Patent ID: 8460590

Claim:
A process for continuously producing an elastomeric composition, comprising: providing at least one extruder; metering and feeding at least one elastomer into the at least one extruder; metering and feeding at least one filler into the at least one extruder; wherein the metering and feeding of the at least one elastomer is separate from the metering and feeding of the at least one filler; metering and feeding at least one ingredient different from said at least one elastomer and said at least one filler into the at least one extruder; mixing and dispersing the at least one filler and the at least one ingredient different from said at least one elastomer and said at least one filler into the at least one elastomer using the at least one extruder; and extruding a resulting elastomeric composition through a discharge opening of a housing of the at least one extruder; wherein the at least one extruder comprises: the housing; and at least one screw rotatably mounted in the housing; wherein the housing comprises: at least one feed opening; and the discharge opening; wherein at least one of said at least one ingredient different from said at least one elastomer and said at least one filler comprises a subdivided product comprising one or more minor ingredients dispersed in at least one thermoplastic binding agent, wherein the at least one thermoplastic binding agent comprises: a copolymer of ethylene with at least one aliphatic or aromatic alpha-olefin, and, optionally, with at least one polyene; and a molecular weight distribution index (MWD) less than 5, and wherein the subdivided product contains greater than 70%-by-weight and less than 98%-by-weight of the one or more minor ingredients with respect to the total weight of the subdivided product and is conveyed, before metering and feeding into the at least one extruder, by at least one pneumatic conveying line, and wherein said one or more minor ingredients are selected from crosslinking agents, crosslinking accelerators, and crosslinking retardants; and are to be used during the crosslinking of a product comprising the elastomeric composition.