Thermoplastic grid melter

• Main Authors: HADZIMIHALIS; THEO M, HOOVER; SCOTT C, SCHOLL; CHARLES H
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 26.05.1987
• Edition: 4
• Subjects: MAKING GRANULES OR PREFORMS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PREPARATION OR PRETREATMENT OF THE MATERIAL TO BESHAPED; RECOVERY OF PLASTICS OR OTHER CONSTITUENTS OF WASTE MATERIALCONTAINING PLASTICS; TRANSPORTING; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

Apparatus for melting and dispensing thermoplastic material including a hopper for receiving solid thermoplastic material, a flow-through grid melter secured to the bottom of the hopper and a heated reservoir mounted beneath the grid melter. The reservoir has a bottom discharge opening through which molten thermoplastic material is supplied to a pump. To control the temperature of molten material supplied to the pump, there is a deflector shield over the bottom discharge opening of the reservoir. This shield has downwardly and outwardly sloping top surfaces operable to force molten material falling onto the shield to flow outwardly over the top surface of the shield and then downwardly and inwardly over the top surface of the bottom wall of the reservoir before flowing into the outlet opening of the reservoir. To input desired temperatures for the grid and reservoir into the apparatus and to read out temperature data, there is a control console mounted atop the housing of the apparatus. This console is pivotally and vertically adjustable and facilitates operator interface with the apparatus.