EP0500667A1 - Appareil de densification pour materiaux plastiques - Google Patents

Appareil de densification pour materiaux plastiques

Info

Publication number
EP0500667A1
EP0500667A1 EP90916783A EP90916783A EP0500667A1 EP 0500667 A1 EP0500667 A1 EP 0500667A1 EP 90916783 A EP90916783 A EP 90916783A EP 90916783 A EP90916783 A EP 90916783A EP 0500667 A1 EP0500667 A1 EP 0500667A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
chamber
outlet
plastics material
densifying
wall
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP90916783A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
David Johannes Scheeres
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
EXOTHERM PRODUCTS Ltd
Original Assignee
EXOTHERM PRODUCTS Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from GB898925374A external-priority patent/GB8925374D0/en
Application filed by EXOTHERM PRODUCTS Ltd filed Critical EXOTHERM PRODUCTS Ltd
Publication of EP0500667A1 publication Critical patent/EP0500667A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29B—PREPARATION OR PRETREATMENT OF THE MATERIAL TO BE SHAPED; MAKING GRANULES OR PREFORMS; RECOVERY OF PLASTICS OR OTHER CONSTITUENTS OF WASTE MATERIAL CONTAINING PLASTICS
    • B29B17/00—Recovery of plastics or other constituents of waste material containing plastics
    • B29B17/0026—Recovery of plastics or other constituents of waste material containing plastics by agglomeration or compacting
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29B—PREPARATION OR PRETREATMENT OF THE MATERIAL TO BE SHAPED; MAKING GRANULES OR PREFORMS; RECOVERY OF PLASTICS OR OTHER CONSTITUENTS OF WASTE MATERIAL CONTAINING PLASTICS
    • B29B13/00—Conditioning or physical treatment of the material to be shaped
    • B29B13/02—Conditioning or physical treatment of the material to be shaped by heating
    • B29B13/022—Melting the material to be shaped
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C31/00—Handling, e.g. feeding of the material to be shaped, storage of plastics material before moulding; Automation, i.e. automated handling lines in plastics processing plants, e.g. using manipulators or robots
    • B29C31/02—Dispensing from vessels, e.g. hoppers
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C39/00—Shaping by casting, i.e. introducing the moulding material into a mould or between confining surfaces without significant moulding pressure; Apparatus therefor
    • B29C39/02—Shaping by casting, i.e. introducing the moulding material into a mould or between confining surfaces without significant moulding pressure; Apparatus therefor for making articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles
    • B29C39/04—Shaping by casting, i.e. introducing the moulding material into a mould or between confining surfaces without significant moulding pressure; Apparatus therefor for making articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles using movable moulds not applied
    • B29C39/06—Shaping by casting, i.e. introducing the moulding material into a mould or between confining surfaces without significant moulding pressure; Apparatus therefor for making articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles using movable moulds not applied continuously movable, e.g. along a production line
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C39/00—Shaping by casting, i.e. introducing the moulding material into a mould or between confining surfaces without significant moulding pressure; Apparatus therefor
    • B29C39/22—Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations
    • B29C39/24—Feeding the material into the mould
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02W—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT
    • Y02W30/00—Technologies for solid waste management
    • Y02W30/50—Reuse, recycling or recovery technologies
    • Y02W30/62—Plastics recycling; Rubber recycling

