Patent ID: 6340487
Filing Date: 2002-01-22
Classification: A23P,B29B,B29C

Abstract:
An extruder system, comprising:an extruder having an elongated barrel with at least one axially rotatable, flighted auger therein, said barrel presenting a barrel inlet and a barrel outlet; a die assembly mounted on said barrel outlet; a preconditioner including shiftable mixing elements therein and having a preconditioner inlet for receiving material to be preconditioned, said preconditioner having a preconditioner outlet operatively coupled with said barrel inlet for feeding preconditioned material from the preconditioner into the barrel; a bin assembly operatively coupled with said preconditioner inlet for feeding said material to be preconditioned to said preconditioner inlet; and apparatus permitting selective alteration of the residence time of said material within said preconditioner between a first residence time and a second, predetermined residence time different than said first residence time, said apparatus including a variable output feeder device operatively coupled with said preconditioner outlet, and a component for continuously weighing said preconditioner.