Patents Examined by Joseph Leyson
  • Patent number: 9149954
    Abstract: A solid face die plate for an underwater pelletizer includes a carrier or holding plate having a circular slot for holding a hard anti-wear element of highly wear-resistant material through which the extrusion orifices open for extruding polymer. The solid face die plate eliminates the need for insulation or plugging material in the center of the die plate and, by embedding the hard anti-wear element within the carrier, protects the edges of the hard anti-wear element for longer wear life.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: GALA INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventor: Matthew D. Broughman
  • Patent number: 9149967
    Abstract: An extrusion die is provided with an external deckle assembly, an internal deckle assembly, or both. One embodiment provides an extrusion die having a wedge-actuated external deckle assembly. A seal member of the external deckle assembly moves to a sealed position in response to movement of the wedge in a first direction. Another embodiment provides an extrusion die with an internal deckle assembly having a deckle rod support system. The internal deckle assembly includes a deckle rod and a transversely elongated support engaged with the deckle rod to restrain the deckle rod against bending.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: Nordson Corporation
    Inventors: Michael K. Truscott, Dale P. Pitsch
  • Patent number: 9144943
    Abstract: A fiber filling box divided into compartments by slotted divider walls, preferably comb-like divider fences with vertical tines extending downwardly from a top frame, is lowered onto an air-permeable conveyor over at least one vacuum box in a fiber filling station. A multi-axis controlled nozzle blows fiber material to different depths and/or densities in the individual compartments. The divider fences allow continuous intertwining of fibers between adjacent compartments, but sufficiently contain the fibers to maintain well-defined boundaries between different fiber depths and/or densities in the individual compartments. Hold-down plates are lowered onto the fiber material, the fiber filling box is lifted away, and then the hold-down plates are lifted to release a shaped fiber mass, which is then heated and compacted in a heating station to form a fiber preform. The hot fiber preform is then molded, compressed and cooled in a molding station to produce a molded fiber component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: OLBRICH GmbH
    Inventor: Gerhard Spengler
  • Patent number: 9132579
    Abstract: A feed throat for an extruder device includes a body having an inlet defined by a longitudinal opening along a side of the body and an outlet positioned at an end of the body. The body has a substantially cylindrical interior surface which has a plurality of raised surfaces which extend radially inward from and longitudinally along the interior surface. One or more hardened tiles are secured to one or more of the raised surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: Davis-Standard, LLC
    Inventor: Thomas J. Oravits
  • Patent number: 9132580
    Abstract: In extrusion system includes an extrusion die and a deckle system. In one embodiment, the deckle system includes a deckle rod and a cam member operatively coupled to the deckle rod. A cam controller controls the cam member. The cam member cams with the deckle rod in response to actuation of the cam controller. The camming action forces the deckle rod to seal an end region of the extrusion die.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: Nordson Corporation
    Inventor: Jordan L. Sedivy
  • Patent number: 9114578
    Abstract: A film blowing head for the production of film tubing from a single or multi-layer film includes an extrusion gap to form a film layer. The extrusion gap is embodied between two boundary walls, with at least one melt pipeline mouthing into the extrusion gap, which converts inside the extrusion gap into a first melt channel, which is formed in a section of the progression of the first melt channel by recesses in the two boundary walls of the extrusion gap, and which distributes melt in the extrusion dap. The first melt channel tapers in the progression in the direction of transportation of the melt (h), and in an end section, entirely converts into the extrusion gap. The first melt channel is formed at one of the sections only by the recesses in one of the two boundary walls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Inventors: Martin Backmann, Klemens Sensen
  • Patent number: 9108218
    Abstract: A layer multiplication device may include a housing and at least one layer multiplication insert positioned inside the housing. The housing may have an inlet configured to receive a flow stream, an outlet configured to discharge the flow stream, and a flow cavity extending between the inlet and the outlet. In operation, the layer multiplication insert may divide an incoming flow stream so as to multiply the flow stream into at least a first flow stream and a second flow stream. In some examples, the inlet provides an inlet flow volume equal to a cross-sectional area of the housing at the inlet multiplied by a length of the flow cavity, the flow cavity defines a cavity flow volume, and the cavity flow volume is equal to or greater than the inlet flow volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: Nordson Corporation
    Inventors: Gary D. Oliver, Dale P. Pitsch, Michael K. Truscott
  • Patent number: 9095993
