Abstract: A dispersion or solution of a polymer or a coaguable protein (such as blood) and a coagulating or desolventizing agent for the dispersion or solution (such as an electrolyte or steam) are introduced into a localized turbulent zone of liquid, preferably formed at the tip of a high shear agitator blade operating at a tip speed of 1500 feet per minute or above, where they mix under conditions of highly efficient heat and mass transfer to produce a flowable slurry of polymer or protein particles. When the dispersion is a polymeric latex, anionic surfactant beyond that normally present in the latex is also introduced to the turbulent zone.

Abstract: Vulcanization cycle times are substantially reduced in the injection molding of rubber compounds by forcing uncured, substantially unheated highly viscous rubber compounds through a thin flow channel upstream of the mold without supplying heat to the compound by conduction from an external source at any point prior to the mold. The compound is autogenously and quickly heated by the energy generated from the mechanical working of the compound under conditions of shear in the channel. The shearing action substantially reduces the compound's viscosity and increases its temperature above the critical residual scorch range as it passes through the channel. The downstream product is a rubber compound of significantly reduced viscosity having a substantially uniform temperature throughout, which is injected into a mold in a continuous flow and vulcanized.