Melt indexer system with robot operation
US4882930A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 17, 1988 |
| Grant date | Nov 28, 1989 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 17, 2008 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N35/0099
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A melt indexer system for determining the melt index of a plastic by testing. The melt indexer system comprises a plurality of melt indexers, each of the melt indexers including a melt chamber into which a sample of plastic to be tested is placed, a heater for melting the sample to a predetermined temperature and a test piston for extruding the melted sample through a calibrated orifice of a removable die to determine the viscosity of the sample as a function of its temperature. A robot arm and a computer programmable to control the movement of the robot arm are provided. An infeed queue holds in predetermined order a plurality of containers containing samples to be tested and a bar code reader identifies each sample to be tested. A test computer associates a particular sample with a predetermined plan for testing the sample, records and processes the melt index test results. A vacuum sipper extracts a charge of the sample from the sample container and places it in the melt chamber. A cleaning tool cleans the test piston and melt chamber after the test is complete and prepares the apparatus for the next test.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.