IP Library Granted Patent US 10,384,390
Granted Patent B2
US 10,384,390 · App. 15/774,204 · Granted Aug 20, 2019

Melt-guiding connection adapter

Inventors: Juergen Veltel (Kevelaer, DE); Matthias Berrendorf (Xanten, DE)
Assignee: GALA INDUSTRIES, INC.
B29C48/256B29B9/065B29C48/03
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,384,390
App. No.
15/774,204
Granted
Aug 20, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present invention relates to a connection adapter for connecting two melt-guiding components having two adapter halves having connection means for connection to a respective one of the components and having connection means for connecting the two adapter halves to one another and having a melt-guiding piece that is adapted to a first of the melt-guiding components by a first opening cross-section and to the second of the melt-guiding components by a second opening cross-section. The invention furthermore relates to a melt processing plant having two melt-guiding components such as an extruder and a pelletizer that are connected to one another by such a connection adapter. In accordance with the invention, the melt-guiding piece is formed separately from the adapter halves and is tensionable against the melt-guiding components by the mutually connected adapter halves.

Claims (25)

1. A connection adapter for connecting two melt-guiding components ( 5 , 6 ) having two adapter halves ( 2 , 3 ) that are provided to mechanically connect the two melt-guiding components ( 5 , 6 ) to one another and that each have connection means ( 11 ) for connecting to a respective one of the components ( 5 , 6 ), having connection means ( 12 ) for connecting the two adapter halves ( 2 , 3 ) to one another, and having a melt-guiding piece ( 10 ) that has two opening cross-sections differing from one another and/or offset eccentrically from one another and that is adapted to a first one of the melt-guiding components ( 5 ) by a first opening cross-section and to a second one of the two melt-guiding components ( 6 ) by a second opening cross-section, characterized in that the melt-guiding piece ( 10 ) is formed separately from the adapter halves ( 2 , 3 ) and is tensionable at its oppositely disposed end faces against the melt-guiding components ( 5 , 6 ) by the mutually connected adapter halves ( 2 , 3 ).

2. A connection adapter in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the adapter halves ( 2 , 3 ) together form a sleeve that surrounds the melt-guiding piece ( 10 ).

3. A connection adapter in accordance with claim 1 , wherein at least one of the adapter halves ( 2 , 3 ) has a centering surface ( 18 , 19 ) at which the melt-guiding piece ( 10 ) is centered transversely to its longitudinal axis.

4. A connection adapter in accordance with claim 1 , wherein an air gap ( 22 ) and/or a thermal insulation is/are provided between the melt-guiding piece ( 10 ) and the adapter halves ( 2 , 3 ); and/or wherein the melt-guiding piece ( 10 ) is thermally insulated with respect to the adapter halves ( 2 , 3 ).

5. A connection adapter in accordance with claim 1 , wherein an air gap ( 23 ) and/or a thermal insulation is/are provided between the adapter halves ( 2 , 3 ); and/or wherein the adapter halves ( 2 , 3 ) are thermally insulated.

6. A connection adapter in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the connection means ( 12 ) for connecting the adapter halves ( 2 , 3 ) to one another comprise a tensioning and/or clamping connection between the adapter halves ( 2 , 3 ).

7. A connection adapter in accordance with claim 6 , wherein the connection means ( 12 ) for connecting the adapter halves ( 2 , 3 ) to one another comprise a wedge bead ( 13 ) at the peripheral side at the adapter halves ( 2 , 3 ) and a tensioning ring ( 14 ) tensionable onto the wedge bead ( 13 ).

8. A connection adapter in accordance with claim 7 , wherein the wedge bead ( 13 ) has two wedge bead halves of which one is provided at one of the adapter halves ( 2 ) and the other is provided at the other adapter half ( 3 ), with the two wedge bead halves being arranged adjacent to one another with a mutual alignment of the adapter halves ( 2 , 3 ) in accordance with their intended purpose back to back with one another with wedge surfaces facing away from one another.

9. A connection adapter in accordance with claim 7 , wherein the tensioning ring ( 14 ) has a wedge surface groove ( 16 ) at the inner peripheral side that can be placed onto the wedge bead ( 13 ) of the adapter halves ( 2 , 3 ) and can be wedged with the wedge bead ( 13 ) by compressing the tensioning ring ( 14 ).

10. A connection adapter in accordance with claim 8 , wherein the wedge groove ( 13 ) and/or the tensioning ring ( 14 ) extends/extend in a plane that is aligned perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the melt-guiding piece ( 10 ).

