Method for producing semifinished plasticized PVC products

1. A method for extruding a polymer composition to form an extruded homogeneous polymer comprised of (A) 30 to 80 wt % of polyvinyl chloride, (B) 0.5 to 5 wt % of a stabilizing additive, (C) 0 to 40 wt % of a solid constituent, and (D) 5 to 40 wt % of a plasticizer, liquid at room temperature, for the polyvinyl chloride, where the figures in wt % are based in each case on a total weight of the polymer composition, where the method comprises

(I) feeding polyvinyl chloride in an uncompounded form and the stabilizing additive into an extrusion apparatus through a first inlet, wherein the extrusion apparatus has a drive unit, has at least one rotor, and has at least three kneading and/or mixing zones, wherein the first inlet is disposed in a vicinity of the drive unit and adjacent to a first conveying segment section of the at least one rotor;

(II) feeding the plasticizer to the polyvinyl chloride mixed with the stabilizing additive through at least two inlets at a distance from one another, the plasticizer being added in at least two portions each of about 20-80 wt %, based on a total weight of the plasticizer, to the polyvinyl chloride, there being at least one of the kneading and/or mixing zones disposed between the addition of the individual portions,

(III) working the plasticizer/polyvinyl chloride mixture at a temperature of or above the glass transition temperature of the polyvinyl chloride, the temperature of the mixture not exceeding 150° C., until the plasticizer has been incorporated substantially completely into the polyvinyl chloride,

(IV) optionally feeding the solid constituent to the polyvinyl chloride mixed with the plasticizer in a section at which at least 80 wt % of a total amount of the plasticizer has been incorporated into the polyvinyl chloride,

(V) optionally devolatilizing the mixture, and

(VI) extruding the mixture through an extrusion die of the extrusion apparatus, wherein the extruded homogeneous polymer has a degree of gelation of 5% to 80%, an elongation at break of 0 to 270%, and a tensile strength of at least 1 N/mm 2 , and

wherein quantity of energy introduced into the polymer composition by the extrusion apparatus during the method, as indicated by the specific energy input (SEI), is 0.03 to 0.09 kWh/kg.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the uncompounded polyvinyl chloride is polyvinyl chloride prepared by suspension polymerization.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the extrusion apparatus comprises a pair of substantially isomorphous, elongate rotors which fit into a cavity of the extrusion apparatus and are disposed next to one another for interpenetrating movement.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein each of the rotors has a length L in a range of 32-60 times a diameter D thereof.

5. The method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the polyvinyl chloride is admixed with a first portion of plasticizer at an L/D ratio in the range from 1 to 8 and with a second portion of plasticizer at an L/D ratio of 10 to 20.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said extrusion apparatus is a planetary roller extruder, an annular extruder, a multiscrew extruder or a Buss kneader.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the solid constituent is added to the polyvinyl chloride, mixed with the plasticizer, in a section at which at least 95 wt % of the plasticizer has been kneaded into the polyvinyl chloride.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the polyvinyl chloride is admixed in step (IV) with at least 80 wt % of the total amount of the solid constituent.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the mixture of plasticizer and PVC is brought to a temperature of at least 30° C. below the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the polyvinyl chloride.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein individual portions for the feeding of the plasticizer to the polyvinyl chloride, mixed with the stabilizing additive, in step (II) account for about 30 to 70 wt % based on the total weight of the plasticizer.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the plasticizer is added in two portions to the polyvinyl chloride, with the portion added first making up 55±3 wt % and the portion added thereafter 45±3 wt % of the total amount of the plasticizer.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the amount of the solid constituent in the polymer composition is 0.01 to 35 wt %.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the solid constituent is incorporated into the polyvinyl chloride only after the plasticizer has been incorporated substantially completely into the polyvinyl chloride.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the amount of energy introduced by the extrusion apparatus may be introduced both in the form of mechanical energy and in the form of thermal energy, by means of heating elements, and that at the end of the extrusion apparatus a product temperature is reached of at least 130° C. up to at most 170° C.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the homogeneous polymer composition has a residual thermal stability, determined according to DIN 53 381-1 at 180° C., of at least 90 minutes.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the extruded homogeneous polymer composition is present in the form of granules.