EXTRUSION PROCESS

PRESENTED
BY

ALOK KUMAR
 EXTRUSION
Continuous Process
In principle, the plastic raw material is plasticated
by means of a screw plastication unit and
the molten material is continuously pumped
out through a standard orifice (die) in order to take the
shape and then the shape is set by cooling/sizing
system.
Example:Film,Pipe,Tube, Profile, Monofilament,
Box Strapping etc.
SINGLE SCREW EXTRUDER
 Single Screw Extruder
Parts & its functions

Screw Pump : Combination of Screw & Barrel

Hopper : Funnel like device, mounted on
Hopper throat. Holds a constant
reserve of material.
Barrel : Cylindrical housing in which the
screw rotates.
Hopper Throat : Circular opening at the feed end
through which the material enters
the screw pump.
Drive System : AC/DC drives
Speed reduction gear box
Transmission system
 Screw Support Assembly

Typical thrust bearing assembly – Single Screw Extruder

Definition of terms

Compression Ratio - Is the ratio between the channel depth

is the feed zone to that of the metering
zone.
- Usually from 1.5 to 4:1
L/D ratio - Length to nominal dia of screw
- usually 20 to 22:1

Important Specification

Nominal dia of screw

Output(kgs/hr)
Zones of Extruder & its Functions:
Feed Zone - Transport the material from hopper to
compression zone.
- Compacts, eliminates air gap
Compression Zone - Transport the material from compression to
metering zone.
- Softens the material
Metering zone - Melts, Mixes, the material pressurizes
and pumps the melt.
Breaker Plate & Screen Pack
Breaker plate: Perforated circular metallic disc of
about 4-5 mm thick.

Functions
- Support for Screen pack
- Converts the Spiral flow of melt in to stream lined
laminar flow
- Holds back contamination and unmelted particles.
Screen Pack
- Wire mesh 40,60,80
- Arrests the unmelted particles and contamination
- Helps in developing back pressure
 Extruder Screws
 General purpose screw
 PVC screw
 Nylon screw
 Two stage screw/vented screw
 Segmented screws is also available for special purpose

General purpose screw

PVC screw
 Nylon screw

Two stage screw/vented screw

Mixing elements
 Incorporated in the metering zone of screw
 Several designs
 Mainly to improve mixing, homogeneity

PIN TYPE DULMAGE TYPE

CAVITY TRANSFER TYPE

 SCREW COOLING

Helps in Extracting out the Frictional Heat

Also helps in developing back pressure
Barrel
 High grade steel cylinders
 Has to withstand up to 400 atm.
Iron Based Alloy Complex non-ferrous alloys

More hard & less corrosion less hard & more corrosion
resistant resistant
These expensive materials are used as liners in steel barrels.
Barrels of Nitrided steel are also used.
They are Cheap, hard, less resistant to corrosion.
Screw material
Low carbon alloy steel
Flight tips are hardened by flame hardening to
prevent wear or nitriding the entire screw.
Chrome plated screws for vinyl polymers
special nickel alloy steel for processing of saran.
Melt Fracture
 It is a die-entry effect
 In any converging flow there are tensile and shear forces
 If tensile stresses become large and if they exceed the tensile
strength of melt, the desirable smooth laminar flow is lost
completely.
 The extrudate emerging from die exit will be of irregular shape.
This phenomena is called “Melt fracture”.

If die entrance is tapered

 Dead spots are eliminated
 Minimise development of tensile stresses and hence minimise
distortion of stream lines.
Shark skin & Bambooing effect
Shark skin
Roughening of the surface of the extrudate
The melt as it proceeds along the die channel, has a velocity profile
with maximum at the centre and zero at the wall.
As it leaves the die lips, the material at the wall has to accelerate to
the velocity at which the extrudate is leaving the die.
This generates tensile stress and if the stress exceeds Tensile
strength, the surface ruptures causing the visual defect - “shark skin”.
If the conditions causing shark skin becomes more intensive, eg.
Pressure at the extruder becomes excessive or die temperature
drops, the extrudate “snaps back” -- “Bambooing effect”.
Die Swell
Also known as Extrudate swell.
When the melt emerges out of the die lips, there will be
expansion in the direction perpendicular to flow and contraction in the
direction parallel to flow.
Constrained molecules tends to relax at the die outlet. This
leads to die swell.
This is nullified by higher take off speed.
 Factors Influencing Extruder Output

Factor Direction of change Output

Screw speed Increase Increase

Channel depth Increase Increase

Increase(max. upto
Helix angle Increase
300)

Back Pressure Decrease Increase

Length of Metering
Increase Increase
sectio

Viscosity Increase Decrease

Twin Screw Extruder

Two screws rotating inside a barrel.

