Abstract: A digital manufacturing system for producing first and second objects comprises a platen, a gantry, a pantograph extrusion head system and first and second sets of extruders. The platen defines a workspace upon which the objects are produced. The gantry defines a headspace displaced from the workspace. The extrusion head system is mounted to the gantry for movement in the headspace. The sets of extruders are connected to the extrusion head system and are configured to deposit extrusion material on the workspace to build the objects. Each set of extruders comprises a first extruder mounted to the extrusion head system; a second extruder mounted to the extrusion head system so as to be actuatable from a first to a second position; and a flexible linkage connecting the extruders. The flexible linkages position the second extruders in approximately equal known spatial relationships to the first extruders in the second positions.

Abstract: An alternate polymer extrusion method and system reduces “drool” effects that detract from precise control over the content of two or more materials in an extrudate along its length. In the system, two or more extruders direct melt to two or more gear pumps. Control of the speed of the gear pumps controls the amount of each material emergent from the pumps, proceeding to a convergence in the paths from the pumps and thence to a die. Melt in each path between each pump and the convergence tends to expand and drool into the convergence as its associated pump is slowed and stopped. To prevent this, in the die, a constriction in each path just upstream of the convergence greatly reduces drool past that point by requiring a much greater pressure to force the melt past the constriction. The increased pressure required increases compression and expansion of the melt between the pump and the construction as a pump starts or increases in speed, on one hand, and stop or decreases in speed, on the other hand.

Abstract: An apparatus for producing a parison having a plurality of resin layers and at least one resin layer of varying thickness is disclosed. The parison is used to form containers in a blow mold machine. An extruder is in communication with a flow head to form the parison. The apparatus includes a valve block having a duct providing communication between a second extruder and the flow head. Flow of resin from the second extruder directly to the flow head is controlled by a valve in the valve block. An accumulator cylinder and piston are also in communication with the duct and control the resin pressure within the duct. Opening and closing the valve and stroking the piston sends resin from the second extruder to the flow head and forms a resin layer having a varying thickness on the parison. A method of forming a varying layer is also disclosed.

Abstract: An extrusion feed device for a composite resin capable of forming a composite resin extruded material having a variety of layer configurations not necessarily symmetrical. A plurality of cylindrical flow passages (3) and (4) for feeding a molten resin, an opening/closing valve (7) capable of opening/closing a center flow passage (36) and a cylindrical flow passage (4a), and a center opening/closing valve (39) capable of opening/closing the center flow passage are provided at the upstream side end part (2a) of a discharge passage (2) for delivering the composite resin extruded material. A main resin (30a) forming an outside layer is always fed from the cylindrical flow passage (3), and the other molten resin (30b) and/or (30c) as an auxiliary resin is fed, at a proper timing, from the cylindrical flow passage (4) and the center flow passage (36) on the inside into the molten resin (30a) on the outside by controlling the opening/closing valve (7) or the center opening/closing valve (39).

Abstract: The invention relates to a plastic metering system in a device for producing plastic articles, comprising a metering unit (1) forming a block (2) comprising a material feed duct (10), a metering cavity (4) which may communicate with the said material feed duct (10), a material outlet orifice (5) placed on a wall of the said metering cavity (4), and a valve (3) in the form of a cylindrical rod designed to slide through and close off the said material outlet orifice (5), characterized in that the metering unit (1) furthermore includes a piston (7) mounted so as to slide coaxially around the valve (3) so as to allow the volume of the metering cavity (4) to be varied and the material feed duct (10) to be momentarily closed off. The invention also relates to a method for using the said system.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for controlling the width of a plurality of extruded filaments comprising providing a polymer supply and an extrusion die comprising a plurality of extrusion capillaries and a plurality of counterbores allowing fluid communication between the extrusion capillaries and polymer supply, providing an adjustable insert for interrupting fluid communication between the polymer supply and at least one extrusion capillary, providing at least one fluidized polymer, conveying the polymer through the polymer supply, counterbores and extrusion capillaries to extrude a plurality of filaments, and interrupting the fluid communication between the polymer supply and at least one extrusion capillary by adjusting the insert.