11. A connection adapter in accordance with claim 8 , wherein the wedge bead ( 13 ) and the tensioning ring ( 14 ) are configured and adapted to one another such that the adapter halves ( 2 , 3 ) can be axially tensioned with respect to one another by a radial tensioning of the tensioning ring ( 14 ) against the wedge bead ( 13 ).

12. A connection adapter in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the tensioning ring ( 14 ) has fastening means ( 17 ) for fastening to one of the melt-guiding components ( 5 , 6 ).

13. A connection adapter in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the melt-guiding piece ( 10 ), on the one hand, and the adapter halves ( 2 , 3 ), on the other hand, consist of different materials having different thermal coefficients of expansion.

14. A connection adapter in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the melt-guiding piece ( 10 ) has a greater thermal expansion than the adapter halves ( 2 , 3 ) such that on a heating of the melt-guiding piece ( 10 ) by melt, the melt-guiding piece ( 10 ) is tensioned against the melt-guiding components ( 5 , 6 ).

15. A connection adapter in accordance with claim 14 , wherein at least one of the adapter halves ( 2 , 3 ) has a centering surface ( 18 , 19 ) at which the melt-guiding piece ( 10 ) is centered transversely to its longitudinal axis and is tensionable against the at least one centering surface ( 18 , 19 ) by thermal expansion.

16. A connection adapter in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the melt-guiding piece ( 10 ) consists of a plurality of materials having different thermal coefficients of expansion.

17. A connection adapter in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the melt-guiding piece ( 10 ) has a multilayer design and/or is provided with at least one coating, in particular has a thermally insulating and/or stiction-reducing and/or corrosion-inhibiting coating.

18. A connection adapter in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the opening cross-sections of the melt-guiding piece ( 10 ) differ from one another in their cross-sectional surface and/or cross-sectional contour.

19. A connection adapter in accordance with claim 18 , wherein the melt-guiding piece ( 10 ) has a melt channel ( 1 ) tapering or flaring from the one side to the other side of the melt-guiding piece ( 10 ) and/or has a melt channel ( 1 ) changing in cross-sectional form, in particular merging from round to angled or from circular to oval.

20. A connection adapter in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the mutually offset opening cross-sections are formed by an oblique cutting to length of the ends of the melt-guiding piece ( 10 ) and/or by a melt-guiding piece section cropped and/or curved in S shape.

21. A connection adapter in accordance with claim 1 , wherein at least one of the adapter halves ( 3 ) has connector and/or connection sections offset eccentrically from one another.

22. A connection adapter in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the melt-guiding piece ( 10 ) has at its oppositely disposed end sections a respective centering surface for centering the melt-guiding piece ( 10 ) transversely to its longitudinal axis at a respective one centering surface ( 18 , 19 ) at one of the melt-guiding components ( 5 , 6 ) and/or at one of the adapter halves ( 2 , 3 ), with the centering surfaces of the melt-guiding pieces ( 10 ) preferably forming outer peripheral surfaces of the melt-guiding piece ( 10 ).

23. A melt-processing plant comprising two melt-guiding components ( 5 , 6 ) that are connected to one another by a connection adapter ( 7 ) configured in accordance with claim 1 .

24. A melt-processing plant in accordance with claim 23 , wherein at least one of the melt-guiding components ( 5 , 6 ) has a centering surface ( 18 , 19 ) for centering the melt-guiding piece ( 10 ) of the connection adapter ( 7 ) transversely to the longitudinal axis of the melt-guiding piece ( 10 ).

25. A melt-processing plant in accordance with claim 23 , wherein the two melt-guiding components ( 5 , 6 ) have a vertical and/or transverse offset from one another; and/or wherein the melt channels are arranged vertically and/or transversely offset from one another in the melt-guiding components ( 5 , 6 ) to be connected to one another.

Assignments (3)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE PATENT NUMBER 8366842 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 054803 FRAME 0864. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE CHANGE OF NAME. Recorded Feb 5, 2021
From: GALA INDUSTRIES, INC.
To: MAAG GALA, INC.
Reel/Frame 056421/0461 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Dec 18, 2020
From: GALA INDUSTRIES, INC.
To: MAAG GALA, INC.
Reel/Frame 054803/0864 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 30, 2018
From: VELTEL, JUERGEN; BERRENDORF, MATTHIAS
To: GALA INDUSTRIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 046269/0193 →
Priority Claims (1)
DE 20 2016 001 455 U · Mar 4, 2016 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20180326643A1 · Nov 15, 2018