Gravimetric blender with power hopper cover

• US 10,166,699 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2015
• Issued: 01/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Stephen B. Maguire
• Original Assignee: Stephen B. Maguire
• Inventors: Maguire, Stephen B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Halpern, Mark
• Application Number:
  US14/666,599
• Publication Number:
  US 20150197037A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,379 Days
• Field of Search: 366 762, 366141
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 2101/2805 Mixing plastics, polymer material ingredients, monomers or oligomers
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/64 using rotatable mixing elements at the lower end of discharge hoppers
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/90 with moving or vibrating means, e.g. stirrers, for enhancing the mixing
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/71731 using a hopper
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/881 by weighing, e.g. with automatic discharge
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 7/38 rotary B29B7/52 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 7/603 in measured doses, e.g. proportioning of several materials
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 7/728 Measuring data of the driving system, e.g. torque, speed, power, vibration B29B7/724 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 7/78 by gravity, e.g. falling particle mixers
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 7/86 for working at sub- or superatmospheric pressure B01F33/70 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 7/88 Adding charges , i.e. additives
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/288 in solid form, e.g. powder or granules

Abstract

A gravimetric blender has a frame, at least one material storage hopper at the top of the frame including a hopper cover, a weigh bin located within the frame, below the hopper, for receipt of material from the hopper to be weighed and being adapted for downward discharge of the material in the bio bin after the material received from the hopper has been weighed, at least one load cell connecting the weigh bin to the frame for sensing the weight of contents of the weigh bin, a mixer within the frame below the hopper, for mixing material weighed in the weigh bin after that material falls downwardly from the weigh bin to the mixer, and a guide adapted for vertical movement of the hopper cover therealong between positions which the cover contacts and thereby closes the hopper and at which the cover is spaced vertically above the hopper so that the hopper is open at the top.

Claims

1. A gravimetric blender for receiving separate portions of individual granular resin materials, weighing the separate portions of individual granular resin materials according to a recipe, and mixing the weighed separate portions of individual granular resin materials into a homogenous granular resin material blend for subsequent molding or extrusion into finished plastic parts, comprising:

a) a frame;

b) at least one resin material storage hopper at the top of the frame and connected thereto, including a vertically movable hopper cover;

c) a weigh bin connected to the frame and located below the hopper, adapted for downward discharge of bin contents after the contents have been weighed therein;

d) at least one load cell connecting the frame and the weigh bin, for sensing weight of contents of the weigh bin;

e) a mixer connected to the frame, below the hopper, for mixing contents of the weigh bin after those contents fall downwardly from the weigh bin to the mixer;

f) a vertically oriented tubular member for guiding vertical movement of the hopper cover therealong between positions at which the cover contacts and thereby closes the hopper and at which the cover is spaced from and above the hopper so that the hopper is open; and

g) a pair of horizontally spaced pneumatically powered piston-cylinder combinations positioned on either side of the guide and being connected to the frame and to the hopper cover with the cylinders of the piston-cylinder combinations being mounted on an upper surface of the hopper cover, for moving the hopper cover vertically up and down along the guide.

2. A gravimetric blender for receiving separate individual granular resin materials, weighing and combining separate parts of the individual granular resin materials according to a recipe, and mixing the separate parts into a homogenous granular resin material blend for subsequent molding or extrusion into finished plastic parts, comprising:

a) a frame;

b) a plurality of resin material storage hoppers connected to the frame;

c) a movable cover contactingly overlying the plurality of hoppers;

d) a weigh bin located, below the hoppers, adapted for downward discharge of bin contents after the contents have been weighed therein;

e) at least one load cell connecting the frame and the weigh bin, for sensing weight of contents of the weigh bin;

f) a mixer connected to the frame, below the hopper, for mixing contents of the weigh bin after those contents fall downwardly from the weigh bin to the mixer; and

g) piston-cylinder combination means for moving the hopper cover vertically relative to the frame towards and away from the hoppers, the cylinders of the piston-cylinder combination being mounted on the top of the hopper cover.

3. The gravimetric blender of claim 2 wherein the hopper cover piston-cylinder combination moving means moves the cover between positions at which the cover contacts all of the hoppers and at which the cover is spaced above all of the hoppers.

4. The gravimetric blender of claim 3 wherein the hopper cover moves vertically in response to the piston-cylinder combinations between positions at which the cover closes all of the hoppers and at which all of the hopper tops are open.

5. The gravimetric blender of claim 2 wherein the piston-cylinder combination comprises a pair of piston-cylinder combinations, each connected to the frame and to the cover, for moving the hopper cover vertically, the piston-cylinder combinations being horizontally spaced from one another and at the same height.

6. The gravimetric blender of claim 3 further comprising:

a) a tubular member for guiding vertical movement of the hopper cover between positions at which the cover contacts and thereby closes the hoppers and at which the cover is spaced from the hoppers so that the hoppers are open, each one of the piston-cylinder combinations further comprising;

i) a piston and a cylinder, each piston-cylinder combination having the piston connected to the frame and each piston-cylinder combination having the cylinder fixedly connected to the cover, for moving the hopper cover vertically back and forth along the guide, with the piston-cylinder combinations being on either side of the guide and the piston-cylinder combinations and the guide being horizontally aligned.