Abstract: An extrusion method and an extrusion device, whereby at least two different flows of material are supplied from the extrusion device to a nozzle. The nozzle comprises at least two nozzle chambers such that the material flowing through the first nozzle chamber forms an outer part of a product, and the material flowing through the second nozzle part forms an inner part of the product. The capacity of the nozzle chambers is changed, whereby the relative proportion of the different parts of the product can be varied. When the capacity of the nozzle chamber is decreased, the amount of material flowing therethrough increases at the outlet of the nozzle, and when the capacity of the nozzle chamber is increased, the amount of material flowing out there-through decreases at the outlet of the nozzle.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are described for coextruding two materials A and B, in which B is extruded on A through a port (3), in which the separating wall between the flows of A and B is formed as a flap closure (4) adapted to act as a non-return valve for the flow of B into A, and further means are provided for extruding B through the port in pulses. The pulses may be effected by opening and closing the closure, by mechanical transmission means or by the effect of imposing pressure difference on the flap (4) by the flows of A and/or B. The pulsing means preferably involves rams (1). The invention is particularly suitable for extruding a low viscosity material B onto a higher viscosity material A, or for making sheets or pipes with alternating segments of differential flexibility, or for coextruding a flow of solid particles with a flow of liquid.

Abstract: Multilayer plastic composites containing at least two incompatible plastics, A and B, in which the layering sequence alternates between A and B, the layers of plastic B are discontinued at regular intervals, and the resulting gaps in the layers are filled in with plastic A, exhibit good adhesion between the layers. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the amorphous, crystalline, or semi-crystalline plastic B has a higher coefficient of thermal expansion than the amorphous plastic A. The plastic composite is preferably produced via coextrusion.

Abstract: An extrusion/coating die. The die has an internal cavity and one or more static mixers in the die cavity. The static mixer fills the die cavity at its respective cross section. The die may also have one or more auxiliary inlets for separately admitting material/energy to the die.

Abstract: A strip casting device (2) has a casting container (14) from which through a casting gap (15) two different masses (12, 13) of a material flowable with the addition of heat are poured out as a strip (3) onto a cooling device (4). The second mass (13) is at the same time ejected by way of injection nozzles (21, 22) into the region of the casting gap (15) into the casting flow of the first mass (12). The injection nozzles are preferably movable in various directions.

Abstract: A ground color main extruder 9 which supplies a ground color resin that is to cover a strand conductor 3 is disposed. Plural stripe sub extruders 21 and 31 which supply a colored resin in a strip-like manner in a longitudinal direction of the strand conductor 3 simultaneously with extrusion of the ground color resin are disposed. Insert molds 16 and 17 are multiply disposed. While alternatingly switching over the stripe sub extruders 21 and 31 each time when a colored resin to be supplied is changed, a colored resin of a predetermined color is supplied through a path which is disposed for each of the stripe sub extruders 21 and 31.

Abstract: Complementary roof tiles for a staggered roof tile layout are provided by: (i) extruding and conveying a composite ribbon; (ii) demarcating the composite ribbon into an alternating succession of a first roof tile type and a second roof tile type by engaging the composite ribbon with an upstream cutting blade and a downstream cutting blade, such that each roof tile type is demarcated at an upstream tile edge by one of the cutting blades and at a downstream tile edge by the other of the cutting blades, and such that a selected one of the roof tile types includes a pair of cut-out portions demarcated along one of the upstream and downstream tile edges on opposite ones of the ribbon side edges; (iii) separating the succession of demarcated roof tile types into distinct roof tiles; and (v) curing the distinct roof tiles to form a set of cured roof tiles.