    Abstract: The extrusion-molding device of the invention is for producing a green honeycomb molded body with a cell structure, and the device includes a housing, a screw, a die with slits, a resistance tube and a fragmenting board having through-passages through which a raw material composition passes from the upstream end side to the downstream end side. The through-passages of the fragmenting board have upstream channels composed of a plurality of flow passages extending downstream from the upstream end side, and downstream channels extending up to the downstream end side and having flow passage cross-sectional shapes different from those of the upstream channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: SUMITOMO CHEMICAL COMPANY, LIMITED
    Inventors: Teruo Komori, Hajime Yoshino
  • Patent number: 9091007
    Abstract: The invention provides an electrospinning apparatus, which comprises one or more spinneret, a rotating collector disposed from the spinneret and configured to collect the fibers, and a sideway motion device disposed on or connected to the spinneret or the rotating collector and configured to propel or move the spinneret or the rotating collector, wherein the sideway motion device is controlled by a controlling unit for providing an angular speed (?) of the sideway motion with a formula: ?=tan?1 x/H wherein x is a parallel motion speed of the device and H is a vertical height between the spinneret and the rotating collector and wherein the angular speed (?) is in a range of about 1.0×10?4 to about 1.0 (°/sec). Also provided is the 2-D or 3-D membranes produced therefrom and a method of using the apparatus of the invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: TAIPEI MEDICAL UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Chien-Chung Chen, Jen-Chang Yang, Keng-Liang Ou, Chen-Yu Liu, Cherng-You Ke
  • Patent number: 9085830
    Abstract: An electrospinning apparatus and methodology is described that produces medical devices, such as scaffolds that induce the formation of a natural fibrous structure (primarily collagen and elastin) in a tissue-engineered medical device. The apparatus uses collection surfaces designed to manipulate or change the electrostatic field so that the electrospun fibers are arranged in desirable patterns that are similar to or mimic the fibrillar structure of an animal tissue. The manipulation results in fibers that are preferentially oriented in a predefined pattern. In addition, the interfiber space between the fibers and the fiber diameter are consistently within a predefined range. Using these techniques in conjunction with controlling polymer properties enables the production of a scaffold that has the structural and mechanical characteristics similar to the native tissue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2015
    Assignee: University of Washington
    Inventors: Stuart B. Mitchell, Joan E. Sanders
  • Patent number: 9067375
    Abstract: The exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3 of the device according to the invention is by way of example with respect to the structure and arrangement of the individual assemblies. In principle, it is also possible for the godet assigned to the texturing unit 3 to guide the threads only with a single partial looping. The invention is thus particularly suitable for producing a uniform crimp on each tread in a thread group of a plurality of threads. The number of threads within the thread group is shown by way of example with three threads. The tread group can contain two or more threads. The invention is particularly advantageous in the use of what are known as twist texturing nozzles, in which a twist is produced on the incoming thread. By avoiding friction points and deflections, and identical effect of the twist can be obtained on each of the supplied threads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: Oerlikon Textile GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Mathias Stündl
  • Patent number: 9067351
    Abstract: The present invention provides an extrusion die that includes a manifold transition zone that comprises a varying included angle. The varying included angle provides unparalleled freedom of design to achieve diverse fluid dynamic objectives, such as reduced residence time across the manifold width, reduced transition stagnation, improved streamlining of the mass flowing through the manifold, and reduced differential clamshell deflection across the flow channel width. The manifold may be transformed from one cross-sectional shape to another cross-sectional shape beneficially related to the varying included angle, including change from a generally extended cross-sectional shape to a generally teardrop-shaped cross-section. The manifold may include a first transition zone portion that includes the varying included angle, and a second transition zone portion that includes a constant included angle, and that is particularly beneficial for receiving an internal deckle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: CLOEREN INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Peter F. Cloeren, Giuseppe Negri, Olivier Catherine
  • Patent number: 9061312
    Abstract: An inner deckle for a die includes a shaft-shaped deckle main body and a sheet- or film-shaped deckle auxiliary portion extending from the deckle main body. The inner deckle is arranged at each end of a die. The die includes a die piece and is formed with a manifold and a slit. The deckle main body includes a seal reinforcing portion. A liquid material is supplied into the manifold. The seal reinforcing portion includes at least one sealing member having two or more films. The films slide and are simultaneously elastically deformed against an inner wall of the manifold when a position of the inner deckle is moved with respect to the die. The films cooperate with each other and are closely attached to the inner wall by an elastic restoring force when the position of the inner deckle is fixed with respect to the die.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Kitani, Minoru Yagi, Yoshihiro Kitamura, Isao Hirose, Hiroshi Matsuo, Tetsuo Nasu, Tadao Horie, Shogo Sasaki, Hiroo Igarashi
