Plastics Extrusion

Extrusion is a manufacturing process where a material is drawn through a die of required

cross section. The main advantage of extrusion over other processes is that it can create very
complex sections and also can be used for brittle objects since shear and compressive are the
only stresses that are acting on the material. Additionally, the process also provides excellent
surface finishes.

Various types of plastic material can be extruded e.g. PVC, UPVC, ABS, PE, PP, PC, etc.

Extrusion

In plastic extrusion generally the pellets are fed to the hopper and they are heated by heating
elements and the shear heating is done by the screw. Then, the molten resin is forced through
the die by the screw giving it the required shape. The extruded plastic solidifies as it is pulled
through the die or water tanks. If required various additives can be added to the pellets and
dried before inflicting them to the hopper. After the hopper is passed through, the pellets
enter the screw through feed throat and are pushed through the barrel by the rotating screw.

Fig 2: Sectional View of a simple plastic extruder.

2.5. Types of Extruders

In the extrusion process two types of plastic extruders, single screw and twin screw extruders
are generally used.
Single screw extruder:-

Single screw extruder is used whenever some pure form of polymer has to be extruded. It
basically has three zones, feed zone, compression zone and the metering zone. In addition to
that they may have additional zones to improve the quality of output. Mixing zones may be
introduced which makes sure that the melt is uniform. In addition to that venting zone can
also be made to combat hygroscopic plastics.

Twin Screw Extruder:

Twin screw extruder is used in compound production whenever two or more compound is to
be mixed and extruded to form a pellet. Rigid PVC is produced using a twin screw extruder.
While having two screws rotating in the heated barrel they provide a wider range of
possibilities regarding the output rates, mixing efficiency and the heat generation. The output
of a twin screw extruder can be thrice than that of single screw extruder of same diameter and
speed. It is to be noted that the combinations of screw in a twin screw extruder need not be
identical. Moreover, the screws can be conjugated or non- conjugated, a conjugated screw
being the one with no gap between the screw flights and vice versa. This gives an opportunity
for the material to move around in a non- conjugated arrangement of screw due to the
presence of space between the screw flights. Counter rotating twin screw extruder the
material is squeezed between the screws and in co- rotating system the material is passed
from one screw to the other.

Zones of Extruder & its Functions:

 Feed Zone - Transport the material from hopper to compression zone.

function is - Compacts, eliminates air gap

 Compression Zone - Transport the material from compression to metering zone.

function is - Softens the material

 Metering zone - Melts, Mixes, the material pressurizes and pumps the melt.

 The process of extrusion molding is a continuous one. It forms thermoplastic materials

into three main products: -

1-Profile shapes --------PVC Profile, ceiling, sash etc.

2-Film & sheets------- Poly Roll, poly Sheet, Tubular etc.

3.pipe and extrusion----PVC, HDPE, PPR and Conduits etc.

  Extruder products may be divided into six basic areas of uses: -

1-Rod and profiles

2-Pipe

3-Film & sheet

4-Extrusion coatings

5-Monofilaments

6- Wire and cable

Extruders are also used in the blow, compression, and injection molding processes. Dry
powder or granular plastic is heated and forced through an orifice in a die. The heart of the
process is the extruder. It plasticizes (melts and mixes) the material & forces it through the
die. Screw extruders are the most common, but ram or plunger types have special uses

Production process of UPVC and HDPE pipe

1. Mixing Raw Materials: PVC stabilizers, plasticizers, antioxidants, and other auxiliary

materials are added to the high-speed mixer in proportion to the process, and the material is
heated to the set process temperature by friction with the machine. The material is reduced to
40-50 degrees by cold mixer. Then it can be added to the hopper of the extruder.
2. Extruder Part: The machine is equipped with a quantitative feeding device to ensure
stable extrusion. Due to the characteristics of the conical twin screw, the feed section has a
larger diameter, which is beneficial to the plasticization of the material. When the screw
rotates in the barrel, the PVC mixture is plasticized and pushed toward the head to achieve
homogenization of compaction, melting, and mixing; and the purpose of exhausting and
dehydrating is achieved. The feeding device and the screw driving device adopt frequency
conversion speed regulation, which can realize synchronous speed regulation.
3. Extrusion Die Part: After compacting, melting, mixing and homogenizing PVC, the
follow-up material is pushed to the die head through the screw, and the extrusion die is a
built-up part of the pipe forming.