Abstract: An extruding machine for making multi-color mesh belts includes an injection block which has a single material feeding inlet and a material feeding tube which has a plurality of equally spaced material feeding passages. Each feeding passage has a color injection opening which engages with a color injection device. The formed mesh belts may have strips of different colors. The bottom end of the feeding tube may engage with a dividing block for controlling melting degree of the injecting color material.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for introducing additives into flowing or fluidized media. The spatially predetermined position of the additives in the flowing material, also called fluid bed, is obtained by controlling the pulsating injection, The introduction and exact dosing of additives, that is hardeners, dyes, gas producers and softener for instance, into a liquid plastic stream or metal stream (10) for instance or the fluid bed of bulk material, such as powder, granules and pellets, is carried out by means of an injector. The invention is used in melting units, in hot channel systems, in tools, componens of tools and injection moulding machines, extruder-, injection moulding-, pelleting-, burner- and injection arrangements.

Abstract: A molding device for pastry products includes an upper rotary disc, a set of cutting tools and a central through hole formed at the front aspect of a cutting edge portions of a plurality of cutting tools; wherein the intermittently obverse and reverse rotations of the upper rotary disc on a bottom disc drives a front moving rod to displace in a long through hole and makes a rear moving rod rotate in obverse and reverse directions in a circular through hole so as to further work as a rotary shaft thereby enabling the cutting edge portions of pluralities of cutting tools synchronously to close or open the central through hole with more precise carry-over moment to achieve the effect of opening and closing the central through hole more precisely and steadily for ensuring a consistent shape of a cut noodle or a molded food product.

Abstract: An injection mold design system for correcting a profile of a product to be fabricated into a releasable profile from a mold to design an injection mold based on a corrected product shape, comprising storing information of product shape and mold profile, displaying the product shape or the mold profile on a screen based on the information read from the storing, inputting designation information necessary for correction of the product shape or the mold profile, and unloading information of lines or planes being obstructive to correction of the product shape and the mold profile into the storing in response to the designation information input removing the lines or the planes from the screen, and replotting the line or the planes on the screen in terms of the information of lines or planes unloaded into the storing after the correction operation of the product shape or the mold profile is completed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for manufacturing a hollow plastic product is provided. In accordance with one aspect, into a mold half having a tubular groove portion and a projecting groove portion which projects outwardly from the tubular groove section is supplied a parison into the tubular groove portion and a clump of molding material into the projecting groove portion, and when blow molding is carried out by introducing a pressurized gas into the parison, the clump becomes integrated with the parison thereby providing a plastic product of unitary structure. In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a parison extrusion nozzle is provided with at least two passages each of which is connected, preferably through a valve, to a corresponding dispensing unit for dispensing a desired molding material. A control unit is provided as connected to each of the dispensing units to control the supply of molding material so that there is obtained a parison having regions of different molding materials.

Abstract: Candy mass including sugar and starch syrup is passed through a nozzle to which twisted-blades are mounted by a pair of a piston and a deposit cylinder for deposit, the candy mass being poured into a die. Consequently, candies having a beautiful marble pattern can be produced continuously.

Abstract: A pelletizing die for a pelletizer comprises a base body with holes for melt to pass through; the holes are disposed in rows. Allocated to the holes are wearing-protection inserts, having holes which are in alignment with the holes in the base body. The inserts which are disposed to adjoin each other in a row have a chordal surface where they are turned toward an adjoining insert and are provided with at least one surface of an arcuate segment of a cylinder laterally of the chordal surface.

Abstract: An apparatus for shaping a spherical body composed of an outer covering layer and an inner filling, comprising a holder frame, a rotary wheel rotated forwards and backwards alternatively in the holder frame, and triangular cutter members coupled to the rotary wheel and arranged in sliding contact with each other and moved with the rotary wheel between a first position to form a center opening for the passing of a continuously fed cylindrical body consisting of dough crust and a filling, and a second position to shape a spherical body consisting of dough crust and a filling from the continuously fed cylindrical body.

Abstract: An apparatus for cutting and shaping food products consisting of a filling and a crust from bar-shaped food material. The apparatus comprises shutter members, each having a convex cutting surface and a sliding surface, a holding member that bridges and holds two adjacent ones of the shutter members, shafts coupled to the shutter members, and a driver for synchronously rotating the shutter members in a horizontal plane by rotating the shafts.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for fabricating a colorful three-dimensional object in accordance with a computer aided design (CAD) image of the object.

