Abstract:
A system for supplying processed material includes a barrel for transporting the processed material, having a chamber and an electrically conductive wall enclosing the chamber. The barrel has a length and an outer surface. Thermal insulation extends along at least a portion of the length and around the outer surface and provides an exterior surface whose contour is uniform and formed without grooves. A coil comprising an electric conductor is encased in an electrical insulating sheath. The coil contacts and encircles the exterior surface in loops forming an induction winding that extends along at least a portion of the length and around the exterior surface in a spiral path. An induction power supply is used for supplying alternating current to the coil at a relatively high frequency.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims priority to and the benefit of U. S. Provisional Application No. 60/937,171, filed Jun. 26, 2007, the full disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    This invention relates to heating an electrically conductive workpiece by electromagnetic induction. More particularly, the invention relates to induction heating an extrusion or molding barrel using alternating electric current at a high frequency. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Prior Art 
         [0005]    It is commonly known how an extruder or molding machine takes fluids or solids, such as plastic or magnesium in such forms as pellets, powder, granules, or chips (hereinafter collectively referred as processed “material”) fed through a feed port in the cylindrical metal tube or barrel, and then mixes, heats, and perhaps melts the processed material into a homogeneous molten state. Of course, there are various means of molding and extruding, such as injection molding, blow molding, injection blow molding, extruding blow molding, sheet extrusion, and profile extrusion, all of which are herein generally referred to as “plastic processing”, and to all of which the present invention may be applied. 
         [0006]    Electrical contact resistance heaters are typically used to heat the barrel by means of external circumferential contact. Frequently used types of contact resistance heaters include those commonly referred to in the art as mica band-heaters, ceramic band-heaters, and cast aluminum heaters, which are also referred to generally as cast-in heaters. More rarely barrels are heated by other means, such as by hot oil circulated within channels in the barrel wall or within separate contacting elements through which the oil circulates. Due to the added cost and complexity, and the slower control response of the oil&#39;s thermal mass, oil-heated devices are limited to special applications, such as the processing of thermosets, including phenolics, ureas, and rubber. 
         [0007]    More recently electromagnetic induction techniques have been applied to heat the barrel with or without contact between the induction windings and the barrel. 
         [0008]    Most often, induction cable windings (such as Litz cables), have a round cross-section, wound in a helix to form a tunnel coil, preferably with a thermal insulating layer that is interposed between the cable windings and the heated workpiece. The interposed insulating layer typically includes grooves to set and constrain the pitch of the cable windings, thereby allowing it to function as a winding template, as well as a thermal insulation layer. It has been determined that the pitch of the winding template affects the power distribution along the length of the tunnel coil. 
         [0009]    The grooved winding template may be manufactured by various means including vacuum-forming over a die or within a mold. However, forming and/or machining customized grooved winding templates to match the unique dimensional requirements of each application, such as groove pitch and the internal and external diameters of the sleeve, is exceedingly time consuming and costly. 
         [0010]    There is a need in the industry for a faster and more efficient way to manufacture and install a thermal insulation layer while optimally setting and constraining the cable winding pitch in a low cost manufacturing operation. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    A system for supplying processed material includes a barrel for transporting the processed material that includes a chamber and an electrically conductive wall enclosing the chamber and having a length and an outer surface, thermal insulation extending along at least a portion of the length and around the outer surface and providing an exterior surface whose contour is uniform and formed without grooves, a coil comprising an electric conductor encased in an electrical insulating sheath, the coil contacting and encircling the exterior surface in loops forming an induction winding that extends along at least a portion of the length and around the exterior surface in a spiral path, and an electric power source for supplying alternating current to the coil at a relatively high frequency. 
         [0012]    The system combines an interposed thermal insulation sleeve that does not require cable winding grooves, with a flat induction cable that is wound around the insulating sleeve to produce a tunnel coil whose pitch is equal to the width of the cable minus any desired cable overlap. 
         [0013]    The un-grooved insulation sleeve can be manufactured more quickly and inexpensively than one that requires winding grooves. Alternatively, in lieu of a formed or molded insulating sleeve, the interposed insulating layer can be generated by wrapping a flexible insulating sheet around the workpiece one or more times as needed to produce the requisite overall insulation thickness. The latter approach will allow the use of a less-costly, bulk-manufactured, insulating sheet that can be easily cut to the required length and width for the application. This eliminates the need for more costly and time-consuming vacuum-forming or molding of sleeves that must have application-specific internal and external diameters. 
