| CPC B29D 99/0078 (2013.01) [B29B 17/00 (2013.01); B29B 17/0042 (2013.01); B29B 17/02 (2013.01); B29C 48/022 (2019.02); B29C 48/05 (2019.02); B29C 48/277 (2019.02); B29C 48/287 (2019.02); B29C 48/288 (2019.02); B29C 48/29 (2019.02); B29C 48/375 (2019.02); B29C 48/38 (2019.02); B29C 48/425 (2019.02); B29C 48/435 (2019.02); B29C 48/44 (2019.02); B29C 48/69 (2019.02); B29C 48/92 (2019.02); C08J 11/04 (2013.01); C08J 11/06 (2013.01); D01D 1/04 (2013.01); D01D 1/065 (2013.01); D01D 1/103 (2013.01); D01D 1/106 (2013.01); D01D 5/08 (2013.01); D01F 6/62 (2013.01); B29B 2013/002 (2013.01); B29B 2013/005 (2013.01); B29B 2017/0015 (2013.01); B29B 2017/0224 (2013.01); B29C 48/144 (2019.02); B29C 48/17 (2019.02); B29C 48/268 (2019.02); B29C 48/286 (2019.02); B29C 48/385 (2019.02); B29C 48/766 (2019.02); B29C 48/767 (2019.02); B29C 2948/922 (2019.02); B29C 2948/92257 (2019.02); B29C 2948/92514 (2019.02); B29C 2948/92876 (2019.02); B29K 2067/003 (2013.01); B29K 2105/0067 (2013.01); B29K 2105/26 (2013.01); C08J 2367/02 (2013.01); D01F 1/06 (2013.01); D01F 6/92 (2013.01); D10B 2331/04 (2013.01); D10B 2503/04 (2013.01); Y02P 20/143 (2015.11); Y02P 70/10 (2015.11); Y02W 30/62 (2015.05)] | 20 Claims |
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1. A system for manufacturing products from clear recycled polymers and colored recycled polymers, the system comprising:
a computer-controller associated with at least one color sensor, wherein the computer-controller is configured to adjust an amount of color concentrate added to a concentrate-polymer mixture;
a colorant injection site disposed upstream of the at least one color sensor in the system; and
an extruder disposed between the colorant injection site and the at least one color sensor, wherein the system is configured to:
cause the extruder to receive a group of polymer flakes having a variable color makeup derived from curbside recycled polymer, the curbside recycled polymer comprising between 6.5% and 9.5% non-clear polymer by mass or weight and balance substantially clear polymer such that the group of polymer flakes comprise colored polymer flakes and balance substantially clear polymer flakes derived from the curbside recycled polymer without sorting the non-clear polymer from the clear substantially clear polymer;
cause the computer-controller to add the color concentrate to the group of polymer flakes at the colorant injection site to form a concentrate-polymer mixture comprising a mixture of the group of polymer flakes and the color concentrate, the concentrate-polymer mixture comprising the color concentrate and balance the group of polymer flakes, wherein the concentrate-polymer mixture further comprises polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), such that the concentrate-polymer mixture comprises:
up to three percent color concentrate by weight;
up to fourteen percent PTT by weight; and
balance the group of polymer flakes;
use the extruder to melt the concentrate-polymer mixture to produce a polymer melt,
subject the polymer melt to a pressure of between about 0 millibars and about 25 millibars;
and
wherein the computer-controller associated with the at least one color sensor is configured to implement a color-correcting feedback loop to automatically offset the variable color makeup of the group of polymer flakes by:
determining a color of the polymer melt, and
increasing or decreasing an amount of the color concentrate added to the concentrate-polymer mixture at the colorant injection site when the computer-controller determines that the color of the polymer melt as determined by the at least one color sensor does not meet one or more pre-determined color guidelines.
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16. A carpet filament manufacturing system comprising
at least one color sensor;
a colorant injection site disposed upstream of the at least one color sensor and configured to add a color concentrate to a group of polymer flakes to form a mixture, the group of polymer flakes comprising unsorted colored and clear polymer flakes having a variable color makeup and the mixture comprising:
up to three percent of the color concentrate by mass or volume;
up to fourteen percent PTT by mass or volume; and
balance the group of polymer flakes;
an extruder disposed between the at least one color sensor and the colorant injection site and configured to melt the mixture to produce a polymer melt;
a pressure regulation system in mechanical communication with the extruder;
a spinning machine disposed downstream of the extruder in mechanical communication with the extruder; and
computing hardware associated with the at least one color sensor, wherein the computing hardware is configured to:
use the extruder to melt the mixture to form the polymer melt;
cause the pressure regulation system to reduce a pressure within the extruder to between about 0 millibars and about 25 millibars;
cause execution of a color-correcting feedback loop configured to offset the variable color makeup of the group of polymer flakes by:
determining a color of the polymer melt after the polymer melt passes through the extruder;
determining whether the color of the polymer melt meets one or more pre-determined color guidelines; and
in response to determining that the color of the polymer melt does not meet the one or more pre-determined color guidelines, continuously adjusting an amount of the color concentrate added to the group of polymer flakes at the colorant injection site to offset the variable color makeup of the group of polymer flakes.
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