Did you know that even the most carefully chosen plastics won’t become the product you want without the correct die? Designing the die is one of the most critical part of the plastic extrusion process when creating plastic products. Read on for some great die design tips that will help you to get the most from your extrusion.
A die works in the plastic extrusion process to create the shape of the final product. A bin of plastic beads are placed at the beginning of the extrusion line and then heat and pressure (through a rotating screw) are used to move the plastic through the line, warming it and making it soft enough to form. At that point, the plastic is fed through the die.
A die used for plastic extrusions are typically created from metal. It is a durable option for dies and will not react to heated plastic materials flowing through it. Metal dies are made from plates of metal that are cut to the negative of the shape that is desired. The negative shape means that the actual hole in the die is the shape of the item that the plastic extrusion is making. The plate around the die prevents the plastic from taking a detour and not being formed into the shape needed.
When designing a die, it is critical to remember that the warm plastic is being pushed through the die. Creating a design that has many hollows, areas that need to be punctured or areas that will be unsupported is not recommended. In many cases, there is nothing to support the creation of hollowed areas, which can be a problem for an extruded product. The more basic the shape, the easier it is to manufacture. That said, expert extrusion engineers do have ways to create hollows and punched out areas.
Creating the right design for the die used in your next plastic extrusion project is critical to the success of your project. Call on the experts at Extrudex to learn more about the best die designs and how we can help you.