         [0014]    A method for forming an induction winding used to heat processed material, includes providing a barrel formed with a chamber for containing the processed material and an electrically conductive wall enclosing the chamber and having an outer surface and a length that is divided into zones arranged along the length. Thermal insulation is placed along a length of each zone and around the outer surface of the barrel to produce a thermal insulation thickness and an exterior surface whose contour is substantially uniform and formed without grooves. An induction winding is formed in each zone by looping an electric conductor encased in an electrical insulating sheath around the exterior surface, which extends along a length of a zone and around the exterior surface of the thermal insulation in a spiral path. The induction windings of each zone are connected to individual induction power supplies that supply controlled currents to the induction windings at a relatively high frequency. The induction power supplies are in turn connected to a common AC power source. 
         [0015]    The method provides a unique, low cost, fast efficient way to manufacture an induction coil and to install a thermal insulation layer while optimally setting and constraining the cable winding pitch. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]    Having generally described the nature of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings used to illustrate and describe the preferred embodiments thereof. Further, these and other advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the embodiments when considered in the light of these drawings in which: 
           [0017]      FIG. 1  is a cross sectional view illustrating a lengthwise segment of an extrusion or molding barrel heated by an induction tunnel coil with thermal insulating layer interposed between the windings of the induction coil and the barrel; 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  is a cross sectional end-view of a workpiece, such as a typical molding barrel, surrounded by a thermal insulating sleeve having a single wall thickness; 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  is a cross sectional end-view of a workpiece, such as a typical molding barrel, surrounded by a thermal insulating sleeve that includes multiple wraps of a flexible thermal insulating sheet; 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  is a top view of a lengthwise segment of a suitable workpiece, such as a typical molding barrel, surrounded by a thermal insulating sleeve and multiple turns of a flat induction winding cable; 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  is a cross sectional view of multiple adjacent turns of a flat induction winding cable having a round conductor encased within a rectangular extruded plastic cross-section; 
           [0022]      FIG. 6  is a cross sectional view of two flat induction cables of different widths, each having a round conductor encased within a rectangular sheath; 
           [0023]      FIG. 7  is a cross sectional view of a flat induction cable having a round conductor encased within a rectangular sheath, whose original manufactured width may later be trimmed to produce cables of different widths; 
           [0024]      FIG. 8A  is a cross sectional view of a flat induction cable with a round conductor encased within a non-rectangular sheath; 
           [0025]      FIG. 8B  is a sectional view showing multiple overlapping turns of the cable illustrated in  FIG. 8A ; 
           [0026]      FIG. 9A  is a cross sectional view of a flat induction cable with a round conductor encased within an interlocking sheath; 
           [0027]      FIG. 9B  is a cross sectional view showing multiple interlocking turns of the cable; 
           [0028]      FIG. 10A  is a cross sectional view of an induction cable having a round conductor encased within a sheath that is affixed to an adhesive tape strip; 
           [0029]      FIG. 10B  is a cross sectional view showing multiple overlapping turns of the cable illustrated in  FIG. 10A ; 
           [0030]      FIG. 11  is a cross sectional view of a series of flat induction cables of different widths, each having a flat conductor of unique width covered with a sheath; 
           [0031]      FIG. 12  is a top view of an induction tunnel coil being applied over the thermal insulation on a workpiece; 
           [0032]      FIG. 13  is a top view showing the windings of an induction coil connect to a supply circuit and installed over the thermal insulation on a workpiece; and 
           [0033]      FIG. 14  is a side view showing the windings of an induction coil arranged in zones and connected through individual circuits to induction power supplies. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0034]    Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated in  FIG. 1  a longitudinal segment of a cylindrical metal extrusion or molding barrel  10  for use with an extruder or molding machine. The barrel  10  contains processed material fed through a feed port in the barrel, and then the material is mixed, heated, and perhaps melted into a homogeneous molten state. Of course, there are various means of molding and extruding, such as injection molding, blow molding, injection blow molding, extrusion blow molding, sheet extrusion, and profile extrusion, all of which are herein generally referred to as “plastics processing”, and to all of which the present invention may be applied as stated previously. 
         [0035]    When the barrel  10  is used with extruders and molding machines, a screw  12  rotates within a bore  14  formed in the barrel to ingest the processed material and to transport it along a helical path toward an exit where a nozzle or die is located. 
         [0036]    The extrusion or molding barrel  10  is heated by an induction tunnel coil  16 , which is wrapped in a helical path around the outer surface  18  of thermal insulation  20 , interposed between the windings of the induction coil  16  and the outer surface  22  of the barrel. The tunnel coil  16  is an electrical conductor connected to an induction power supply that supplies alternating current having a frequency in a preferred range of 10-30 kHz. 