Abstract: An improved apparatus and method for forming a three-dimensional object by planar deposition of forming materials includes containers for holding molten forming materials, mechanical piston or screw members in the containers for pressurizing the molten forming materials in each of the containers, and an adjustable planar nozzle mechanism coupled to the containers through which the pressurized molten forming materials flow to form variable width planar jets that are deposited in layers onto a substrate movable along three axes to form the three-dimensional object. The adjustable planar nozzle mechanism includes cooperating position controllable plates for forming a variable width planar nozzle opening. The edges of the planar nozzle opening are advantageously non-parallel at the ends of the nozzle opening to ensure uniform thickness of the deposited planar jets.

Abstract: Apparatus for molding consecutive streams of differently and homogeneously colored resin in a single mold. The apparatus is used to practice a method including supplying molten resin to a selected one of a plurality of resin passages, injecting colorant selected from a plurality of different colorants into the resin passage, mixing the molten resin and colorant in a mixing element disposed in the resin passage to form a mixture of selectively colored resin, injecting the mixture into the single mold to form a part from the selectively colored resin, and repeating the process by selecting a different resin passage and a different colorant. By this apparatus and method, differently colored parts can be molded without purging the resin passages between the molding, of the parts.

Abstract: An apparatus for cutting and shaping spherical products, such as filled dumplings, including a plurality of shutter members, each shutter member having first and second adjacent sliding surfaces and an elongated hole, a connecting member for slidably connecting adjacent shutters, and shafts equidistantly disposed on an imaginary circle which are received in the elonagated holes for slidably rotating the shutter members to thereby open and close a central opening.

Abstract: A simple method and apparatus is provided for manufacturing raised-brim products in which the end of a continuous bar-shaped dough body is fed into an opening surrounded by a plurality of movable cutting members. The bar-shaped dough body includes a filling material enclosed within a cylindrical dough sheet. Each of the cutting members includes a slanted inner surface and a lower surface which meet at an acute angle to form an edge, and the lower surface includes a concave groove located adjacent to and extending along the edge. The cutting members are cooperatively moved such that the edges of the plurality of cutting members cut the bar-shaped dough body to form a separated portion which includes filling material exposed on an upper surface thereof, and such that the slanted inner surface pulls the dough sheet to close the cut end of the bar-shaped dough body.

Abstract: An improved applicator die for alternately depositing different liquid coating materials on a moving web comprises a die body having switch bars for opening and closing respective flow passageways for supplying the different liquid coating materials to an elongated coating orifice from respective manifolds. The switch bars, flow passageways and manifolds are substantially as wide as and substantially parallel to the coating orifice of the die whereby changeover between different coating materials can be made very rapidly.

Abstract: An injection mold design system for correcting a profile of a product to be fabricated into a releasable profile from a mold to design an injection mold based on a corrected product shape, comprising storing means for storing information of product shape and mold profile, displaying means for displaying the product shape or the mold profile on a screen based on the information read from the storing means, inputting means for inputting designation information necessary for correction of the product shape or the mold profile, and controlling means for unloading information of lines or planes being obstructive to correction of the product shape and the mold profile into the storing means in response to the designation information input by the inputting means, removing the lines or the planes from the screen, and replotting the line or the planes on the screen in terms of the information of lines or planes unloaded into the storing means after the correction operation of the product shape or the mold profile is c

Abstract: A rod 3 is driven forward to open an annular slit 5 between a die 2 and a mandrel 4 and the molten resin in a resin accumulation chamber 10 is expelled from annular slit 5 to form a parison. In this operation, the die 2 is displaced from an original position adjoining to the mandrel 4 (axially aligned position) upon opening of the annular slit 5 to correct for any variation in thickness of parison P to be extruded from the annular slit 5. Then, the molten resin accumulated in accumulation chamber 10 is expelled from annular slit 5 to form parison P. The die 2 is then reset to the original position to bring the die 2 and mandrel 4 into axial alignment. Therefore, as the rod 3 is driven back, the annular slit 5 can be closed tight by the mandrel 4 to prevent resin leakage. After closure of the annular slit 5, molten resin is accumulated again in the accumulation chamber 10 and the annular slit 5 is opened. This procedure is repeated to produce parisons on an intermittent basis.

