion, said upper and lower head portions each including lateral portions extending substantially parallel to the direction of flow of said rubber mixtures through said head, hydraulically actuated locking means mounted on each said lateral portion and displaceable laterally outwardly in a direction substantially at right angles to said direction of flow, said locking means including locking members engageable with each said lateral p