Continuous extruder

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS FLOW EXTRUDER COMPRISING AT LEAST TWO FEED CONTAINERS, EACH COMMUNICATING WITH A SINGLE EXTRUSION DIE THROUGH A VALVE ASSEMBLY, SAID VALVE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A VALVE SLIDEABLE BETWEEN A FIRST POSITION AND A SECOND POSITION AND HAVING FLOW CHANNELS FORMED THERETHROUGH, SUCH THAT THE FIRST POSITION PERMITS COMMUNICATION BETWEEN A FIRST FEED CONTAINER AND SAID SINGLE EXTRUSION DIE AND THE SECOND POSITION PERMITS COMMUNICATION BETWEEN A SECOND FEED CONTAINER AND THE SINGLE EXTRUSION DIE, VALVE ACTUATING MEANS COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND FEED CHANNELS EACH EXTENDING THROUGH SAID VALVE WITH EACH HAVING AN INLET COMMUNICATING WITH A FEED PORT, THE FIRST FEED CHANNEL TERMINATING IN A BLIND EXIT WHEN THE SAID VALVE IS IN SAID FIRST POSITION SUCH THAT PRESSURE GENERATED IN THE EXTRUDATE IN SAID ADJACENT FEED PORT URGES SAID VALVE INTO SAID SECOND POSITION, THE SECOND FEED CHANNEL OPERATING VICEVERSA, FIRST AND SECOND CONTAINER FEED CONDUITS COMMUNICATING RESPECTIVELY WITH SAID FIRST AND SECOND FEED CHANNELS SUCH THAT WHEN SAID VALVE IS IN SAID SECOND POSITION, SAID FIRST CONTAINER FEED CONDUIT CONNECTS THE FIRST FEED CHANNEL WITH THE FIRST FEED CONTAINER AND SUCH THAT OPERATION IS VICE-VERSA WITH RESPECT TO THE SECOND CONTAINER FEED CONDUIT, FIRST AND SECOND FEEDING MEANS FOR INTRODUCING FEED MATERIAL ALTERNATELY INTO SAID FIRST AND SECOND FEED PORTS, RESPECTIVELY, SAID FIRST FEEDING MEANS THEREBY URGING SAID VALVE INTO SAID SECOND POSITION PERMITTING THE FLOW OF FEED MATERIAL THROUGH SAID FIRST FEED CHANNEL AND INTO SAID FIRST FEED CONTAINER, SAID SECOND FEEDING MEANS OPERATING VICE-VERSA, FIRST AND SECOND MEANS OPERATIVE CONCURRENTLY WITH SAID SECOND AND FIRST FEEDING MEANS, RESPECTIVELY, SAID FIRST MEANS DISCHARGING THE CONTENTS OF SAID FIRST FEED CONTAINER, UNDER PRESSURE, THROUGH SAID EXTRUSION DIE, SAID SECOND MEANS DISCHARGING THE CONTENTS OF SAID SECOND FEED CONTAINER, UNDER PRESSURE THROUGH SAID EXTRUSION DIE, WHEREIN SAID FLOW CHANNELS ARE DISPOSED AT A POSITION RELATIVE TO THE FEED CONTAINERS SUCH THAT THE VALVE PERMITS COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE SINGLE EXTRUSION DIE AND THE FIRST AND SECOND FEED CONTAINERS SIMULTANEOUSLY SO THAT BOTH FEED CONTAINERS ARE DISCHARGED SIMULTANEOUSLY DURING THE DISPLACEMENT OF THE VALVE FROM THE FIRST POSITION TO THE SECOND POSITION.