Abstract: The device (2) for changing the outside coating color of the extruded product is seated directly in the extrusion head (1), thus minimizing the length of the duct (25) in which the colored extrudates would be liable to mix; on the other hand, since no colored extrudate can stagnate upstream from that duct, the colored coating is always composed of freshly extruded material. Thus, the transition from one color to another is extremely short on the finished product, so that no faulty material is to be found on that product. The color changing device is essentially composed of an axially movable needle-valve (24) which can be actuated by various means. Through design modifications of this needle-valve, a two-color coating can be produced. An extrusion head equipped with such a device is particularly well adapted to the solid or expanded insulation of electric conductors, although other types of extruded objects can also be produced according to the same principle.

Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing multilayer hollow articles having sections different from one another in respect to the kinds of resins, number of layers, and thickness of layers along the circumference in the horizontal section of an article with the narrowest of the sections in any one of the resin layers extending in a specified width along the longitudinal wall of an article and being capable of satisfying the sectional performance requirements. An apparatus is provided for manufacturing multilayer hollow articles with the wall thickness ratio of resin layers in each section varying along the longitudinal wall of an article or those with the sectional width in each resin layer varying along the longitudinal wall of an article. Hollow articles molded by the apparatus of this invention are particularly useful for automotive bumpers, the seats and backs of chairs, and boiler-room doors.

Abstract: A system for mixing first and second polymer melt flows and directing a mixed polymer melt flow to one and another downstream locations includes a control valve having an inlet port for receiving the first polymer melt flow, and a pair of outlet ports, and a fluidic valve for forming the mixed flow of the first and second polymer melt flows and directing the mixed flow to one of a plurality of downstream locations. The fluidic valve is provided with a primary supply port for receiving the second polymer melt flow, a pair of secondary supply ports which are fluid-connected with the primary supply port at a mixing intersection, and a plurality of discharge ports extending from the mixing intersection. Each discharge port directs the mixed flow of the first and second polymer melt flows to a respective downstream location. A pair of branch conduits is provided which fluid-connect one of the pair of outlet ports of the control valve to a respective one of the secondary supply ports of the fluidic valve.

Abstract: An apparatus for melt mixing and spinning synthetic polymers, which has a plurality of spinning nozzle units, a main extruder with a capacity sufficient to feed a polymer melt to the plurality of spinning nozzle units, a main metering pump for receiving the polymer melt through a conduit system from the main extruder and directing the polymer melt through a branched conduit system including a first branch and a second branch to the spinning nozzle unit, a plurality of multiple way fluidic devices, a two way valve for receiving the polymer melt from the main metering pump and for directing the polymer melt through the first branch or through the second branch and through the multiple way fluidic devices to the plurality of spinning nozzle units, thereby directing the way within the multiple way fluidic devices, a plurality of concentrate extruders for directing a plurality of concentrates through the multiple way fluidic devices to the spinning nozzle units, each of said multiple way fluidic devices thereby co

Abstract: An injection molding apparatus for a resin structure uses gas injection. The apparatus includes a resin supply that feeds more than one resin to a mold, a gas exhaust that discharges gas supplied to the resin in order to closely contact the resin to the mold, and a supply selector that selectively opens and closes the resin supply using the pressure of the discharged gas to supply a different kind of resin onto the inner surface of a previously supplied resin.

Abstract: A method utilizing melt processing for making a unified, composite tape structure that includes two outer pressure-sensitive adhesive layers and a backing wherein at least one of the two outer adhesive layers is not mutually coextensive.