  • Patent number: 9061452
    Abstract: An extruder having a housing (1) comprises at least two conveyor shafts (2, 3) having conveyor cross sections mutually wiping each other that can be driven in the same direction and are disposed in at least two housing bores (11, 12) having a cylindrical or conical design, the axes (15, 16) thereof being disposed parallel to or at an angle to each other, the distance (A) between the axes of the two housing bores (11, 12) being greater than D/1.4142, where D is the diameter of the cylindrical bore or the greatest diameter of the conical bore, and a clearance (a?) being provided between the housing bores (11, 12) and the outer diameter (DE) of the conveyor shafts (2, 3). Each conveyor shaft (2, 3) comprises a plurality of conveyor segments (17a through d, 18a through d), wherein the offset angle of at least two adjacent conveyor segments (17a, 17b, 18a, 18b) on each conveyor shaft (2, 3) relative to each other is 180°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Inventor: Josef Blach
  • Patent number: 9039403
    Abstract: An extrusion line for the production of peroxide cross-linked polyethylene pipes includes a cross-linking oven (5, 13) having an actuated deflection roller (7). The cross-linking oven has a first heating section (A) that extends from an inlet to said deflection roller (7) and a second heating section (B) that extends from said deflection roller to an outlet. An element is provided for adjusting a height of the deflection roller (7) and an angle of the first and second heating sections (A, B) relative to a horizontal plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: INOEX GMBH
    Inventors: Jörg Schmuhl, Martin Deters
  • Patent number: 9033692
    Abstract: In a wet spinning spinneret comprising a housing which, together with a spinneret plate mounted to the underside thereof, forms a chamber adapted to be supplied with a spinning solution, the spinneret plate having nozzle openings in at least an annular region, and a displacing member arranged inside the chamber above the spinneret plate, which member directs the spinning solution towards the annular zone, it is provided that the displacing member (VK) is attached at a support (TP) arranged upstream of the spinneret plate (SP), seen in the flow direction of the spinning liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: TRÜTZSCHLER NONWOVENS & MAN-MADE-FIBERS GMBH
    Inventor: Erwin Glawion
  • Patent number: 9028733
    Abstract: An apparatus for forming a single extrudable food stream such as a cooked cereal dough into a plurality of differently colored and/or flavored dough streams is disclosed including an extruder having screw augers for advancing a plastic food mass, a head or manifold for dividing the plastic food mass into a plurality of substreams each in turn in fluid communication with a plurality of sub-divided dough passageways, and a die head having a plurality of die ports. Each subpassage is separately supplied an additive and has disposed therein a multiplicity of in-line static mixer elements to admix the additive into the substreams of the plastic food mass before passage through the die ports. In a preferred form, first and second substreams are intermixed in a non-homogenous manner before reaching the exit ports. The extrudates are severed into individual pieces by a rotary cutter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: General Mills, Inc.
    Inventors: James N Weinstein, Kevin Wright
  • Patent number: 9022764
    Abstract: A system for manufacturing an irrigation pipe comprises an extrusion unit, a calibrator unit, a cooling unit for cooling the irrigation pipe in a cooling liquid, and a traction unit for drawing the irrigation pipe in the cooling unit. The cooling unit comprises a device for detecting holes in the wall of the irrigation pipe and arranged for being immersed in the cooling liquid. The device for detecting holes comprises at least one optical transmitter and at least one optical receiver which define an optical barrier. The device is arranged so that the holes in the irrigation pipe located below the device produce gas bubbles which modify the optical barrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Maillefer S.A.
    Inventors: Alain Wisler, Jean-Charles Zaramella
  • Patent number: 9022769
    Abstract: A liquefier assembly for use in an extrusion-based additive manufacturing system, and a method for building a three-dimensional model with the extrusion-based additive manufacturing system, where the liquefier assembly includes a liquefier tube having multiple, independently heatable zones along a longitudinal length of the liquefier tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Stratasys, Inc.
    Inventors: William J. Swanson, J. Samuel Batchelder
  • Patent number: 9017056
    Abstract: An apparatus for uniformly curing resin is described herein. The apparatus includes at least a lamp system that is to emit ultraviolet (“UV”) light. The lamp system is to emit the UV light from a light-emitting diode (“LED”) light source, which is to be energized and controlled by an electrical circuit. The electrical circuit may be provided as part of a circuit board which has power delivered thereto from a power cord. The lamp system can further include a handle having an attachment device so that the lamp system may be securely engaged with a glass surface. The lamp system may be adapted to be coupled with a resin injection system. When engaged with the resin injection system, the lamp system can deliver UV light to the injected resin so that the injected resin may be quickly and uniformly cured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: GlasWeld Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Seth R. Schuepbach, Dennis Garbutt, Randy L. Mackey