Definitions

  • This invention relates to an apparatus and method for densifying plastics material, whether in expanded (foamed) or other form.
  • Plastics products in some forms e.g. bottles and other containers
  • expanded plastics material have a low weight-to-volume ratio.
  • the waste material is difficult to dispose of, particularly from the environmental point of view and particularly in view of the large volume which it occupies for transporting and dumping.
  • the material can also be destroyed by incinerating but this requires high temperatures to ensure complete combustion.
  • a densifying apparatus for plastics material comprising a chamber for receiving the material to be densified, the chamber having a wall which is cast from metal and incorporates a heating element cast therein, and an outlet in the bottom of the chamber through which molten plastics material flows under gravity.
  • the inner surface of the heated wall of the chamber is coated with a polymeric material e.g. PTFE such as Teflon.
  • PTFE polymeric material
  • Teflon a polymeric material
  • This polymeric coating seals the grain structure of the metal casting, and gives the surface a low friction finish to assist the gravity-flow of the waste materials through the chamber.
  • the inside surface of the heated wall of the chamber tapers towards the bottom outlet.
  • this tapering surface is circular in horizontal cross-section, and may be conical.
  • the molten waste plastics material flows under gravity out of the apparatus through the bottom outlet, or it may flow under gravity through the bottom outlet and into a cooling chamber where it solidifies. In either case the passage of the melted plastics is unaided by any mechanical means.
  • the cooling chamber may have valves at its inlet and outlet.
  • the cooling chamber may comprise a rotor having a number of cavities for receiving a quantity of the molten plastics, cooling to solidify that quantity of plastics, and ejecting the solidified body, at successive rotary positions of the rotor.
  • the cooling chamber may comprise a horizontal slide plate with at least one .cavity for receiving the molten plastics, for cooling and solidifying the plastics, and slidable to another position at which the solidified body is ejected.
  • the apparatus may be used for densifying expanded polystyrene, or products formed of polypropylene, polycarbonate, PET or other plastics.
  • the apparatus preferably includes a thermostatic control system arranged to maintain the chamber close to a predetermined temperature. This temperature needs to be high enough to melt the plastics without being so high that it will carbonise or ignite the material, thus giving off noxious fumes in large volumes. Small volumes of such fumes are however given off and an exhaust port for this is provided.
  • the chamber is provided with a meter for measuring the
  • SUBSTITUTESHEET concentration of pentane or other noxious fumes within the interior of the chamber and giving a warning and/or shutting down the apparatus should the concentration of these noxious fumes exceed a predetermined level.
  • a method of densifying plastics material comprising placing the plastics material in a chamber which has a wall cast from metal and incorporates a heating element cast therein, energising the heating element to render the plastics material molten, and allowing the molten plastics material to flow under gravity through an outlet in the bottom of the chamber.
  • the solid plastics bodies formed by the apparatus or method of this invention may be used as fuel elements, e.g. to assist incineration of other waste or to fuel industrial boilers.
  • FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of an embodiment of apparatus for densifying plastics material
  • FIGURE 2 is a vertical section through another embodiment of apparatus for densifying plastics material
  • FIGURE 3 is a vertical section, on enlarged scale, through an outlet chamber of the apparatus of Figure 2;
  • FIGURE 4 is a vertical section through one alternative form of outlet chamber for the apparatus of Figure 2;
  • FIGURE 5 is another form of outlet chamber for the apparatus of Figure 2.
  • an apparatus for densifying plastics comprising a closed chamber 10 supported on a frame 12 having legs 14.
  • the chamber comprises a vertical cylindrical portion with a conical portion 16 at its lower end and a conical portion 18 at its upper end.
  • the upper conical portion 18 and the cylindrical portion are preferably formed of steel and the lower conical portion 16 is preferably cast from aluminium or aluminium alloy.
  • SUBSTITUTE SHEET heating elements 20 are cast into the lower conical portion 16.
  • An inlet 22 is provided into the top of the upper conical portion and an outlet 24 is provided from the bottom of the lower conical portion: a ilter 26 is provided in the outlet and the filter and outlet are heated in order to maintain the material in molten form as it flows from the outlet.
  • the interior surface of the chamber is provided with a low friction coating e.g. Teflon.
  • a thermostatic control system 28 responds to a temperature sensor (e.g. a thermocouple) embedded in the wall of the lower conical portion 16, to control the current supplied to the electrical heating elements and so maintain the conical portion 16 close to a predetermined temperature.
  • a temperature sensor 30 e.g. a bimetallic switch
  • a temperature sensor 30 is mounted on the outside of the lower conical portion 16 to switch off the electrical heating elements 20 if the sensed temperature rises above a threshold.
  • the chamber 10 is provided with an exhaust 32 for noxious fumes given off from the plastics material in use of the apparatus.
  • the chamber is also provided with a meter 34 for monitoring the concentration of noxious fumes within the chamber 10 and switching off the electrical heating elements 20 if the concentration of such fumes exceeds a threshold.
  • plastics material or products are first granulated and then entrained in a stream of air which is directed into the chamber through the inlet 22.