Abstract: A multi-hole tube extrusion die comprises a female mold die having a flat opening and a mandrel having comb-teeth-like molding portions arranged in the opening. A heated material is extruded between the female mold die opening and the comb-teeth-like molding portions of the mandrel to form a tube having a multi-plicity of holes. An interval between each of the comb-teeth-like molding portions at the opposite ends of the mandrel and the comb-teeth-like molding portion adjacent to the outermost comb-teeth-like molding portion is set to be smaller than an intervals between the female mold die opening and each of the outermost comb-teeth-like molding portions and to be larger than an interval between adjacent ones of the other comb-teeth-like molding portions. Additionally, the outermost comb-teeth-like molding portions are larger in width than the other comb-teeth-like molding portions.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for cutting bar-shaped food and its bar-shaped food apparatus, capable of cutting completely food materials mass-produced and pushed out sequentially in a bar shape without leaving any protrusion on its cutting surface and simultaneously making its cutting surface round. According to the present invention, even if it is bar-shaped food having core including not less than two kinds of food materials, such food can be cut off neatly without exposing its core material to the surface of the outer covering material.

Abstract: An assembly for cutting and shaping a bar-shaped dough body including a plurality of polyhedral cutting members disposed around an opening through which the bar-shaped dough body is extruded. The polyhedral members are rotatably mounted around the opening and are formed to cooperatively close the opening, thereby cutting the bar-shaped dough body, multiple times during each revolution of the polyhedral members. Each polyhedral member includes curved sides meeting at one or more tip edges, the tip edges of each of the polyhedral members meeting at a center of the opening when the bar-shaped dough body is cut.

Abstract: A method and device for molding a door seal, such as for an automobile. The device is provided with a first extrusion passage for extruding a molding material into a hollow portion of the door seal. A second extrusion passage is provided for extruding molding material into a bridge which spans across the hollow portion of the door seal. A molding material discharge member, such as a pipe, is movably inserted into the molding die and can be moved between open and closed positions relative to a molding material supply passage for permitting material to be intermittently extruded through the second passage, whereas material is substantially continuously extruded through the first passage, thereby permitting the bridge to be molded to the hollow portion at selected locations therealong.

Abstract: The running length of an inner synthetic resin within an outer synthetic resin in a composite synthetic resin is reduced by flowing a forced synthetic resin flow behind intermittent flows of the inner synthetic resin. The forced synthetic resin is of the same type as the outer synthetic resin. The composite resin flowing out of the apparatus is cut with a heated wire.

Abstract: A new and useful process for producing a plastic article (e.g., vinyl siding) with an accent color pattern incorporated therein, and a specially formed accent color pellet which is useful in such a process. The process contemplates extruding a plastic product from a base compound formed of powder sized particles and specially formed accent color pellets. The accent color pellets are alloyed masses of resins and pigment which are larger than the powder particles of the base compound, and have a higher deflection temperature than the base compound. The alloyed pellets are designed with controlled heat deflection characteristics. During the extrusion process, the accent color pellets begin to soften and disperse later than the base compound, and cause restricted dispersion of the accent color into the base compound, thereby producing accent color streaks in the resulting extrudate. The process is particularly suited for producing a simulated woodgrain or streaking effect in plastic. (e.g., vinyl) siding.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing extruded and cut products (70) containing a first material (20), resistant to being severed or sensitive to being severed, and an easily severed second material (16). Includes an extruder apparatus (10) with a first conduit (14) disposed to accept the first material, and a second conduit (18) disposed to accept the second material. And diverter cylinders (22) and (24), opening into the conduits to cyclicly extract or inject the materials from the conduits, producing intermittent flows within the conduits (14) and (18) out of phase of each other, next the materials alternately fill a transverse section of a confluence (42) to form a transversely layered extrusion (35). A conventional cutter is timed to transversely sever the transversely layered extrusion when a transverse layer of easily severed material (16) is exiting.

Abstract: A method for the production of a lamellar reflective polymeric body is provided and includes the steps of providing a first stream of a first heat plastified polymeric material and a second stream of a second heat plastified polymeric material, and encapsulating discrete portions of the first polymeric material in the second polymeric material by coextruding the polymeric materials to form a plurality of ribbon-like layers of the first polymeric material within a matrix of the second polymeric material to form the reflective polymeric body. The layers of the first polymeric material are arranged to have their major interfaces aligned substantially parallel to the major surfaces of the body such that at least 30% of light incident on the body is reflected. The ribbon-like layers may be further divided into a series of platelet-like layers to produce layers which are discontinuous in all major planar dimensions by passing the ribbon-like layers through a reciprocating feed plate or valve.

