Contents

Introduction.................................................................................................................................................2
Experimental Procedure..............................................................................................................................3
Results.........................................................................................................................................................3
Discussion of Results...................................................................................................................................3
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................3
References...................................................................................................................................................4
Other Info....................................................................................................................................................4
Introduction
What is extrusion used for?
Plastic extrusion is defined as a “manufacturing process (high-volume), in which the raw plastic / raw
plastic material is melted and then formed in a continuous profile” (industrialextrusionmachinery.com,
2018). Extrusion has many practical uses and is often used commercially. Some products that use the
extrusion process are piping, tubing, wire insulation, thermoplastic film, weather-stripping, and window
frames.

How does it work?

Extrusion is carried out through the use of a hopper. A hopper is a large cone-shaped device into which
granules from which they can be released when required.

Resin is first placed into a hopper, then by gravity it falls into a heated screw feeder. The screw threads
move the polymer forward through the barrel by rotating about its axis (Thomasnet.com, 2018). As the
polymer moves through the barrel, heat is applied through heating bands and friction between the
granules. The temperature is constantly monitored with thermocouples. All the functions on the display
panel of extruder show a green colour. In cases where the temperature needs to be adjusted the panel
will change to red. Once it has reached the desired temperature the light goes from red back to green.
The speed at which the screw rotates is defined by its revolutions per minute (RPM). According to
Industrialextrusionmachinery.com (2018) when the molten plastic leaves the screw it moves through a
screen pack for the removal of contaminants in the melt.

Once the resin has gone through the screw it is pushed though the die. When the polymer exits the die,
it has viscosity properties. Viscosity is a term used to describe resistance to flow at a temperature. A
liquid with a high resistance is describe as having a high viscosity where as a liquid with a low resistance
is described as having a low viscosity (Brandewie, 2018). It then enters a water bath which causes its
temperature drop and the polymer begins to solidify. After this it enters the haul -off machine. The
haul-off machines speed can be adjusted to increase or decrease the tension on the tape. This can
influence the thickness of the end product.

Sketch of machine (big as Possible on graph paper)

What can be varied?

When using an extrusion machine to make different products there some different variables to get the
desired end products.
 Die: This gives the product an overall shape. During this experiment a flat die was used to give
the end product a tape shape.
 RPM: The faster the screw rotates the faster the tape exits the die. This also leads to an increase
of pressure in the die
 Screw Shape: If the screw is shaped in a certain way it can vary the amount of friction created.
An increase in the friction between the pellets leads to a decrease in the amount of heat applied
to the screw.
 Haul-off speed: An increase in haul-off speed leads to a greater tension on the tape that has
exited the die. This allows user to manipulate the thickness of the tape.
  Resin: Properties of the tape vary, depending on the type of Resin used. For this experiment
Exceed™2018HA was used. This polymer has an “outstanding tensile, impact strength, and
puncture” that also has a “higher melt index”.
 Master batch: By adding this to the hopper you can also change the aesthetic look of the tape.
During this experiment a small amount of red master batch was used to see a change in the
overall colour of the tape.

Safety Precauti on
One of the safety precautions that is on the extruder takes place on the die. If the pressure at the die
becomes too great the machine will shutdown automatically. An increase in the pressure may be due to
a blockage in the die which creates a very dangerous situation.

Experimental Procedure
Before any of the procedures began the extruder was brought up to working temperature and the
Exceed 2018HA pellets were then placed into the hopper.

a) Adjustable Variable - RPM

Measured Variable - Mass
 The screw was set to a fixed rpm
 For a 1-minute interval the thermoplastic is collected from the die
 The sample is then weighted
 This process is repeated three times and an average is taken for that speed
 The speed is then changed, the experiment is then repeated for 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 RPM

To start procedure b) the screw was set to a low speed. Once the tape began to exit the die the tape was
then fed into a water bath. In the water bath the tape was completely submerged. After exiting the
water bath, the tape was brought into a haul-off machine.

b) Adjustable Variable – Haul-Off speed

Measured Variable – RPM + mass
 The mass of 1 meter of tape at a haul-off speed of 2 was measures
 Then at 20 and 30 RPM then the haul-off speed was adjusted until the mass of 1 meter of
tape was similar to the mass at 10RPM.

Results
RPM Average Mass (g) Pressure
(Pa)
10 8.645 39
15 14.66 57.1
20 19.625 68
25 25.24 80
30 31.325 91
 RPM Haul of Mass (g)
10 2 3.9
20 6 4.51
30 8 5.15

Discussion of Results
o There was a strong relationship between RPM of the screw and the average mass of the tape
after 1 minute. So, the faster the screw revolves a larger amount of tape is pushed out of the
die.
o There was a strong relationship between the RPM of the screw and the pressure at the die.
o The faster the haul-off machine rotated there was a decrease in the weight of 1 meter of tape.

Conclusion
This report has discussed the workings of an extrusion machine. The extrusion machine has variables
such as temperature, RPM, haul-off speed and die shape. A change any of these variables can drastically
change the size or shape of the tape. The haul-off speed and the RPM of the screw can change the mass
of the tape. If the haul-off speed is set too high the tape may break. This means the speed of the screw
and the haul-off must be balanced.

Reference to results. (Why??????)

Show understanding
References
Brandewie, R. (2018) Viscosity. [ebook] Available at: http://worldclassplastics.com/content/Viscosity.pdf
[Accessed 19 October 2018].

Plastic Extrusion by Industrial Extrusion machinery.com

Technical Datasheet: Exceed™2018HA

Thomasnet.com (2018). Understanding Screw Design and Types in Plastic Extrusion. [online]
Thomasnet.com. Available at: https://www.thomasnet.com/articles/plastics-rubber/plastic-extrusion-
types [Accessed 8 Oct. 2018].

industrialextrusionmachinery.com (2018). Plastic Extrusions. [online] Industrialextrusionmachinery.com.

Available at: http://www.industrialextrusionmachinery.com/plastic_extrusion.html [Accessed 8 Oct.
2018].

Other Info
https://exxonmobilchemical.ulprospector.com/datasheet.aspx?I=58933&FMT=PDF&CULTURE=en-
US&PS=PE&E=243867 The Pellets used

“This permits the plastic beads to slowly melt as these are forced through the barrel, lowering the risk of
overheating that may result in polymer's degradation”
http://www.industrialextrusionmachinery.com/plastic_extrusion.html

Degradation is a change in its properties

http://www.industrialextrusionmachinery.com/plastic_extrusion.html

http://www.industrialextrusionmachinery.com/plastic_extrusion.html Details on what extrusion is

Adjustion the temperature. When green light it’s the right temperature. If red either its heating up with
bands or cooling with collant. Temperature from the machine is fed back to the control panal
There is also a pressure gauge at the control panla. If pressure becomes too high machine will shut off

https://www.ptonline.com/articles/extrusion-troubleshooter Trouble shooting

https://www.thomasnet.com/articles/plastics-rubber/plastic-extrusion-types Screw sections