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Polymer Extrusion Experimental Report

Technical Report · April 2018

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.27553.30560

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MATERIALS PROCESSING LABORATORY 2

POLYMER EXTRUSION

GROUP X

ALPER KOÇAK
Student Name: Alper KOÇAK Date:06.04.2018
Lab Group Number: X
POLYMER EXTRUSION
1.INTRODUCTION
Extrusion is continious process of produces the semi-finished part. Extrusion is primary
shaping process. Polymer is pumped in the die and form the shape.Shapes of products can be
profile, plate, film tube, or any other kind of geometric shape.There are types of process
during the extrusion such as mixed, densified, plasticized, homogenized, degassed, or reactive
extrusion(chemically change). There are types of processes after the extrusion such as
solidification by pressured air or calendering process. Polymer melts during extrusion and
bring the new shape because of that extrusion is a primary shaping process. Extrusion product
the constant cross sectional materials [1].
There are couple of requirements for extrusion
a) Homogeneous transport of the material
b) Production of thermally and mechanically homogeneous part
c) Avoid the thermal, chemical or mechanical degradation
d) Compute the suitable and economic operation.
Single screw extruder generally uses for pumps the very high mass outputs at a very high
pressure require for big parts such as pipes, plates, or profiles.Twin screw extruders employs
for mixing and compounding [2].

Figure 1. Parts of extruder [3].

There are types of parts of extruder such as hopper, barrel, screw, heating-cooling, and drive
gear.Screw is the main part of extruder because it provides transporting, solid feedstock,
compress,melting, homogenizing and meters the polymers to provides the require amount
pressure to pumping the melt in the die. Generally 3-zone screws used for most
thermoplastics. There are different size of extruder according to the internal diameter D, it is
in the range of 20-150mm. Also there is L/D ratio and it can be changes between the 5-34.
Shorter machine probably uses for elastomer and also longer machine most commonly uses
for thermoplastics. There is also grooved barrels and it can be uses to increase the transport
and compression. Electrical heater and fans controls the barrel temperatures. There is
thermocouple and pressure gauges to monitorizing the temperatures and pressures at certain
position of barrel. Hopper uses for the provides the pellets or powder to the extrusion. For
larger system there may be agitating system or conveyer system. There also can be dryer for
the moisture sensitive materials. Gravimetric or volumetric dosage system can be used for
coloring or mixing of components [4].

Figure 2. Different types and shapes of products [5].

2.BACKGROUND
a) Differences Between Single and Twin Extruders
Single screw exturuder generally uses for pumps the high mass output at high pressures
requirement for large part such as pipes, plates, or profiles. Twin screw exturder uses for
mixing and compounding. Twin screw extruders can be uses for continious mixing aim
compared to single screw exturder. There are different types of twin screw extruders such as
counter rotating and co rotating and also intermeshing,non intermeshing and close
intermeshing extuders. Different types of twin extuders can be uses for different mixing and
compounding purpoeeses. Twin screw extuders provides the different possibilities of mixing
efficiency, heat generation and so on. Twin screw extruder also has other type of advantages
such as facilitated the addition of polymer additives without mechanical and thermal stresses.
Twin screw extruder also can be uses for the prepare polymer blends by mixing of kinds of
polymers with a wide divergence in melting point or glass transition temperatures or
viscosities. Single screw extruder generally uses for general plastic materials or recycled
plastic materials extrusion that doesn’t important of compounding ability. Twin screw
extruder preferable for less heat friction,uniform shearing, larger capacity, stable extrusion
and so on. Twin extuders uses generally for powdered materials,or temperature sensitive
PVC. Twin screw extuder has also short retention time for temperature sensitive materias.
Single screw exturuder products the homogeneous melt coming from plastic pellets and press
the melt through the shaping die [6]. Comparing with single screw extruder, twin screw
extruder has several advantages
1) Twin extruder has lower energy consumption.
2) Twin extruder has perfect exhaust ability.Easily degassing operation.
3) Materials can feed easily with the twin screw extruder.
4) Process time is low for twin extruder because of that it provides less heat friction so
we can use it for heat sensitive materials.
5) It has better compounding and plasticizing ability.
6) But it can not be approach high pressure value so single screw extruder better for
higher pressure and hardly extruder materials.
 Figure 3. Illustrated of single screw and twin screw extruder [7].

