UNIT III

EXTRUSION
Extrusion – Constructional features of extruded equipments, blown
film, cast films, multiplayer films, Biaxially oriented films, Extrusion
of sheets, tapes, box strapping and monofilaments. Extrusion coating/
lamination Aspects to be covered are auxillary equipment, plant
layouts, process parameters and their effect on the quality of the
extruded products and trouble shooting.
EXTRUSION MOULDING

• During the process, the material is melted and pushed through an

extrusion moulding machine, forming a long, tube-like shape or rod.

• This is cooled and cut to the required length.

• Often, extrusion moulding plastic products created in this way are

used for wiring or insulating applications.
EXTRUSION MOULDING
 Constuctional features of Extrusion
Equipment
The main parts of the Extrusion machine are 9) Motor:

1) Die opening:

2) Heater:

3) Thermocouple

4) Hopper:

5) Rotating Screw:

6) Air or Water Blower:

7) Thrust Bearing

8) Gearbox:
Working of an Extrusion Equipment
 When the material is in a liquid state it will be pushed forward to exit from the machine through the die
opening and takes shape according to the shape of the die opening.

 At starting the material is inserted in powder or pallets form and then it starts melting inside the cylinder and
when the material completely transforms to a liquid state then it is extruded through the die present on the
front side of the machine

 After that the final product that we get from the extrusion moulding machine is cooled down using an air or
water blower placed outside the machine near the die opening.

 This extruded material can be cut according to requirements.

 The cylinder or barrel is heated.

 Heating of the cylinder is done either using a heating coil or electricity or steam or oil.

 Some heat is also produced due to the friction between the rotating screw and the inner surface
of the cylinder.
Advantages Of Extrusion Moulding
 Low initial cost as compared to the injection moulding process.

 It is a continuous production process.

 The extrusion moulding machine has high uniaxial strength.

 It has good dimensional control.

 It can be used to make complex and intricate shapes.

 It has a high production rate.

Dis-advantages Of Extrusion Moulding
 If rapid cooling is done then internal strain is caused.

 In metal casting, the casted product shrinks but the thermal co-efficient of plastic is more than
that of metal.
Applications Of Extrusion Moulding
It can be used to make the following:

 Long Tubes

 Pipes

 Bar

 Sheets

 Plates
 Four Sections of Extrusion
Moulding Machine
1. Feed Section:

2. Melt Section:

3. Melt Pumping Section:

4. Pulling or drawing session

Four Sections of Extrusion Moulding
Machine - Feed Section:
Four Sections of Extrusion Moulding
Machine - Melt Section:
Four Sections of Extrusion Moulding
Machine - Melt Pumping Section:
Four Sections of Extrusion Moulding
Machine - Pulling or drawing session:
Four Sections of Extrusion Moulding
Machine - Pulling or drawing session:
Single film Blow moulding Extrusion Process
Process Of Blown Film Extrusion
 The extrusion of plastic melt is done via an annular slit die, generally vertically, for the formation of a thin
walled tube.
 The introduction of air takes place through a hole present in the die's center for blowing up the tube just like
a balloon.
 The cooling of the hot film is done by the high-speed air ring that blows onto it.
 This air ring is mounted on the top of die.
 Then following procedures take place:
 The tube of the film continues its movement upwards (constantly cooling) till it is passed via
nip rolls.
 Here, the tube is flattened for the creation of “lay-flat” tube of film.
 Also known as collapsed tube, this lay-flat tube goes back to the extrusion tower via rollers.
 On the higher output lines, exchange of air (which is available in the bubble) takes place.
 This is called IBS (Internal Bubble Cooling).
  Then the lay-flat film is kept as it is or its edges are slit off for producing 2 flat film sheets & wound
up onto the reels.
 If kept as it is, the film's tube is created into bags by the process of sealing all across the film's width
along with cutting or perforating.
 This process is carried out at a later stage or in line with the process of blown film.

Materials Used
 In the process of Blown Film Extrusion, the common resins that are used are Polyethylene’s (LDPE,
HDPE and LLDPE).
 Though, various other materials can also be used in this process, as a blend with resins or even as single
layers in the multi-layer film structure.
 Some of these materials are PP, PP, and EVOH.
 In few instances when these materials are not able to gel together, then a multi-layer film might get de-
laminate?
 Hence, to overcome this issue, various tiny layers of special adhesive resins are used purposefully in
between.
 These tiny layers are called “tie layers”.
Advantages Of Blown Film Extrusion

 In a single operation, flat as well as gusseted tubing are formed

 Regulation of film thickness and width with the control of air volume in the bubble

 Elimination of the end effects like edge bead trim along with non-uniform temperature which can

cause from flat die film extrusion

 Capability of biaxial orientation, which allows uniformity in all the mechanical properties

Very high productivity

 Allows combination of different materials as well as properties

 Applications of Blown Film Extrusion

Link for Blow Moulding:

[Link]
BLOWN FILM
 MULTIPLAYER or MULTI-
LAYER FILMS
 Co-Extrusion is the extrusion of multiple layers of material simultaneously.

 This type of extrusion utilizes two or more extruders to melt and deliver a steady volumetric
throughput of different viscous plastics to a single extrusion head (die) which will extrude the
materials in the desired form.

 This technology is used on any of the processes described above (blown film, overjacketing,
tubing, sheet).

