Abstract: An extruder having a barrel with a central passageway, which passageway journals a single rotating extruder screw with flight thereon. The extruder screw has a feed section, a transition section and a metering section with the metering section discharging the extruder melt. The extruder barrel has an opening at the feed section that receives a deflector member that is located between such opening and the hopper that receives the plastic material to be processed for feeding into the central passageway for conveyance and working by the extruder screw. The deflector member has a progressively restrictive inlet that cooperates with the flights of the extruder screw to draw in the plastic material fed thereinto.

Abstract: A screw for use in an extruder barrel for plasticizing plastic material from a solid phase to a viscous form wherein the feed screw has a cylindrical core with a helical flight extending for the full length of the screw. A selected portion or portions of the screw's core has a polygonal cross section whose apexes are parallel to the axis of rotation of such screws to thereby more precisely control the plasticizing action of the plastic material, its viscosity and temperature while providing a thoroughly mixed and homogeneous melt.

Abstract: An adapter apparatus for splitting a single extrudate into a plurality of extrudates wherein an adapter block of the adapter apparatus has at least three planar surfaces with an inlet opening on one planar surface and outlet openings on the other planar surfaces. A single conduit extends from the interior of the block to the inlet opening while a pair of conduits extend from the respective outlet openings and intersect the single conduit. Goosenecks interconnect each outlet opening to die means. All of the openings on the planar surfaces are circles.

Abstract: An extrusion die having a linearly movable mandrel that controls the thickness of the extrudate as it emanates from the die head. A piston within the die head is made part of the mandrel to control the position of the mandrel's edge relative to the die's outlet opening, with sensing means in the die assembly and being operative to provide a signal indicative of the relative position of such mandrel to the die head.

Abstract: An extruder screw having an elongated core with helical flights with a plurality of axially spaced shear rings along the length thereof. The shear rings have radial slots that extend axially through the shear rings. The length and width of the slots vary in dimension.