Intermeshing type are more popular.
Different models/design available
Basic Types
Co-rotating
Counter-rotating
Mainly used for preparation of master batches/colour
concentrates
Co-rotating Twin screw - used for compounding all
thermoplastics except PVC.
Counter rotating - preferred for PVC.
 Comparison between Co-rotating and Counter rotating

Sl.No. Co-rotating Counter rotating

Both screws either turn clock- One screw turns clockwise and other
1
wise or counter clock-wise. counter clockwise.

2 More complete self wiping Less self wiping

Less likelihood of material

3 More likelihood of material stagnation
stagnation

4 Better mixing Less than co-rating

Less shear compared to co-rotating

5 Total shear is more
and single screw extruder

6 Mostly for compounding of TP Mainly for PVC compounding

7 Positive pumping Positive pumping

Less power consumption than Less power consumption than

8
single screw Single screw.
 APPLICATIONS OF EXTRUSION
1. Film: Blown film, Cast film, Co-extruded films, BOF.
Material Used: PP,PVC, LDPE, HDPE, PET, Nylon etc.
2. Pipe/tube
Material: HDPE, LDPE, LLDPE, PVC etc.
3. Sheet
Material: HDPE, ABS, HIPS, PC etc.
4. Monofilament
Material: PP, Nylon etc.
5. Extrusion Coating/Lamination
Coated Playing Cards, Wrapping and LDPE laminated Woven sacks
Material: LD,PP,HDPE
6. Box Strapping
Material: PP, HDPE etc.
7. Tape/Woven Sack
Material: PP, HDPE
8. Wire Coating/Covering
Primary/Secondary insulation
Material: LDPE, PVC (Primary insulation) Nylon (secondary insulation)
9. Profiles ( Door and window )
Material: PVC
Blown film extrusion
Upward blown film - LD,HD,PVC, Nylon etc.
Downward blown film - PP (Mainly to get clarity)
Process outline
Melt emerging from extruder is inflated by air pressure (3 to 4
kgs/cm2)
Bubble is properly stabilized and cooled
Wound on the winder
AUTOMATIC SCREEN CHANGER
BLOWN FILM DIES

SIDE FEED DIE

CENTRE FEED DIE

SPIRAL FLOW DIE

TQ process
Tabular quench film process
For PP
 FLAT FILM - EXTRUSION

The Melt emerging out of the die lips strikes the chrome
plated chill roll where it solidifies.
Subsequently the film is pulled through nip rolls .
Trimming blades trims-off the thicker edges.
Then the film is wound on the winder.
 Blown Film Co-Extrusion
• Barrier properties is the main reason to go for multi
layer film

Three layer Co-Extrusion Five layer Co-Extrusion

Three layer Blown film
Die with internal
bubble cooling
5- Layer Blown
film Die with
Radial melt
distributor
 MOST
SL. MATERIAL IMPORTANT
SPECIAL PROPERTIES
NO COMBINATION FIELDS OF
APPLICATION
1. LDPE/LDPE Pinhole-free ( multicolored) Milk film and carrier bags

Heavy duty bags, medical

2. LDPE/EVA Good weldability, sterilizable
articles

Bakery goods food stuffs,

3. HDPE/LDPE Good strength
tomato concentrate

4. LLDPE/EVA Good surface adhesion Stretch film

Meat, sausage, fish and

5. Ionomers/PA Gas and aroma-tight
cheese

6. Ionomers/EVA Grease proof Coconut, biscuit

Weldability on both sides reduced

7. LDPE/HDPE/LDPE like 3
curling tendency

Readymade meals, sausage,

8. LDPE/TL/PA Gas water and aroma tight fish, cheese foamed PS
granulate

No curling tendency improved barrier

LDPE/TL/PA/TL/LDPE or properties, as PA protected against
9. Like 8
LLDPE/TL/PA/TL/LLDP moisture absorption improved layer
adhesion weldalble on both sides
Extrusion coating
The plastic is coated over a substrate like paper, by extruding
through a slot die downward between two rolls.
Substrate is fed between the molten plastic and the roll and is
joined with the plastic by pressure between rolls without the
use of an adhesive.