         [0037]    Referring now also to  FIG. 2 , an embodiment includes thermal insulation in the form of a sleeve  24  having a single thickness “Ti”, surrounding the workpiece or barrel  10 , whose outside diameter is “D” and wherein the sleeve  24  does not require winding grooves for containing and guiding the windings of the tunnel coil  16 . Due to the absence of winding grooves the sleeve  24  is manufactured more quickly and inexpensively than if it contained grooves. 
         [0038]      FIG. 3  illustrates a second embodiment that employs a thermal insulating wrapped sleeve  26  of thickness “Ti” that is formed by wrapping the barrel  10  with multiple layers of a flexible thermal insulating sheet  28  of thickness “Ts”. A commercially available, suitable insulating sheet material is Superwool Paper manufactured by Thermal Ceramics Inc. This adequately flexible and robust sheet material is formed on a specialized papermaking machine and is available in various thicknesses “Ts”, including an approximately 6 mm thick (about ¼ inch) version. Four wraps of this specific material would then result in an overall insulating layer thickness “Ti” of about 24 mm (about 1 inch). 
         [0039]    Referring next to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the required dimensions of the sheet  28  for any application can be easily calculated assuming no compression of the sheet. For example, if the outer diameter “D” of the workpiece or barrel  10  is 100 mm, the axial length “L” of the barrel  10  that must be covered is 2 meters, the desired sheet thickness “Ts” is 6 mm, and four wraps are preferred to produce an overall insulation thickness “Ti” of 24 mm, in that case the required trimmed dimensions of the sheet  28  is 1.56 meters, i.e. the overall sheet width perpendicular to the axis of the workpiece=π×Σ D+[((2×n)−1)×Ts], for number of wraps=n=1 to 4). 
         [0040]    Referring still to  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the leading edge  30  of the sheet  28  may include an underside adhesive strip  32 , thereby allowing the sheet  28  to be affixed to the external surface  22  of the workpiece  10  before wrapping. Similarly, the trailing edge  34  of the sheet  28  may include an underside adhesive strip  36 , allowing the last wrap  38  of the sheet  28  to be affixed to the external surface of the second-to-last wrap  40 , thereby firmly maintaining the multiple wraps in place after wrapping. The adhesive strips  32 ,  36  may be formed by the localized application of a double-sided, pressure sensitive adhesive material to the underside of the sheet  28 , before or after trimming of the sheet  28  to its required application-specific width and length. 
         [0041]    It should be understood that suitable un-grooved insulating sleeves and insulating sheets may be manufactured from a variety of materials by a variety of methods, and that the foregoing embodiments are merely representative. 
         [0042]    As shown in  FIGS. 2 through 4 , regardless of the means used to thermally insulate the workpiece  10  with an un-grooved insulating sleeve  24 ,  28 , the use of a flat induction winding cable  42  of width “W” will allow the pitch “P” of the helical tunnel coil  16  to be easily set and maintained. It should be understood that the flat induction winding cable  42  that meets the primary objectives of setting and constraining the winding pitch “P” may have a variety of designed features and cross-sectional shapes, and may be manufactured in a variety of ways from a variety of materials. Accordingly, and referring now to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the following flat winding cable  42  embodiments are merely representative. 
         [0043]    A preferred embodiment of a flat winding cable  42  consists of a suitable round conductor  44  that includes Litz cable, which comprises many thin wires, individually coated with insulating film and twisted or woven together. The conductor  44  is encased within an extruded rectangular plastic sheath  46 , of a suitable material such as Teflon, having a thickness “Tc” that is adequate to protect the conductor  44  and to form a cable  42 . Multiple turns  47 ,  48 ,  49  of the cable  42  are wrapped contiguously, i.e., without any gap between them, around the workpiece  10 . The resulting pitch “P” of the tunnel coil  16  is equal to the width “W” of the cable  42 . 
         [0044]    Referring next to  FIGS. 4 and 6 , the cable  42  may also be manufactured in multiple spans or widths (i.e. “W 1 ”, “W 2 ”, etc.) to provide a family of cables that may be used to produce tunnel coils  16  with different pitches (i.e. pitch “P”=“W 1 ” or “W 2 ”, etc.). 
         [0045]    Now referring to  FIGS. 4 and 7 , a single, wider cable  42  may be used, and then its manufactured width “W” may be trimmed to narrower final widths “Wf,” thereby permitting tunnel coils  16  with different pitches “P” to be constructed using a single extruded sheath  46 . 
         [0046]    In the embodiments of  FIGS. 4 ,  6  and  7 , the conductor  44  may also be located symmetrically or asymmetrically within the plastic sheath  46  about either a vertical axis or a horizontal axis or both of these axes. 
