US 12,220,852 B2
Apparatus and methods for manufacturing biodegradable, compostable, drink straws from polyhydroxyalkanoate material
Bradley Keith Laporte, Newnan, GA (US); Paul Daniel George, Jr., Jacksonville, FL (US); William Lloyd Prickett, Buford, GA (US); and Billy Poindexter, II, Newnan, GA (US)
Assigned to New WinCup Holdings, Inc., Stone Mountain, GA (US)
Filed by New WinCup Holdings, Inc., Stone Mountain, GA (US)
Filed on Apr. 3, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/626,118.
Application 18/626,118 is a continuation of application No. 16/879,479, filed on May 20, 2020, granted, now 11,974,683.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/850,520, filed on May 20, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2024/0260773 A1, Aug. 8, 2024
Int. Cl. B29C 48/09 (2019.01); A47G 21/18 (2006.01); B29C 48/00 (2019.01); B29C 48/03 (2019.01); B29C 48/285 (2019.01); B29C 48/32 (2019.01); B29C 48/395 (2019.01); B29C 48/68 (2019.01); B29C 48/80 (2019.01); B29C 48/88 (2019.01); B29C 48/90 (2019.01); B29C 48/92 (2019.01); B29K 67/00 (2006.01); B29L 23/00 (2006.01); C08L 67/04 (2006.01)
CPC B29C 48/09 (2019.02) [A47G 21/18 (2013.01); A47G 21/181 (2013.01); B29C 48/0018 (2019.02); B29C 48/0022 (2019.02); B29C 48/022 (2019.02); B29C 48/03 (2019.02); B29C 48/288 (2019.02); B29C 48/32 (2019.02); B29C 48/397 (2019.02); B29C 48/681 (2019.02); B29C 48/832 (2019.02); B29C 48/903 (2019.02); B29C 48/905 (2019.02); B29C 48/919 (2019.02); B29C 48/92 (2019.02); C08L 67/04 (2013.01); B29C 2948/92704 (2019.02); B29C 2948/92895 (2019.02); B29K 2067/04 (2013.01); B29K 2867/00 (2013.01); B29K 2867/04 (2013.01); B29K 2995/006 (2013.01); B29L 2023/008 (2013.01); C08L 2201/06 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A process for manufacturing a drink straw, the drink straw having an outer diameter and a wall thickness, the process comprising:
providing raw polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) material from a hopper to an extruder, wherein the extruder is configured to receive the raw PHA material from the hopper and to produce molten PHA material;
providing the molten PHA material from the extruder to an extruder die, wherein the extruder die is configured to receive the molten PHA material from the extruder and to produce a stream of extruded PHA material that has a tubular shape; and
providing the stream of extruded PHA material directly from the extruder die to a pre-sizing water bath that is configured to receive the stream of extruded PHA material directly from the extruder die and to provide the stream of extruded PHA material to a second water bath via a bore defined by a sizing tube;
wherein the sizing tube extends a distance into the second water bath and is configured to control the outer diameter and wall thickness of the straw, and
wherein the pre-sizing water bath is a non-vacuum container having an open top.