Abstract: A multilayer parison extruder includes a cylinder; an annular piston movably fitted in the cylinder; a material accumulation chamber in which the piston is moved; a material conduction chamber communicating with the accumulation chamber; an annular multilayer head provided in the conduction chamber; and a die slot provided under the conduction chamber. The extruder further includes a main material extruder for supplying a main material to the accumulation chamber; and auxiliary material extruders for supplying the auxiliary materials to the multilayer head. The extruder is characterized in that pairs of opposed feed ports are provided in the multilayer head and communicate with the auxiliary material extruders. At least one pair of the inlet ports is provided for each of a pair of arc-shaped passages which are for the auxiliary materials.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for producing an elongated body changing in elastic modulus longitudinally thereof with use of polymers without resulting in variations in the outside and inside diameters of the body even when the polymers are different in extrusion characteristics or swelling characteristics. The apparatus may include a feeder 1 for extruding a first polymer in a molten state and a feeder 2 for extruding a second polymer, which is different from the first polymer in elastic modulus and similarly in a molten state. The feeders alternately discharge the respective polymers, which are continuously fed to a long-land die 5 along with a lubricant supplied from a lubricant applicator 4. The polymers are formed into the desired shape and cooled in the die 5, and thereafter extruded.

Abstract: A method and apparatus (10) is provided for producing vinyl siding (76) having aesthetically pleasing, wood-like striations embedded therein. Apparatus (10) includes processing structure (12) for processing topcoat compound and substrate compound extruders (18, 20) respectively. Acrylic colorant is discharged from feeders (64, 66) into barrel (34) via adapter (72) and thereby mixed with the topcoat compound. The interval of discharge is four seconds every twenty seconds. Adapter (72) utilizes a water jacket to keep colorant cool prior to its introduction into barrel (34) where it experiences a temperature sufficient for melting, usually about 380.degree. F. Due to the interval of discharge and the twenty second period thereof, striations (82) are uniform and continuous in nature so as to simulate wood grain.

Abstract: An improved apparatus for cutting an enveloped body, which consists of an assembly having at least three circumferentially disposed cutting members, each cutting member having at least two sliding surfaces. The cutting members are assembled in sliding contact with each other such that the sliding surfaces of adjacent cutting members are slidable along each other so as to form or close a central opening surrounded by the cutting members. The opening is opened and closed for cutting the enveloped body passing therethrough. One sliding surface of a cutting member forms a convex surface, and the other sliding surface forms a concave surface complementary to the convex surface, so that the convex surface of a cutting member slides on the concave surface of an adjacent cutting member.

Abstract: A die assembly (10) for controlling extrudate profile dimension. The die assembly includes a die block (12) having a feed passage (16) for movably supporting a diverter member (13) within the die block, and first and second die block passages (18, 20). The diverter member (13) includes a diverter passage (32) and first and second feed openings (34, 36) interconnected by the diverter passage. One of the first or second feed openings (34, 36) has a larger diameter than the other of the first or second feed openings. The diverter member (13) is movable with respect to the die block (12) for directing extrudate flow via the diverter passage (32) through the second die block passage (20), to thereby vary the profile dimension of the extrudate exiting the die block. The die block (12) additionally includes a disposal passage (22).

Abstract: A device for feeding an extrusion head for plastic material includes a main extruder connected to a main die for extruding a continuous main flow of material, and an auxiliary feed mechanism associated with the main die and selectively controlled to cover the outer exit flow of the main die with a surface layer. The auxiliary feed mechanism continuously conducts two auxiliary flows, a first flow forming the surface layer and the second flow being mixed with the main flow. An invertor valve permits selective exchanging of the two auxiliary flows such that the second flow can cover the main flow and the first flow can be mixed with the main flow.