Patent ID: 6709146
Filing Date: 2004-03-23
Classification: B01F,B29B,C08L

Abstract:
A thermokinetic mixer comprising:(a) a substantially cylindrical mixing chamber with an inside surface enclosing a shaft connected with a motor driver outside the mixing chamber and rotatable at relatively high speed substantially about an axis of the cylindrical mixing chamber, the mixing chamber having an opening at a first end of the cylinder that communicates with a screw feeder, where the screw feeder comprises screw blades mounted on an extension of the shaft and are enclosed with a cylindrical housing open at an inlet port, the screw feeder being adapted to receive a particulate feed material comprising an effective amount of particles of polymers meltable at operating conditions and to deliver the feed material to the mixing chamber; (b) shaft extensions secured to the shaft by slot means for removing the shaft extensions when the mixing chamber is emptied and the shaft is stopped, the slot means comprising a single rectangle slot located at a base of the shaft extensions where a forward edge of the slot in the direction of rotation of the shaft has a relatively smooth transition to an outside surface of the shaft and a rearward edge of the slot is substantially stepped down from the outside surface of the shaft; (c) a door located substantially spaced apart from and between the ends of the mixing chamber and along a bottom surface of the mixing chamber; and (d) the door being adapted to open after the feed material is mostly melted and mixed together so that the feed material can drop from the mixing chamber.