  • the granulated material circulates over the interior surface of the chamber as it falls under gravity, and in so doing it is heated and finally, when in the lower portion of the chamber, reaches a temperature at which it melts, but without carbonising or igniting.
  • the plastics in molten form then flows under gravity through the filter 26 and out of the chamber through the outlet 24.
  • the molten material is collected in suitable vessels and, now occupying very little space, can be transported easily and moreover can be recycled, i.e. reformed into expanded plastics products.
  • the TE SHEET embodiment of densifying apparatus which is particularly useful for plastics material or products which are contaminated.
  • the chamber 10 is housed within a cabinet 40.
  • the top of the chamber has an opening 41 in the front communicating with a cylindrical container 42 through an opening 43 in the latter. Once the waste material is put into the container 42, it is turned by hand around its axis to close the opening 41 and tip the waste material into the chamber 10. The arrangement prevents direct access into the chamber 10.
  • the container 42 is mounted for rotation on weight-sensitive bearings 44, so that if anything too heavy is put into the container these bearings lock up to prevent the container 42 being turned.
  • the outlet of the chamber has a sliding valve 44 and below this is an outlet chamber 45 having a sliding valve 46 at its lower end.
  • a heating element 47 is cast into the wall of the outlet chamber 45 at its upper end and a cooling duct 48 is cast into the wall of the outlet chamber 45 at its centre and lower end.
  • valve 44 When the valve 44 is open and valve 46 closed, the outlet chamber 45 fills with molten plastics material from the main chamber 10.
  • the heating element 47 helps to maintain the material in molten condition so that it will flow into ,he outlet chamber.
  • valve 44 is closed, and cooling fluid is passed through the duct 48 to solidify the material, whereafter the valve 46 is opened to allow the solidified body to fall from the outlet chamber and onto a tray 50.
  • An opening 51 is formed in the front wall of the cabinet and has a door 52.
  • the solidified bodies from the cooling chamber can be removed through the opening 51 on the tray 50: however, a timer is provided to keep the door 52 locked until a predetermined time interval after the elments of the apparatus have been switched off.
  • a continous casting process can be achieved for feeding direct into a hot melt granulator or onto a cooling conveyor feeding direct into a pelletising machine.
  • SUBSTITUTE SHEET may form part of a sphere (e.g. it may be hemi-spherical) instead of being conical, so as to increase its surface area.
  • FIG 4 shows an alternative form for the outlet chamber of the apparatus of Figures 2 and 3.
  • This outlet chamber includes a cylindrical rotor 60 mounted for rotation about a transverse, horizontal axis A.
  • the rotor 60 has a number of inwardly-tapering cavities 62 in its outer surface, the example shown having four such cavities 62.
  • An electric motor and a drive transmission are provided to index the rotor around at intervals of time.
  • One cavity 62 is aligned with the outlet from the melt chamber and fills with molten plastics, then the rotor turns to bring this cavity to a cooling position whilst the following cavity is brought to the top or filling position, and then the rotor turns again to bring the cooled and solidified body of plastics to the bottom or ejection position where it falls from the rotor under gravity into the tray 50.
  • the rotor is mounted within a casing 64 of the outlet chamber.
  • This casing preferably incorporates heating elements adjacent the outlet from the melt chamber and preferably includes cooling tubes cast integrally adjacent the cooling cavity.
  • the casing 64 comprises a casting of aluminium or aluminium alloy with any heating and/or cooling elements cast therein.
  • the rotor also comprises a casting of aluminium or aluminium alloy.
  • the surfaces of the casing 64 and rotor 60 which come into contact with the plastics material are coated with low-friction material e.g. PTFE such as Teflon.
  • FIG. 5 shows another form for the outlet chamber.
  • a horizontal slide plate 70 is disposed below the outlet of the main chamber. In the example shown this outlet is divided into two by a central web 71.
  • the slide plate 70 is supported on a horizontal table 72, and is formed with two cavities 73, 74. Alternately, cavity 73 will be positioned below part 75 of the outlet from the main chamber, then the slide 70 will be moved to the left so that the body of plastics (now cooled and solidified) within cavity 73 can be ejected under gravity whilst cavity 74 is
  • SUBSTITUTE SHEET positioned below part 76 of the outlet from the main chamber, whereafter the slide 70 will be moved to the right for cavity 73 to receive fresh molten plastics and for the body in cavity 74 to be ejected.
  • plastics bodies which are ejected from the apparatus described above may be used as fuel elements to assist incineration of other waste or to fuel industrial boilers.
  • the apparatus described rely upon the thermal conductivity of the metal of the chamber wall, together with an improved slip factor of this wall due to a PTFE or other coating, to alter the physical or molecular condition of the plastics material by densifying it or solidifying it.
  • the inner surface of at least the lower portion 16 of the chamber is circular in every horixzontal cross-section and the interior at least of this portion 16 of the chamber is an open volume, free of any vanes, baffles, fins or other obstructions.
  • the waste material introduced into the top of the chamber falls under gravity, without the assistance or drive of any mechanical means, eventually reaching the outlet in molten form. Furthermore, the molten material at this point flows through the outlet under gravity and without the assistance of any mechanical means.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • Robotics (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Processing And Handling Of Plastics And Other Materials For Molding In General (AREA)
  • Separation, Recovery Or Treatment Of Waste Materials Containing Plastics (AREA)

