Extruder Vent Block Design for Viscous Material De-airing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing extruder systems struggle to remove gas from highly viscous and non-true liquid materials, as they tend to plug the venting openings, preventing efficient processing.
Innovation Solution
An improved extruder arrangement featuring a novel vent block with an inner feed ring and outer ring, along with a screw element, that allows gas removal without a vacuum, using a pressure drop and finger configurations to prevent material clogging, enabling the processing of highly viscous and non-true liquid materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a venting opening is formed in the barrel to remove gas, then gas removal efficiency is improved, but highly viscous materials tend to plug the opening
Solution Approach 1:
The vent block is divided into multiple functional segments: an inner feed ring with feed holes for material passage, an outer ring with vacuum holes for gas removal, and a cavity space between them. This segmentation allows simultaneous material flow and gas extraction without mutual interference, preventing clogging while maintaining gas removal efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The cavity space acts as an intermediary chamber between the feed ring and vacuum ring. Material flows through the feed ring into the cavity, where gas is extracted through the vacuum ring, allowing the cavity to mediate the interaction between material flow and vacuum suction, preventing direct clogging of the vacuum holes.
2Reliability
If a diverter is placed at the venting opening to prevent material flow, then material plugging is reduced, but highly viscous materials still accumulate and clog the opening
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the vent block have specialized functions: the inner feed ring region handles material flow with feed holes, the cavity region handles gas accumulation and separation, and the outer vacuum ring region handles gas extraction. This local differentiation ensures that highly viscous materials flow efficiently through the feed ring while gas is continuously removed, preventing accumulation and clogging.
3Productivity
If vacuum is applied to remove gas from highly viscous materials, then gas removal is improved, but material may be drawn into the vacuum section and cause clogging
Solution Approach 1:
The feed ring is positioned to feed material into the cavity before the material reaches the vacuum ring. This preliminary feeding action ensures that material is properly positioned and prepared in the cavity space before vacuum suction begins, preventing material from being directly drawn into the vacuum holes and causing clogging.
Solution Approach 2:
The vent block design separates material flow and gas extraction into different spatial dimensions: material flows axially through the feed ring into the cavity, while gas extraction occurs radially through the vacuum ring. This dimensional separation prevents material from entering the vacuum section while maintaining effective gas removal.
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
Effectively removes gas from highly viscous and non-true liquid materials, preventing clogging and ensuring efficient extrusion by using a vent block with a pressure drop and finger configurations to manage material flow and gas extraction.
Implementation Method 1
The vacuum section and feed arrangement used in the vent block enables highly viscous materials, non-true liquid material, non-highly viscous materials and true liquid materials to flow through the vent block while a vacuum is pulled on the materials passing through the vent block
Implementation Method 2
The vacuum section and feed arrangement used in the vent block enables highly viscous materials, non-true liquid material, non-highly viscous materials and true liquid materials to flow through the vent block while a vacuum is pulled on the materials passing through the vent block
Data Source
AI summary
An extruder for feeding material and for removing gas from the fed material. The extruder includes a vent block positioned between a first and second auger. The vent block including a vent cavity having a feed end and an exit end, an inner feed ring that partially extends into said vent cavity at the feed end of the vent cavity, and a screw element rotatably positioned in the vent cavity. A front portion of the outer ring is longitudinally aligned with or overlapping the front end of the inner feed ring. The outer ring forms at least one gap or opening at or adjacent the feed end of the vent cavity to enable gas to flow out of the vent cavity as material is moved though the vent cavity from the feed end to the exit end by the screw element.