         [0047]    Referring next to  FIGS. 4 and 8A , the extruded plastic sheath  46  need not be entirely rectangular, but may be irregularly shaped, so as to reduce the cable&#39;s cross-sectional area, making the cable  42  more flexible, decreasing the volume of plastic material, and reducing the cable&#39;s cost and weight. 
         [0048]    Referring again to  FIGS. 4 ,  8 A and  8 B, use of thinner arms  52  of thickness “tc” extending laterally from the conductor  44  and sufficiently flexible plastic material allows sequential turns  54 ,  56  of the coil cable  42  to overlap one another by a specific dimension “O” in order to produce a specific tunnel coil pitch “P”. This may be facilitated by marking or etching the top surface of arm  52  of the plastic sheath  46  with a series of longitudinal overlap dimension lines (not shown) that may be formed into the material during extrusion. While forming the tunnel coil  16  with cable  44  the installer can then use the overlap dimension lines to ensure that the appropriate overlap “O” is used to achieve the appropriate tunnel coil pitch “P” for a given application. 
         [0049]    Referring still to  FIGS. 4 and 8A , one or another side of the cable&#39;s arms  52  may also be trimmed to produce a narrower final width “Wf”; thereby permitting tunnel coils  16  with different pitches “P” to be constructed using a single extruded cable sheath  46 . 
         [0050]    Referring to  FIGS. 4 ,  9 A and  9 B, an interlocking extruded plastic sheath  46  may be used to produce a discrete number of optional pitches “P 1 ”, “P 2 ”, “P 3 ”, etc. For example, a cross-section with “N” mating ridges  58  and recesses  60  can be employed to produce “N” discrete pitches “P 1 ” to “PN”, using a single cable cross-section of width “W”. A first arm of sheath  46  has the ridges  58  and recesses  60  directed outward; the second arm has the ridges and recesses directed inward, such that the first arm of one winding engages the second arm of the adjacent winding. Furthermore, although multiple turns  61 - 65  can be overlapped a constant amount to produce a tunnel coil  16  with a single pitch “P”, different overlaps  66 - 69  can also be used along the length of the tunnel coil  16  to provide a step-wise variable pitch along the length of the tunnel coil. 
         [0051]      FIGS. 10A and 10B  illustrate another embodiment wherein the conductor  44  is encased within a minimal extruded plastic sheath  70 , which is also secured during or after extrusion to the top surface of a flat adhesive tape strip  72 , thereby forming a flat cable  74  with an adhesive underside  76 . Referring also to  FIG. 4 , the resulting adhesive flat cable  74  may then be affixed to the external surface of the insulation  24 ,  26 . 
         [0052]    As illustrated in  FIG. 10B , subsequent turns of the adhesive cable  74  may also be overlapped by a specific dimension “O” in order to produce a specific tunnel coil pitch “P”. This may be facilitated by marking or etching the top surfaces of the tape strip  72  with a series of longitudinal overlap dimension lines (not shown) that may be applied to the tape during its manufacture or later during extrusion. Referring also to  FIG. 4 , while forming the tunnel coil  16  with cable  74 , the installer can use the overlap dimension lines to ensure that the appropriate overlap “O” is used to achieve the appropriate tunnel coil pitch “P” for a given application. 
         [0053]    Although all of the foregoing flat cable embodiments include a round conductor  44 , it should be understood that the conductor cross-section need not be round. As illustrated in  FIG. 11 , the conductor  78  may be essentially flat, wherein a family of flat conductors  78  (such as flat braided Litz cables), are covered with a protective extruded plastic coating sheath  80  of suitable material (such as Teflon), so as to form flat cables having mutually different widths. 
         [0054]    Referring now to  FIGS. 1 ,  4  and  11 , when multiple turns of a flat cable are wrapped contiguously over insulation  20  and around the barrel  10 , i.e., without any axial gap between successive coils, the resulting tunnel coil pitch “P” is equal to the specific width (i.e. “W 1 ”, “W 2 ”, “W 3 ”, “W 4 ”, or “W 5 ”) of the flat cable. 
         [0055]    A first method for installing the insulation  20  and tunnel coil  16  around the barrel  10  is described with reference to  FIGS. 1 and 12 . Insulation material  20  in sheet form  28  is wrapped about four times around the outer surface  22  of barrel  10  to a minimum thickness of about 1.0 inch before installing the tunnel coil  16 . Preferably, inexpensive, easy to install fastening straps  90  (such as Velcro hook-and-loop straps or buckled Nylon straps) are used to secure the insulation to the barrel at opposite ends of each longitudinal zone along the length of the barrel. 