Abstract

L'appareil décrit, qui sert à densifier des matériaux en plastique expansé ou d'autres produits en plastique, comprend une chambre (10) présentant une paroi (16) qui est moulée par coulage à partir d'un métal et dans lequel est incorporé par coulage un élément chauffant électrique (20), ainsi qu'une sortie qui est prévue dans le fond de la chambre et à travers laquelle le matériau plastique en fusion s'écoule par gravité. La paroi (16) est revêtue d'un matériau polymère à faible frottement.
EP90916783A 1989-11-09 1990-11-09 Appareil de densification pour materiaux plastiques Withdrawn EP0500667A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB898925374A GB8925374D0 (en) 1989-11-09 1989-11-09 Densifying apparatus for expanded polystyrene
GB8925374 1989-11-09
GB909011401A GB9011401D0 (en) 1989-11-09 1990-05-22 Densifying apparatus for plastics material
GB9011401 1990-05-22

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0500667A1 true EP0500667A1 (fr) 1992-09-02

Family

ID=26296180

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP90916783A Withdrawn EP0500667A1 (fr) 1989-11-09 1990-11-09 Appareil de densification pour materiaux plastiques

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0500667A1 (fr)
JP (1) JPH05503669A (fr)
AU (1) AU6720990A (fr)
WO (1) WO1991007264A1 (fr)

Families Citing this family (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2255977A (en) * 1991-05-22 1992-11-25 Plastics Densification Ltd Densifying contaminated plastics
ATE127719T1 (de) * 1990-12-21 1995-09-15 Free Flow Packaging Corp Vorrichtung und verfahren zum verdichten von expandierten kunststoffschaummaterialien.
US5286321A (en) * 1990-12-21 1994-02-15 Free-Flow Packaging Corporation System and method for densifying expanded plastic foam materials
EP0528093A1 (fr) * 1991-08-16 1993-02-24 Remac Maskinfabrik ApS Procédé et appareil pour la fabrication de polystyrène pelletisée en partant de polystyrène expanse
EP0578857A1 (fr) * 1992-07-17 1994-01-19 STEINMEYER KLEBETECHNIK GmbH Procédé pour fondre des matériaux adhésifs thermo- ou duroplastiques
US6902387B2 (en) * 2001-12-07 2005-06-07 Binney & Smith Inc. Crayon maker
GB2410919B (en) * 2004-02-13 2009-03-18 David J Scheeres Improvements in or relating to the treatment of waste
GB0513148D0 (en) * 2005-06-29 2005-08-03 Taylor Products Ltd Apparatus for thermally compacting expanded polystyrene boxes
GB2512921B (en) * 2013-04-12 2017-07-05 Styromelt Ltd Apparatus and method for volumetric reduction of synthetic polymeric textile material

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
BE644446A (fr) * 1963-07-10 1964-06-15
DE1935398C3 (de) * 1969-07-11 1981-02-12 Minnesota Mining And Manufacturing Co., Saint Paul, Minn. (V.St.A.) Schmelz- und Abgabevorrichtung für thermoplastisches Material
FR2265531A1 (en) * 1974-03-28 1975-10-24 Melior Produits Moulding wax bushes in moulds carried on plate - to control cooling and automatically scrape away excess wax
US4474311A (en) * 1981-07-31 1984-10-02 Nordson Corporation Thermoplastic melting and dispensing apparatus
DE8525903U1 (de) * 1985-09-11 1985-11-28 Köster, Horst, Dip.-Ing., 6070 Langen Mikrofilm-Vernichter

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
See references of WO9107264A1 *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JPH05503669A (ja) 1993-06-17
AU6720990A (en) 1991-06-13
WO1991007264A1 (fr) 1991-05-30

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