7. A method for moving an upwardly and downwardly movable hopper cover of a gravimetric blender, the gravimetric blender receiving granular resin materials, weighing the granular resin materials according to a recipe, and mixing the weighed granular resin material into a homogenous blend, the cover being movable from a position at which the cover contacts and covers upwardly facing opening of the hopper to a position at which the cover is vertically spaced away from the hopper upwardly facing opening, for facilitating cleaning and material changeover within the hopper, the cover being adapted for supporting a vacuum loader for feeding resin material into the hopper, the method comprising:

a) advancing the hopper cover upwardly from the hopper along a guide by application of pneumatic pressure to a piston-cylinder combination, the cylinder being affixed to the cover and the piston being connected to the blender frame, to a position at which the cover is sufficiently remote from the hopper that a worker can access the now coverless hopper and remove the hopper from the blender frame, while maintaining the hopper cover in orientation to facilitate continued support of a vacuum loader resting on the hopper cover for feeding resin material into the hopper.

8. The method of claim 7 in which advancing the hopper cover further comprises advancing the hopper cover vertically by applying pneumatic pressure to a pair of piston-cylinder combinations, each piston-cylinder combination having the cylinder affixed to the top of the cover and the piston connected to the blender frame.

9. In a method for removing a hopper from a gravimetric blender, the gravimetric blender receiving separate individual granular resin materials, weighing the separate individual granular resin materials according to a recipe, and mixing the weighed separate individual granular resin materials into a homogeneous blend, the gravimetric blender having a cover for vertically supporting a vacuum loader for feeding resin material into the hopper, the hopper being removed from the gravimetric blender for cleaning and material changeover, the improvement to the method comprising;

a) advancing the hopper cover upwardly from the hopper slidably along a path defined by a telescoping guide to a position at which the cover is sufficiently remote from the hopper that a worker can access the coverless hopper and disconnect the hopper from the blender frame, while

b) pneumatically maintaining the hopper cover in a horizontal orientation while positioned remotely from the hopper to continue support of any vacuum loader resting thereon for feeding resin material into the hopper.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the defined path is vertical and the advancing is performed pneumatically.

11. In a method for raising a hopper cover from a gravimetric blender, the hopper cover supporting equipment for feeding resin material into the hopper, for blender cleaning and material changeover, the gravimetric blender receiving separate individual granular resin materials, weighing separate portions of the individual granular resin materials according to a recipe, and mixing the weighed separate portions of the individual granular resin materials into a homogeneous blend, the improvement to the method comprising:

a) advancing the hopper cover upwardly from the hopper along a predefined path defined by an upwardly oriented guide connected to the blender frame, to a position at which the cover is sufficiently remote from the hopper that blender cleaning and material changeover can be performed, while maintaining the hopper cover in a horizontal position to continue supporting the equipment for feeding resin material into the hopper;

by applying pressure to piston-cylinder combinations, affixed to the cover and to the blender frame thereby moving the hopper cover upwardly along the guide path in response to pressure applied to the cylinder of the piston-cylinder combination.

12. In a gravimetric blender including a hopper and a hopper cover, the gravimetric blender receiving separate individual granular resin materials, weighing portions of the separate individual granular resin materials according to a recipe, and mixing the weighed portions of the separate individual granular resin materials into a homogeneous blend, the improvement comprising:

a) pneumatic means for moving the hopper cover towards and away from the hoppers;

b) means for guiding the hopper cover upwardly along a predefined path during movement thereof while maintaining the cover in a fixed orientation relative to the hopper during cover movement.

13. In a gravimetric blender having hoppers and a hopper cover, the gravimetric blender receiving separate individual granular resin materials, weighing portions of the separate individual granular resin materials according to a recipe, and mixing the weighed separate portions of the individual granular resin materials into a homogeneous blend, the improvement comprising:

a) telescoping means for vertically guiding the hopper cover during movement thereof relative to the hoppers.

14. In the gravimetric blender of claim 13, the further improvement comprising means for maintaining the hopper cover horizontal during vertical movement thereof.

15. A gravimetric blender receiving separate individual granular resin materials and mixing the materials according to recipe parts by weight into a homogenous granular resin material blend for subsequent molding or extrusion into finished plastic parts, comprising:

a) a frame;

b) resin material storage hoppers supported by the frame;

c) a hopper cover;

d) means below the hoppers and connected to the frame, for receiving resin material individually from the storage hoppers, weighing portions of the individually received material, accumulating portions of the the received material, mixing the accumulated material, and discharging the mixed material; and

e) tubular means connected to and supported by the frame for telescopingly upwardly guiding the hopper cover during pneumatically powered movement thereof.

16. The gravimetric blender of claim 15, further comprising means for maintaining the hopper cover horizontal during upward movement thereof.

17. A gravimetric blender for receiving separate individual granular resin materials and mixing the materials according to recipe parts by weight into a homogenous granular resin material blend for subsequent molding or extrusion into finished plastic parts comprising:

a) a frame;

b) resin material storage hoppers supported by the frame;

c) a hopper cover;

d) means below the hoppers, connected to the frame, for receiving material individually from the storage hoppers, weighing the individually received materials, accumulating the received material, blending the accumulated material, and discharging the weighed, blended accumulated material;

e) pneumatic means connected to the frame and to the hopper cover for moving the hopper cover towards and away from the hoppers; and

f) means connected to the frame for guiding the hopper cover during movement thereof, the pneumatic means and the guiding means being aligned thereby to maintain the hopper cover in a fixed orientation during cover movement towards and away from the hoppers.