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How Does Plastic Extrusion Work?
Home » Manufacturing » Plastic Extrusion » How Does Plastic Extrusion Work?Plastic extrusion is an interesting concept that started many years ago. Manufacturing facilities that produce plastics of all shapes and sizes for various things and industries created this process to help make plastics any size and shape easier than standard machines could do it. The whole process works by having a melted polymer forced through an orifice with a die that will allow it to form it into a shape that will constantly be made this way. Once this process has been completed, the shaped plastic is then cooled.
Small items such as bags are put through the process of extrusion by using tubing. In this case, the tube is expanded before it is cooled. The tube material is forced around a massive air bubble. The film on the other side of the bubble collapses, preventing air from escaping. In some situations, depending on the need, more than one material is fed through the tubing this way, enabling the material to be strengthens and become moisture resistant. This type of extrusion is useful in making food packaging.
No matter what type of shape of plastic is made, the bottom line with extrusion is the polymer molecules are reshaped in some way. In some circumstances, reshaping of the polymer molecules can occur by using a procedure called drawing. This is when the extrudate is pulled in the direction the polymer flows before the polymer becomes solid. Another way it is extrusion is done is by a blow technique.
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