         [0056]    Referring now to  FIGS. 1 ,  5 ,  12  and  13 , a tunnel coil  16 , which incorporates a Litz cable conductor  44  enclosed in a sheath  46 , is cut to length and adapted for connection to an induction power supply. The tunnel coil  16  is secured to the outer surface of the insulation  20  by placing an end  94  of the coil  16  under the fastening strap  90  at a near end of the respective zone. 
         [0057]    The tunnel coil  16  may then be installed over the length of the zone by means of the following procedure: The near end  94  of the cable  16  is slid under the fastening strap  90 , which is then retightened to secure the position of the cable end  94 ; insulation  20  is then rotated with one hand while feeding cable  16  with the other hand, so that the coil pitch is adjusted to the desired dimension; the tunnel coil  16  is wrapped over the full zone length; a second fastening strap, located at the far end of the zone, is then loosened; and the far end of the cable is slid under that strap and retightened. This procedure is repeated for each zone until a desired length of the barrel  10  is coiled. 
         [0058]    Referring again to  FIGS. 1 ,  3 ,  12  and  13 , a second method for installing the insulation  20  and tunnel coil  16  around the barrel  10  includes wrapping insulation material  20  in sheet form  28  the desired number of times around the outer surface  22  of the barrel  10  to a minimum thickness of about 1.0 inch; sliding over the end of the barrel a helical pre-coiled tunnel coil  16  that is slightly larger than the outside diameter of the insulation; loosening the fastening strap  90  at the near end of a zone; sliding the coil end  94  under the strap  90 ; retightening the strap; after spacing the cable to the desired pitch dimension along the zone length, pulling the coil  16  tight against the insulation  20 ; after applying the coil  16  with the specified number of turns over the full zone length, loosening the fastening strap at the far end of the zone; sliding the far end of the cable under that strap; and retightened the strap. This procedure is repeated for each zone until the desired length of the barrel is coiled. 
         [0059]    A third method, described with reference to  FIGS. 1 ,  3  and  13 , for installing the insulation  20  and tunnel coil  16  around the barrel  10  includes wrapping insulation material  20  in sheet form  28  the desired number of times around the outer surface  22  of barrel  10  to a minimum thickness of about 1.0 inch; the tunnel coil  16  is pre-coiled such that it is easily held by the person installing it, leaving a tail equal to about half the zone length plus about 6.0 inches; the fastening strap  90  at the near end of a zone is loosened; the coil end  94  is slid under the strap  90  and retightened; the coil  16  is passed from inside to outside as shown in  FIG. 13 ; the coil  16  is hand-wrapped over and around the insulation  20  one turn at a time, spacing the coil turns to the desired pitch dimension; the coil  16  is then pulled tight against the insulation  20 ; after applying the coil  16  with the specified number of turns over at least a portion of the length of the zone, the fastening strap at the far end of the zone is loosened; and the far end of the cable is slid under that strap and retightened. This procedure is also repeated for each zone until a desired length of the barrel is encircled by the coil  16 . 
         [0060]      FIG. 14  shows a length of the barrel  10  divided into three longitudinal zones  96 - 98 , each zone being wound with a respective length  100 - 102  of a tunnel coil  16 . An electric power source  104  supplies single or three-phase power at 200-600 VAC and 50-60 Hz to induction power supplies  106 - 108 , each power supply being connected to a respective coil  16  of a zone  96 - 98 . The power supplies  106 - 108  are each connected electrically to typically 24 VDC on/off control signals originating from PLC-based or PC-based PID temperature controllers  110 . Each power supply  106 - 108  converts the 50-60 Hz power supply voltage to high-frequency power that is supplied to the tunnel coil  16  at preferably about 20 kHz. The output power level can also be preferably adjustable, such as by means of a multi-state dip-switch, e.g., in steps of 2.7, 4.0, 5.3 and 8 kW. The output power is then carried from the induction power supplies  106 - 108  through a wire-way  112  to the respective tunnel coil  16  of each zone  96 - 98 . 
         [0061]    Referring now to  FIGS. 1 ,  5  and  14 , the Litz windings conductors  44  form the tunnel coil  16  that produces extremely efficient electromagnetic coupling. Eddy currents produced in the barrel  10  generate powerful resistive heating directly within the barrel wall. The thermal insulation  18  virtually eliminates heat losses from the barrel and keeps the Litz windings conductors  44  cool. 
         [0062]    It should be noted that the present invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described, without departing from its spirit or scope. It is intended that all such modifications and alterations be included insofar as they are consistent with the objectives and spirit of the invention.