Abstract: Expandable plastic granulate can be manufactured continuously with a plastic melt being impregnated using a fluid expanding agent and the impregnated melt being granulated. The plant which includes at least one pressure producing feed apparatus for the melt, a metering apparatus for the expanding agent, contacting and homogenising apparatus for the impregnation of the melt, at least one cooler for the impregnated melt, an underwater granulator and a plant control. An elevated pressure is exerted by the liquid used during granulation to suppress the expanding action of the expanding agent in the not yet solidified granulate. A regulation of the temperature and pressure of the impregnated melt is effected at the inlet of the granulator to influence a heat take-up from the impregnated melt by the cooler or coolers.

Abstract: A print wheel assembly for a word processing machine utilizing a daisy wheel-type printer as a type-carrying disk in which the typefaces are mounted upon flexible members generally extending radially from a hub by which the wheel is mounted in the machine. According to the invention, a pigment carrier overlies the typefaces and can be of disk configuration and is so mounted on the wheel as to shift relative to the typefaces, whereby successive impacts are offset from one another for each typeface. The pigment carrier can be a bibulous or capillary fabric drawing ink from a reservoir dimensioned to supply sufficient ink to feed the transfer layer for the duration of the useful life of the wheel.

Abstract: The invention relates to a cassette for use in connection with a device for printing characters on a surface from the stroke impact of a dye impregnated ribbon such as a typewriter, and features a housing defining an aperture for ventilating a chamber defined therein, re-impregnating means disposed in the chamber and operable for re-impregnating the ribbon dye, and locking means removably engaged with the aperture and operable to activate the re-impregnating means during disengagement of the locking means with the aperture.

Abstract: A cassette, for use in connection with a device for printing characters on a surface from the stroke impact of an endless dye impregnated ribbon such as a typewriter, the device defining a stroke region, features a housing defining two chambers, one of the chambers providing a storage region, the housing having a passageway for the ribbon, the passageway interconnecting with the storage region and being adapted to communicate with the stroke region, the ribbon being adapted to move between the stroke area and the storage region, re-impregnating means disposed in the other chamber and operable for re-impregnating the ribbon with dye, and transport means disposed substantially between the chambers and the passageway and operable for transporting the ribbon and for maintaining the ribbon substantially stretched in the stroke region.