4. Vacuum Calibration Tank: It is used for shaping and cooling pipes with vacuum and
water circulation systems installed. Also it is equipped with front & rear moving devices and
left & right & height manual adjustment device.
5. Hauling-off Machine (frequency control): It is used to continuously and automatically
pull the hardened pipe from the nose.

6. Cutting Machine: After the distance switch is controlled according to the required length,
the automatic cutting is performed.

7. Stacker: The stacker turning is realized by pneumatic control through the air cylinder.

PVC and HDPE Pipe Extrusion Line

Figure ___: Production process flow chart

Layout ：
Production Process Raw Material + Additive Preparation (Formula) → Mixing ( Mixer Unit)
→ Loading (Screw Loader) → Conical Twin-Screw Extruder → Extrusion Mould →
Vacuum Calibration Tank → Crawler Hauling-off Machine → Lifting Cutter ( Planetary
Cutter) → Stacker → Finished product testing packaging.
Upvc Mixer

1. Profile and Celling Products

Channel, table edging, welting, rod, filament, and other profile, preferable those not having
severe thickness variation, are formed with flat dies machined to the contour with allowances
made for shrinkage and drawdown .it should be noted that polymers are limp when they
emerge and subjected to stretch and orientation by takeoff mechanisms

Figure__: Profiles production line

2. Wire and cable

Solid or multi strand conductors are coated with vinyl, polyethylene, Fluro-carbon and other
insulation and cabled conductors are sheathed by extrusion.

3. Blown Film Extrusion

Blown film extrusion is one of the most significant polymer processing methods.
Several billion pounds of polymer, mostly polyethylene, are processed annually by this
technique. As a manufacturing process, blown film is somewhat unique, even compared with
other extrusion processes. Molten polymer generally exits the die vertically in the form of a
freely extruded bubble reaching heights of 50 feet (15 meters). Various materials extruded by
the blown film process. It is divided into two broad categories: polymers and additives. Many
types of polymers are extruded into blown film, but various grades of polyethylene comprise
the vast majority. Additives are used in most operations to provide performance, appearance,
or cost benefits.

Blown Film Extrusion is one of the most common polymer conversion processes, Film is
made by extruding molten plastic through a circular die, forming an inflated tubular bubble
that moves through a cage as it cools, that is then collapsed and formed into rolls.

The typical film blowing process consists of a series of stages, including extrusion, blowing,
collapsing, and winding

Figure__: A blown film extrusion line

Components of the extruder hardware can be categorized into five systems

 Drive system
 Feed system
 Screw/barrel system
 Head/die system
 Instrumentation and control system

Figure __: The five extruder hardware systems.

Common quality defects in poly products (P/Sheet, Tubular, Bag)

1) Thickness Variation
2) Width Variation
3) Length Variation
4) Shrinking/Folding/
5) Tearing/Discontinuity/
6) Color Problem
7) Improper Sealing
8) Scratching

i. Sheet or Blow film-extrusion problems and their remedies

Defect, Continuous lines in direction of extrusion so the possible remedy is

 Repair or clean out die

 Die contamination or polish of rollers scored
 Reduce die temperatures
 Use properly dried materials
 Defect, Discoloration so the Possible Remedy is

 Use proper die & screw design

 Minimize material contamination
 Temperature too high-too much regrind.
 Repair & clean out die

Defect, Black specks/dots/ in film so the Possible Remedy action is

 Clean die & extruder

 Change screen pack/set/
 Check resin for contamination

Defect, Film will not run continuously so the Possible Remedy action is

 Clean die and extruder

 Lower melt temperature
 Increase film thickness

ii. PVC Pipe and profile extrusion troubleshooting remedies

Defect, off set/ centering problem/so the Possible Remedy action is

 Equal adjusting or tighten the die’s clamp

Defect, Dimensional variation across sheet so the Possible Remedy action is

 Balance die heats

 Use appropriate die and mandrill.

 Reduce trino speed

 Check temperature controllers

 Repair or clean out die.

Some Tools and Advanced measuring device used

 Tape meter
 Caliper
 Beam balance
 Digital balance
 HSP---hydrostatic pressure
 MFI---Melt flow index
 Quality parameter test

 Impact resistant test

 Tensile strength and elongation
 Impact resistance test
 Vicat softening test
 Hydrostatic pressure test

Example: Some formulation of Extrusion product