Patent ID: 8794949

Claim:
A high-pressure relief assembly suitable for attachment to an extruder having a barrel housing with an extruder bore having an end and extrusion means positioned in the bore for the extrusion of product comprising: (a) a face plate having a defined circular opening attached to the end of the bore where the defined opening of the face plate being in alignment with the extruder bore and having a top and bottom portion, a piston chamber bore and a product discharge port being positioned in the bottom portion of the face plate and having the piston chamber and the product discharge port intersecting with each other; (b) a first valve assembly having a valve body with a distal end and a proximal end, and a piston having a locking groove being positioned in the valve body, wherein said piston being moveable in the piston chamber bore from an open position to a closed position, and wherein the proximal end of the valve body is attached to the piston chamber bore at the bottom portion of said face plate; (c) a first linear actuator attached to the distal end of the valve body of the first valve assembly, wherein said first linear actuator being in contact with said piston and wherein the activation of the first linear actuator moves the piston to the closed position by pushing the piston from its original open position into the chamber bore and partially into the circular opening defined by said face plate, thereby blocking the product discharge port and preventing product from flowing out through the discharge port, and wherein the deactivation of the first linear actuator moves the piston to its original open position; and (d) means for locking the piston in its closed position by engaging said means with the piston, whereby when the first linear actuator is activated, the piston moves to the closed position and when the means for locking the piston are activated, the piston is held in the closed position by said means; whereby when pressure is to be relieved from the extruder, the means for locking the piston are deactivated and subsequently the first linear actuator is deactivated thereby moving the piston of the first valve assembly to the open position thereby allowing product to flow out through the discharge port relieving pressure in the extruder.