Direct Melt Polymer Recycling Bypassing Pelletization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing recycling devices for polymeric materials face high energy consumption and long processing times due to the need to melt and solidify materials repeatedly, which can degrade the material quality and cause stress, leading to suboptimal object formation.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus and method involve connecting a nozzle directly to a recycling device to supply melted regenerated polymeric material to a compression moulding system, bypassing the need for pellet formation and using a homogenizing device to ensure uniform temperature, thus reducing energy consumption and material stress, and incorporating a conveying element that moves in an atmospheric environment to enhance material quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the polymeric material is melted, solidified into pellets, and then melted again for moulding, then the material can be processed and formed into objects, but energy consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the intermediate pellet formation and storage step from the traditional recycling process. The melted regenerated polymeric material is directly conveyed from the recycling device to the mould without being solidified into pellets first, thereby removing the unnecessary energy consumption associated with cooling and subsequent reheating of the material.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention establishes a continuous process where the melted regenerated polymeric material flows directly from the recycling device through a conveying system into the mould for immediate moulding. This continuous action eliminates the interruptive solidification-pelletization-reheating cycle, maintaining the material in a usable melted state throughout the process and significantly reducing energy consumption.
2Productivity
If the polymeric material undergoes multiple melting and solidification cycles, then it can be processed through recycling and moulding, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the time-consuming intermediate steps of cooling the melted material into pellets and then reheating them before moulding. By directly conveying the melted regenerated material to the mould, the process eliminates these unnecessary time delays and enables continuous production.
Solution Approach 2:
The process maintains continuous flow of melted polymeric material from recycling through conveying to moulding without interruption for solidification and re-melting. This continuous operation dramatically reduces processing time compared to the traditional batch process with multiple phase transitions.
3Productivity
If the melted polymeric material is forced through narrow transit ducts in a rotary distribution mechanism, then it can be distributed to multiple moulds, but the material degrades due to high stresses
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the rotary distribution mechanism with narrow transit ducts from the process. Instead, a conveying element directly transports the melted material to the mould, avoiding the high-stress conditions that cause material degradation in traditional rotary systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveying element acts as a gentle intermediary that transports the melted regenerated polymeric material from the recycling device to the mould without subjecting it to the high stresses of narrow ducts and rotary mechanisms. This intermediary approach preserves material quality while enabling efficient transfer.
4Ease of manufacture
If solid pellets are produced at the recycling device outfeed, then the material can be stored and transported, but additional energy is required for cooling and subsequent reheating
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the pellet formation step that requires cooling the melted material. By directly conveying the melted material to the mould, the process removes the unnecessary thermal cycles of cooling and reheating, significantly reducing energy consumption while maintaining ease of handling through continuous flow control.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach significantly reduces energy consumption and processing time while maintaining material quality by minimizing thermal cycles and stress on the polymeric material, resulting in improved object formation with reduced degradation.
Implementation Method 1
a recycling device intended to receive a polymeric material to be recycled and to melt that material, regenerating it and rendering it suitable for being moulded
Implementation Method 2
the nozzle is connected to the recycling device so that the nozzle is fed with said melted regenerated polymeric material
Implementation Method 3
at least one mould for making an object by compression moulding the dose
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus comprises a nozzle for supplying a flow of polymeric material, a separating element for separating a dose of polymeric material from the flow supplied by the nozzle, at least one mould for making an object by compression moulding the dose, at least one conveying element for conveying the dose separated by the separating element towards the mould. The conveying element is movable along a path in an atmospheric environment. The apparatus further comprises a recycling device intended for receiving a polymeric material to be recycled and for providing at its outfeed a melted regenerated polymeric material suitable for being moulded. The nozzle is connected to the recycling device so that the nozzle is fed with the regenerated polymeric material coming from the recycling device.