Abstract: Method and apparatus for recycling plastic materials includes the movement of hoppers along cutting edges.

Abstract: A weigh scale blender comprising a frame, a weigh bin, a load cell connected to the frame for sensing weight of the bin and any material contained therein, a mix chamber connected to the frame, including a mixing paddle therewithin, a dump flap for selectably releasing material from the bin into the mix chamber, a bushing intermediate the load cell and the frame for damping transfer of vibration and shock motion therebetween.

Abstract: A low pressure dryer for granular or powdery material includes a plurality of canisters rotatable about a common vertical axis serially among material heating, vacuum drying and material inventory discharge positions; pneumatic piston-cylinder means for rotating the canisters about said axis among said heating, vacuum drying and inventory discharge positions; means for heating contents of a canister at said heating position; means for sealing and drawing vacuum within a canister at said vacuum drying position and means for selectably permitting downward flow of dried granular or powdery material out of a canister at said discharge position where said canisters move collectively and unitarily one with another.

Abstract: A method for weight blending of granular materials comprises at a remote site generating a command for desired operation of granular material weight blending apparatus; encoding said command into transportable time-stable machine readable tangible storage media; transporting said media to a bar code reader operatively connected to said granular material weight blending apparatus; scanning the tangible media having the command encoded thereon to read the command; and providing the read command as input to a in microprocessor operatively connected to said granular material weight blending apparatus for regulating operation of the same.

Abstract: A low pressure dryer for granular or powdery material includes a plurality of hoppers rotatable about a common vertical axis serially among material filling and heating, vacuum drying and material discharge positions; pneumatic piston-cylinder means for rotating the hoppers about said axis among said filling and heating, vacuum drying and discharge positions; means for heating contents of a hopper at said filling and heating positions; means for sealing a hopper at said vacuum and drying positions; means for drawing vacuum within a hopper at said vacuum drying position and means for selectably permitting downward flow of dried granular or powdery material out of a hopper at said discharge position where said hoppers move collectively and unitarily one with another.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of supplying material from a storage hopper (12) to a weighing hopper (16) where the material is fed at a controllable rate by a sliding plate member (104) that acts as a shutter for the storage hopper (12), which includes an aperture (154) for receiving material gravity fed from the storage hopper (12). As the plate (104) is reciprocated horizontally at a preselected frequency, material is conveyed at a controlled rate from the storage hopper (12) to the weighing hopper (16).

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for providing granular material to a loading hopper preparatory to processing, provide an at least partially transparent receptacle for receiving material prior to processing machinery supplied by the hopper with the receptacle having a top, a valve for selectably connecting the receptacle to vacuum or to ambient air, vacuum drawn in the receptacle, a conduit connecting the receptacle to a supply of granular material, a valve selectably permitting material flow from the receptacle into the hopper and control temporally adjustably closing the first valve and opening the second valve responsively to visually detected presence of a suitable amount of material in the receptacle.

Abstract: A gravimetric weigh scale blender having a plurality of hoppers 41, 42 and 43 discharging into a weigh chamber 14. The hoppers are funnel-shaped, each terminating in a discharge opening which permits flow of material from the hopper through a metering device 19 or 38 into a weigh chamber 14. Two of the hoppers are mounted for horizontal sliding displacement in the frame of the blender and a valve is provided at the bottom of each hopper to automatically close the hopper when it is moved horizontally. The valve consists of a shoe 53 slidable on the bottom of the funnel of the hopper to be operated by a saddle 51 on the frame so as to allow flow through the opening when the hopper is in its operating position but is displaced to close the opening when the hopper is moved away from the operating position.

Abstract: A gravimetric blender including a frame, a weigh bin, a device connected to the frame for sensing weight of the bin and any material contained therein, a mix chamber below the bin, connected to the frame, a piston for selectably releasing material in the bin downwardly into the mix chamber and an elastomer connecting a sensor device to the frame and damping transfer of vibration and shock motion therebetween. The method includes metering solid resinous materials until preselected weight of the respective materials are at the weigh station, metering liquid color until a pre-selected weight of color is at the weigh station, and providing the metered solid resinous materials and metered liquid color material to a mixing station for manufacturing processing via molding or extrusion.

Abstract: A peristaltic pump including an outer casing rotatably receiving a cage carrying rollers for planetary movement, the rollers extending radially outwardly and inwardly beyond the cage, a flexible tube interposed between the casing and rollers for peristaltic flexure upon roller motion, and a central rotary drive in driving engagement with the rollers for effecting motion of the latter.

Abstract: The apparatus includes a plurality of colorant reservoirs passing colorants and other ingredients through feed lines to a peristaltic pump which pumps the colorants into the input of three-way valves which are each movable between a dispensing mode and a recirculating made. In the recirculating mode the colorants pumped by the peristaltic pump will travel through the three-way valves and through return lines to the reservoirs from which the material originally emanated. If the three-way valve is in the dispensing mode the colorant will be discharged into a sample container for receiving the colorant mix. The peristaltic pump is driven by a drive motor such as a variable drive DC motor. The system is controlled by a system controller which receives input from a device such as a microprocessor which evaluates the required volume or weight of each particular colorant necessary to make a specific colorant mix.

Abstract: A peristaltic pump construction wherein a body is provided with a generally cylindrical recess having eccentric roller means mounted in the recess for rotation about the axis of the latter, and a conduit circumposed about the roller means within the recess being collapsed by the roller means upon rotation of the latter, the conduit means being relatively stiff and heavy walled, and a side member being engageable across the recess for forcibly engaging a conduit about the roller means laterally into the recess.