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Sizer for forming shaped polymeric articles and method of sizing polymeric articlesRelated Patent Categories: Plastic And Nonmetallic Article Shaping Or Treating: Processes, With Severing, Removing Material From Preform Mechanically, Or Mechanically Subdividing Workpiece, Forming Continuous Work Followed By Cutting, Extruding Followed By Cutting To Length, With Shaping Between Extruding And Cutting StepsSizer for forming shaped polymeric articles and method of sizing polymeric articles description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060082011, Sizer for forming shaped polymeric articles and method of sizing polymeric articles. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/428,227 filed May 2, 2003, entitled "Improved Sizer for Forming Shaped Polymeric Articles and Method of Sizing Polymeric Articles" now U.S. Pat. No. ______, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to extrusion techniques, and more particularly to sizers used in shaping extruded polymeric articles. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] FIG. 1A illustrates a side elevational view of a prior art sizer 40 used in an extrusion system described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,319,456 to Gilbert et al., entitled "Method for Continuous Vacuum Forming Shaped Polymeric Articles," issued Nov. 20, 2001, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference. An extruded sheet 10 is subjected to a sizer 40 for mechanical deforming and shaping an extruded sheet. One or more pre-sizers (not shown) may precede the sizer 40. A cross-section of the final sizer is shown in FIG. 1B. This device includes a series of adjustable blocks and plates. The final sizer 40 includes a pair of lateral forming block mechanisms 48 and 52 which can be lever operated for a variety of products and sizes. The final sizer 40 also includes top and bottom forming plates 54 and 56 to maintain the planar nature of the product while the edges are being formed. [0004] Cooling water 42 from the final quench tank 46 is allowed to leak back into the final sizer 40 in order to cool the sheet 10 during sizing. The cooling water 42 quickly quenches the product below its heat deflection temperature to hold its shape. Excess cooling water 42 is removed from the sizer 40 by a vacuum pump 34 and is either removed from the system or recycled back into the quench tank 46. [0005] Following the final sizer operation, the now fully formed extruded sheet 10 is immersed in a quench tank 46 to reduce its temperature to about that of ambient air. The continuous sheet is then removed from the quench tank 46. Following the removal of the product from the quench tank 46, the product can be pulled with the puller machine (not shown) to a cut-off station which severs the now cooled, formed extruded sheet into individual lengths of shaped polymeric articles. [0006] Some prior art sizers additionally include water cavities therein for cooling the steel forming sections. These cavities are isolated from the extruded profile and serve to draw heat dissipated form the extruded profile into the steel shaping sections. [0007] Market and manufacturing pressures are beginning to demand higher output capacities from extrusion processes, and thus sizers, in excess of 3000 lbs/hr of product. While these prior art extruder designs have proved reliable in the past, they have proved ineffective at meeting these increased output demands without sacrificing production quality. Prior art extruders generally require that the product profile cutout within the sizer be oversized at least between about 0.012-0.014 inches with respect to the nominal part thickness of the final cooled product. The sizer's channel must be oversized because it is unable to pull enough heat from the product before the product exits the sizer and is cooled in the quenching tank. The steel sizer also heats up, preventing effective removal of heat from the product. The oversize is necessary to prevent drag between the hot product against the steel sizer. The significant oversize leads to poor dimension control, and ultimately, poor product. [0008] Therefore, there remains a need for a new sizer capable of improving product cooling to allow proper product shaping at higher output rates. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0009] A sizer assembly for providing a shaped polymeric article in an extrusion process comprises a sizer body having a product profile channel generally corresponding to the shaped polymeric article to be formed therethrough. The sizer body comprises a plurality of cooling liquid inlet slots forming an opening substantially around the product profile channel and a plurality of vacuum slots forming an opening substantially around the product profile channel for removing cooling liquid expelled from said cooling liquid inlet slots. [0010] A method of manufacturing a shaped polymeric article is also provided. A sheet of extruded hot polymeric material is provided to the sizer for cooling. A length of the sheet is severed after exiting the sizer to produce the shaped polymeric article. [0011] The sizer provides improved cooling of the polymeric article being sized. This potentially allows for faster production speeds in excess of the limits of current sizers. Faster production speeds improve production output. These higher output speeds are accomplished even using a tighter, tapered or non-tapered, product channel. More even and consistent cooling of the product improves product performance through the presence of fewer cooled-in stresses. These cooled-in stresses are known to effect the impact, distortion and shrinkage qualities of the product. More accurate dimensioning and reduced product dimension variation, more consistent product faces, crisper angles and less product relaxation can also be achieved. [0012] Further, because the cooling liquid pumped into the sizer is the primary means of removing heat from the product, the sizer body itself is not relied upon as the primary heat removal vehicle. It is believed that this will allow for the sizer to be manufactured out of lighter, cheaper and/or more wear resistant materials as well as make the sizer easier to manufacture. Still further, because the sizer need not pull the cooling liquid from a quench tank, more efficient post-sizer cooling mechanisms may be used, such as a shower or spray tank. Spray bath cooling is more efficient than submersion cooling and reduces the length of the cooling section of the extrusion line. [0013] Even further, it is believed the that cooling water pumped into the sizer occupies the tight (e.g., 0.004-0.008 inch) space between the product and the sizer channel. The water acts as a lubricant or bearing mechanism that separates the polymeric product and the channel. This prevents drag between the product and the sizer and reduces wear on the sizer, thereby permitting the sizer to be manufactured from materials less wear resistant than steel, if desired. [0014] In still a further embodiment of this invention, a sizer assembly for shaping a polymeric article, which is above its glass transition temperature, that is being drawn or extruded is provided. The sizer assembly comprise a sizer body having a product profile channel disposed in a first generally horizontal direction, a plurality of cooling liquid inlet and outlet apertures disposed through the sizer body and in open communication with the product profile channel. [0015] The above and other features of the present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention that is provided in connection with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0016] The accompanying drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention, as well as other information pertinent to the disclosure, in which: [0017] FIG. 1A is a side elevational view of a prior art sizer coupled to a quenching tank; [0018] FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the prior art sizer of FIG. 1A taken along lines 1B-1B; [0019] FIG. 2 is a side, cross-sectional view of an exemplary sizer according to the present invention; Continue reading about Sizer for forming shaped polymeric articles and method of sizing polymeric articles... 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