 The layer thicknesses are controlled by the relative speeds and sizes of the individual extruders
delivering the materials. 5 :5 Layer co-extrusion of cosmetic “squeeze” tube In many real-world
scenarios, a single polymer cannot meet all the demands of an application.
 MULTIPLAYER FILMS
 Compound extrusion allows a blended material to be extruded, but Co-Extrusion retains the
separate materials as different layers in the extruded product, allowing appropriate placement of
materials with differing properties such as oxygen permeability, strength, stiffness, and wear
resistance.
3 LAYER BLOWN FILM:
 CAST FILMS
 Cast film extrusion is the process of melting plastic resins and wounding them into rolls.

 The product of the cast film extrusion process is plastic films with a vast range of colors,

finishes, and printing.

 It is ideal for producing food packaging and technical, stretch, and bubble film (PE, PET, PP,

PVB, PS...). Additionally, cast film extrusion provides easy integration with laminating,

coating, embossing, and printing units.

Component of a cast film extrusion line

Feeding System: Feeding systems regulate the amount of material fed into extruders by weight rather than
volume. In many situations, the film is made from ingredients that are a combination of a base polymer and one or
more secondary components.

Extruder: An extruder's primary functions are to melt plastic materials and mix the resulting molten polymer to
obtain a homogeneous mixture. This is accomplished by moving the material with a spinning screw along a heated
barrel.

Filtration System: The filtration system is used to prevent the downstream passage of melt impurities and gels
generated during the process. Filters with metallic mesh are the most frequently used.

Flat Die System: Flat die system is the heart of a cast film coextrusion line. This system consists of the
coextrusion feedblock, flat die, and melt transfer adapters that deliver various molten resins from the extruders to
the feedblock input ports.
Cooling Unit: A primary roll, a secondary roll, a motorized roll, a vacuum box and an air knife are components of
the cooling unit. The rolls are often chrome coated to improve surface polish and heat transfer during the film
cooling process. Water that circulates inside the rolls is typically used as a cooling agent. The primary quenching roll
cools one side of the film while the secondary roll cools the other.

Automatic Gauge Control System: The gauge control system, or APC, measures and controls film thickness. This
system is made of a radiation emission device and a control console. The radiation unit moves over the machine,
scanning the film in cycles. Meanwhile, the control system provides power to the thermal translators as needed, and
the lip gap is controlled through the thermal expansion of the adjustment element.

Corona Treatment: A surface treatment is required to assist the adhesion of inks or coatings onto the film surface.
Corona treatment is the most widely used procedure currently available. It increases the surface energy and thus the
surface tension of the film.

Winder: Winders transform extruded film into rolls of material. The winding procedure must be consistent so that
the film's qualities and dimensions are preserved when the rolls are unwound and transformed in other downstream
operations.
Computerized Control System: The main components of a cast film extrusion line described above do not operate
manually but are integrated and governed by a computerized supervisory and control system. The main functions of
this system are controlling the line's start-up, shutdown, and speed, maintaining a steady throughput, monitoring the
weight of material supplied into the extruders and managing the speed of the extruders, etc.

Cast film extrusion process

This process consists of 3 steps: Melting the thermoplastic materials, Flattening and solidifying, and Trimming and
rolling.

Step 1: Melting the thermoplastic materials

The process starts with the feeding of plastic resins using a gravimetric feeding system to one or more extruders. The
materials are subsequently melted and mixed into a consistent mixture by the extruders. The most commonly used
materials for cast film extrusion are polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).

Step 2: Flattening and solidifying

Once molten by the extruders, the materials travel to a flat die to be flattened into a thin film. This film is drawn to the
surface of a cold roller, where it is cooled and solidified by using an air knife or vacuum box.
The main two rolls subsequently cool both sides of the product. This step helps the fine film rapidly
quench, which improves its mechanical features and clarity. The thickness of the film might range from
less than 10 microns to 200 microns. The cast film can be monolayer or multilayer, with a maximum of 5
layers.

Step 3: Trimming and rolling

In the final stage, the film is then passed through a sequence of cold, polishing, and
nip rolls to help form the desired thickness. It is then trimmed and wound into a drum
for storage by a winder.

Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Applications:
 The product of the cast film extrusion process is plastic films with a vast range of colors, finishes, and
printing.
 It is ideal for producing food packaging and technical, stretch, and bubble film (PE, PET, PP, PVB,
PS...). Additionally, cast film extrusion provides easy integration with laminating, coating, embossing,
and printing units.
Single Layer Blow Moulding Extrusion Process
EXTRUSION OF SHEETS
EXTRUSION OF TAPES
EXTRUSION OF BOX
STRAPPING
 EXTRUSION OF
MONOFILAMENTS
 EXTRUSION OF
MONOFILAMENTS
 EXTRUSION OF
MONOFILAMENTS
 EXTRUSION OF
MONOFILAMENTS
 EXTRUSION OF
MONOFILAMENTS
 EXTRUSION OF
MONOFILAMENTS
 EXTRUSION OF
MONOFILAMENTS
To Be Continued in Next Class

THANK YOU ALL

Extrusion coating
auxillary equipment
plant layouts
process parameters
process parameters & their effect on the
quality of the extruded products
TROUBLE SHOOTING.
 Video Link
1. Plastic Processing Overview ([Link])

2. Plastic Injection Molding ([Link])

3. (106) Injection Molding Animation - YouTube