b) Typical Zones of Single and Twin Screw Extruders

Solid conveying zone in the feed section provides the moving of pellets or powders from the
hopper to the screw channel.Feeding from the hopper is generally coming from by gravity
(flood feed), the screw permanently removes the resin from the hopper. Materials compact
and transport down the channel in the screw channel. Friction provides the compaction and
moving at the screw surface. High friction coefficient is important for the compaction and
moving because of that feed section of the barrel should be cooled by water. Friction forces
cause the pressure increase in the feed section, its pressures compress the solid bed that
continue travel down the channel due to it melts in the compression or melting zone. This
situation is controlled by a reduction channel depth compared to the conveying zone.
Metering zone provides the pressure for sufficient pumping and the final melt temperatures
are form here. In this section screw depth is constant and less than the feeding zone. Metering
zone homogenized the melts to a supply a constant rate, material of uniform pressure and
temperature to the die. It is related the viscous melt flowing along a uniform channel. Venting
zone provides the remove volatile parts for instances water vapor and low molecular weight
impurities. The granules are taken and melted, compress and homogenizied in the first part of
screw. Pressure of melt then reduced the atmospheric pressure in decompression zone. This
can provides the advantage because volatile can go outside of melted because of low pressure
in the (vent port) barrel. The melt is then transports along the barrel to a second compression
zone that prevents air pockets from being trapped. Venting port work at temperature of 250 0C
water in the melts in the form of vapor at pressure about 4 Mpa because of that it provides
vapor easily pass out of the melt end through the vent. Application of a vacuum effect very
small to removal of moisture. Standart diameter of the barrels changes according to the screw
[8].

Figure 4. Different zones for extruder [9].

 c) Die and Screw Parameters
There are different die and screw parameters for the extrusion process and these parameters
change directly the properties of products and extrusion process condition. Screw diameter is
very important for extrusion process. Temperature is also important parameters for extrusion
process because temperature change directly the viscosity of melts. Geometry,
length,temperature of die can cause the different pressures. Viscosity of die so temperature of
barrel is important because viscosity increase cause the pressure increase. Screw length and
extruder dieameter,there is time for the longer extruder for the melt the polymer.L/D ratio is
higher for higher melting temperature thermoplastics and elastomers. Higher rotational speeds
means higher shearing rates and higher shearing rate means lower viscosity. Screw length and
extruder diameter ratio determines the what type of materials should process. Screw rotation
rate will decrease the viscosity of melted and it may cause low pressure, it may provides
advantage or disadvantage according to the process. For thick sheet we should use low
Δp(bar) and less restrictive die and for thin film we should use high Δp(bar) and restrictive
die. Deep channel screw has high througput and low Δp(bar) and shallow screw channel has
low throughput and high Δp(bar).
There is die-screw characteristic pressure-throughput curves, die 1 represents the low
resistance die such as for a thick plate and die 4 represents a restrictive die, it can be used for
restrictive die.Different characteristic curves represents the different screw rotational speed
[10].

Figure 5. Die and screw characteristic pressure-throughput curves.

