Plastics Extrusion

Extrusion is a continuous process through which parts of a fixed cross-sectional profile are made. Material is fed through a hopper into an extruder, essentially a rotating screw surrounded by a heated barrel, where it is mixed, melted and pumped through a die. The die gives the part its shape. Types include film extrusion, sheet extrusion, pipe, profile and tubing extrusion.

Why Plastics Processors Need Interactive Production Scheduling

Real-time equipment visibility, dynamic MRP calculations and drag-and-drop scheduling help plastics processors prevent conflicts and hit due dates.

ESSENTIAL READING

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Extrusion 28 Aug 2026

What You Should Know About Transfer Lines

Design the transfer line as short as possible, target a wall shear stress of 20 to 30 kPa, use clam-shell type elbows, and make sure all pipes and connections are the same diameter.

Extrusion 8 Apr 2026

Understanding Pump Ratio for Two-Stage, Vented Single-Screw Extruders

The pump ratio depends on the length of the second-stage metering section, lead length of the meters, resin viscosity and downstream pressure requirements.

Extrusion Know How 11 Feb 2026

Pressure Measurement Basics for Single-Screw Extruders

Measuring pressure at key locations in an extrusion line helps you analyze the process while enhancing safety. Here’s what you need to know.

Blow Molding 2 Jan 2026

How To Build a Successful, Sustainable Preventive Maintenance Program

Look for problem areas, establish a baseline and follow through to keep equipment running smoothly and to prevent costly repairs or downtime.

Extrusion Know How 2 Dec 2025

Understanding Screw Temperature in Single-Screw Extruders

Screw temperature is almost never known because it's complex to get. Here, however, obtaining it provides extrusion process details, such as how the solid bed is pushed downstream and cooling the screw with increasing screw speeds.

Sheet Extrusion 10 Oct 2025

Back to Basics: Tandem Foam Sheet Extrusion

This complex process requires precise equipment and process expertise to produce high-quality sheet. Here’s what you need to know to get started.

Latest Extrusion News And Updates

Pipe, Profile & Tubing Extrusion 17 Aug 2026

Servo MiniCutter From Versa for Medical Tubing

Unit delivers high-torque precision cutting for medical tubing at up to 1,000 cuts/min. Compact, servo-controlled and cleanroom-ready.

Medical 12 Aug 2026

Zeus Earns Intertek PFAS-Free Certification for New Catheter Liners

PFX Flex liners become the first medical device components to earn Intertek's PFAS-free certification.

Pipe, Profile & Tubing Extrusion 12 Aug 2026

iNOEX Launches WARP 125 Radar Measurement System

Radar-based system offers precise pipe measurement — wall thickness, diameter & ovality — with easy integration and rapid ROI for extrusion lines.

Extrusion 7 Aug 2026

Reifenhäuser Expands U.S. Presence

Adds six hires to strengthen service and sales capabilities for extrusion in North America.

dies 28 Jul 2026

Maag to Buy Cloeren

Maag Group acquires Cloeren, a leading extrusion die and feedblock manufacturer, expanding its polymer processing solutions. Deal expected to close in Q3.

Extrusion 10 Jul 2026

New Owners, New Name For Melt Filtration Innovator

Hitech continuous melt filtration systems sold to parent company of Extrusion Systems Inc. To be rebranded as Hitech Screen Changers.

SMED Friendly Molding Accessories from Smartflow

Featured Posts

dies 14 Aug 2026

Consider the Incumbent Resin Effect When Purging Your Blown Film Dies

Be thorough to purge all the previous resin from your blown film line before starting up with a new resin to avoid gels and other impurities.

close up on technology 7 Aug 2026

PFAS Free PPAs are Advancing, But Processing Adjustments Still Critical

As non-PFAS polymer processing aids for blown film extrusion evolve, approaches to using them and maintaining equipment are as important as ever.

Pipe, Profile & Tubing Extrusion 24 Jul 2026

The Puller Is Your Profit Lever

Puller speed is often treated as a mechanical adjustment. It is. But more importantly, it’s also a financial throttle.

Film Extrusion 20 Jul 2026

Cast Film Die Built for PFAS-Free Formulations

Amid the push to ban “forever chemicals,” Nordson has engineered a new flow-distribution channel to enable stable extrusion of formulations without fluoropolymer-based processing aids.

Extrusion 17 Jul 2026

'Bespoke' Extrusion: Engineering a Line Around Real-World Material Behavior

Why equipment design based on processing behavior over material specifications is growing. Is a material-specific extrusion line right for your business?

Extrusion 26 Jun 2026

Extrusion 2026: Human Intelligence and Connection This August in Austin

Two days, 27 speakers and one ballroom brimming with centuries of accumulated extrusion knowledge and experience await.

FAQ: Extrusion

How Much L/D Do You Really Need?

However, there are actual limits on increasing output as L/D is increased. Usually these limits are due to the inability of the feed section to deliver more polymer. On smaller-diameter screws, that limit often is determined by screw strength. On small screws you can only go so deep in screw channels before the screw is over torqued and fails. On larger extruders, the efficiency of feeding decreases as the channels get deeper until there is no further increase in output.

How Do I Select the Right Cooling Stack for Sheet Extrusion?

There are four main things to consider in selecting the correct stack for your application: the overall cooling capacity, the products to be processed, the mechanical capability, and the rolls’ internal design. Considering just the cooling capacity, the top roll is there to set the sheet thickness as well as its uniformity.

How Do You Know if Your Screws Are Working Properly?

One of the most useful evaluations is the relatively simple calculation of drag flow. Drag flow is simply half the volume of one turn of the metering section per second at a specific screw rpm, which, when multiplied by a units conversion and the melt specific gravity of the polymer, is a very accurate approximation of the output in lb/hr at no head pressure.

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