Material used LDPE & PVC

PP, HDPE, Ionomer etc. are also used.
Equipment compresses of
 Pre treatment unit
 Coating unit
 Take off & winding
 Dies
 Coat hanger die
 ‘T’ type die
Tube/Pipe Extrusion
Wall thickness & flexibility/Rigidity differentiates between
tube/pipe
Pipes are produced by horizontally extruding molten polymer
through an annuler opening into several sizing, cooling devices
that stabilizes the final dimension.
Comprises of
Cooling bath
Extruder
Cater puller
Die
Cutter or winder
Sizing device
Dies used
Straight through

Off set die

Sizing Equipment - Methods
Vacuum Trough
Widely used
With the help of vacuum, Pipe is
stabilized and sized to retain the shape
Sizing Sleeve
Methods fixes the outside pipe
diameter as it hardens by contact with a
water cooled metal sleeve.

FLOATING PLUG SYSTEMS- USED FOR

RIGID PIPES OF MEDIUM AND LARGE
SIZES
TO PREVENT LOSS OF AIR PRESSURE
FLOATING PLUG SYSTEM IS USED
Extended Mandrel
Method uses a water cooled extended mandrel
Provides additional internal cooling and internal support

Sizing plate
Method involves pulling the pipe through a series of brass
plates
Mainly for small dia pipes/tubes.
Sheet Extrusion
Process out line
Plasticated melt in pumped out through the sheeting
die by screw pump
Molten sheet emerging from die lips is feed through
three roll calendar, cooling rolls and subsequently
pulled by Nip rolls.
Cut the sheet by shear cutter
Stacking/ Inspection
 Dies

T-TYPE
DIE

COAT
HANGER
TYPE DIE
( Widely Used)

Coat Hanger type of Die is much more stream lined

than T-type Die
Wire Coating/Cable Covering
Unit comprises of
Un wind unit (For conductor) Cooling Trough
Pre treatment unit Take off/ wind up.
Wire coating unit
Steps Involved
 Wire/conductor is unwound & straightened by Tension
 Control Unit.
 Pre treated to promote adhesion of molten plastic
 Then passed through the Cross head die of the coating
unit
 Coated wire is then cooled by passing through cooling
trough
 Wound on the winder
Die used
 Tubing die

USED MAINLY FOR SECONDARY

 Pressure die INSULATION

USED MAINLY FOR PRIMARY

INSULATION
Extrusion of Mono filaments
 Mono filaments are wise like polymer strands of dia 0.09 to 1.52 mm.
 Usually they have circular cross-section.
 The polymer melt from extruder is pumped out through a multi-hole die,
quenched, stretched/oriented and annealed to get the filament of enhanced
properties.

The production process comprises of

 Extrusion
 Filament forming
 Stretching (orientation)
 Annealing
 Winding
Orientation Systems
A. Heated liquid bath method
B. Heated oven method
C. Heated point method
D. Heated roll method
Depending upon material & configuration system is selected

A C

B D
Extrusion -- Box- Strappings
The process sketch is similar to Monofilament line except the die – A
slotted die is used in place of multi-hole monofilament die
Plastic Strappings, made of PP/HDPE replace iron because of their
flexibility.
Process outline
Plasticated melt from an extruder is pumped out through a slot
die
Quenched in water bath
Bath temperature - 800C for PP
- 900C for PA-6
Passed through a orientation system and stretched to about 8
times in order to improve tensile properties.
Annealed in an annealing chamber to relieve the stresses
Wound on winder.
Special Extrusion Process
Corrugated Pipes
Similar to extrusion of pipes except the die and the calibration
units are specially designed to produce corrugation on the pipe.
The cylindrical part of the pipe die head extends in to the closed
area of a revolving mould block chain.
The plastic tube is pressed against the profiled, revolving mould
block halves by internal air pressure or by vacuum calibration.
As it passes through the forming machine its cools and
solidifies.

a) Internal Pressure System b) Vacuum System

 POST EXTRUSION FORMING

Inline post forming with extruder embossing one or both sides

with shallow or deep patterns
INLINE VACUUM/PRESSURE FORMER FOR PLASTIC SHEEET WITH
MATCHED, WATER COOLED FORMING MOULDS ON CONTINOUS
CONVEYOR SYSTEM

AN INLINE COIL FORMER CAN PRODUCE TELEPHONE CORDS

THANK
‘U’