 Figure 6. Temperature gradient for different section in the barrel [11].
3.Equipment & Materials
We used polypropylene and twin screw co rotating close intermeshing extruder for this
experiment.
4.Experimental Procedure
Extursion process using for different types of polymers such as elastomer,thermoplastics an
so on. It is the simple methods. Polymer melted during extursion and brought to new shape
because of that it is primary shaping process. Molten polymer forced through a shaped die
using pressure. Pressure forms from the action of screw rotation against barrel wall. Screw
rotates and develops enough pressure to force material to transport through a die and produce
products with desired geometry.
Firstly polypropylene pellet feed in the hopper than pellet melted because of high
temperature, there are 6 types of thermocouple that means we can works with 6 different
temperatures. Temperature is important because high temperature may cause hazard for the
sample. Then melted transport by the screws rotation and obtain high pressure through the
die. Rotating speed is 100 rpm. Temperature is 200 0C for this experiment. If polymer does
not melted,we can increase the temperature. Feeding speed is generally constant. The
resulting product is made into a mold by injection molding. The forcing of a plastic or molten
material through shaped die by means of pressure. Solid transport in the feed section, melting
mechanism in the extruder and polymer melt flow in the flights of a screw are important
parameters for extrusion process. Tensile test and DSC method can be applied on the product
to determine the mechanical and thermal properties of materials. Glass transition temperature,
melting temperature, and crystallization temperature can be determined with DSC method.
We can produce different shapes of products that has constant cross sectional area with
extrusion method. We used twin co rotating close intermeshing screw extruder.
Therefore rheological properties of polymers is also important for extrusion process.
Newtonian fluid has the same viscosity value for different share rates and non newtonian fluid
has the different viscosity with different share rates. Rotation of screws provides the share
rates for the extrusion fluid [12].
 Figure 7. Example of extrusion machine [13].

5.Result and Discussion

Extrusion is the shaping process,pellet or powder melted then pressurized and passing through
the die and comes to final shape. Pellet or powder completly melted than forms the final shape
because of that this is primary shaping process.Semi finished parts produces after extrusion.
After extrusion process different types of process can be applied on the semi finished parts
such as solidification. There are 2 types of extruder such as single screw extruder and twin
screw extruder. There are advantage and disadvantage for these 2 types methods. Single screw
extruder uses for pumps high mass throughput and high pressure but it is expensive and it has
some disadvantage such as high cost low process rate it is not appropriate for continious
process and degassing and homogenizing and plasticizing can be problems. Also there is twin
screw extruder it provides high homogenizing and plasticizing, compounding ability. Twin
screw extuder provides shear rate and low viscosity according to the rheological properties of
pellet or powder also it has lower cost high process rate,it is appropriate for continious
process. There are also screw and die parameters and they are directly effected the pressure
inside the barrel, viscosity and temperature gradient. Die width,geometry,length and die
temperature effects the pressure. Smaller cross section and thinner die gaps increases the
pressure. Temperature is also important for rheological properties of pellet or powder. There
is temperature gradient in the barrel and increasing temperature cause the decrease the
viscosity.Screw length and extruder diameter ratio is also very important, longer extruder
means there is enough time to melt the pellet or powder and if we work with higher melting
temperatures polymer we must use the high L/D ratio for thermoplastic and elastomer.
L/D<20 so shorter machines generally uses for elastomer and longer machines uses for
thermoplastics. Also 3 zone screw generally uses for thermoplastics.
 References
[1] Pintu Kumar,Sudhansu Sekhar Panda, “An innovative method to join two polymer rods
through Y-shape extrusion channel”, Measurement, Elsevier, 2018, 270-282.
[2] https://www.ptonline.com/knowledgecenter/Profile-Extrusion/profile-extrusion-
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date:04.04.2018.
[4] Chelsea S. Davis,Kaitlyn E. Hillgartner,Seung Hoon Han,Jonathan E. Seppala,
“Mechanical strength of welding zones produced by polymer extrusion additive
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[7] http://ptfe-machinery.com/polymer-screw-extrusion/, Access date: 04.04.2018.
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[10] Chris Rauwendaal, Polymer Extrusion, Elsevier, 2017, 1-156.
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extrusion-equipment-plastic-pellet-extruder-250-90kw-motor.html, Access date: 04.04.2018.

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