Have you ever wondered how a plastic extrusion works? Do you want to know more so that you can better understand the design process for your own new products? If you do, then read on for more information from the experts at Extrudex on how the highest quality extrusions are accomplished.
Load up the plastic. When it is time to start the plastic extrusion process, the first step is to load up the raw plastic – whether EPDM, natural rubber or acrylics, for example – into a bin that this attached to the extrusion hopper. Having the plastics in a large bin will allow for a consistent stream of product into the hopper, which prevents gaps in processing.
Plastic moves to the screw area of the process. As the plastic moves through the hopper, it is sent to the screw area of the line. This screw is placed horizontally and rotates through a barrel that can be heated to help melt the plastic.
Melting the plastic. The purpose of the screw area of the line is to evenly heat and melt the plastic beads. The barrel itself can be heated and so can the screw to ensure that the plastic liquefies at an even rate that will be ideal for the extrusion process of the material being used.
Hitting an intersection. While you may think that the next step is for the plastic to go directly to the die, it does have another stop first. There is an intersection before the die that includes a screen and a breaker plate. The screen helps to ensure that there are no issues with the plastic and the breaker plate gives the plastic a chance to change from rotating in the barrel to a solid flow. This allows the best final extrusions. The plastic hits the die and is quickly formed into the correct shape.
Are you ready to learn more about plastic extrusions? Call Extrudex today for assistance with your new products and rapid prototyping.