Do you need to produce a lot of plastic pipes, films or other long-shaped products? Extrusion molding can meet the processing technology you need! Through the precise control of the temperature and pressure, the liquid plastic can be shaped into all shapes and sizes. This article will detail the principle, advantages and disadvantages of extrusion molding, application products, and application cases in different industries, to provide more inspiration for your product development.

01 What is the extrusion molding?

Extrusion molding (Extrusion), short extrusion, also known as extrusion or pressing, is a material processing technology used to make a fixed section shape of the object. The material is pushed into the designed mold so that all extruded strips have the same section shape. The extrusion process can be continuous, used to produce very long materials, or semi-continuous, suitable for making multiple stages of materials.

02 The process principle of extrusion molding

Extruded molding is a common plastic processing process, used for the production of products such as pipes, curtain tracks, straws, bars, and fibers. The principle is to heat the granular polymer raw material melting, and mixed with additives, and then squeeze into a continuous tubular material through the steel mold. The shape of the steel mold determines the section shape of the product, which may be T-shaped, U-shaped, square or round, etc. The extruded tubes are cooled by air or water and can then be printed or cut to the desired size.

03Advantages and disadvantages of extrusion molding

Extrusion molding is a process of passing a liquid plastic through a specific cross-section to form the desired shape. During this process, temperature and pressure requirements are met to ensure that the plastic remains in shape when expelled from the mold. Below will explore the advantages and challenges of extrusion molding to help you have a more comprehensive understanding of the processing technology.

Advantages of extrusion molding

Making complex shapes: Whatever the 2D design, extrusion molding can make complex shapes and handle brittle materials because the process is affected only by shear and pressure.

Suitable for long shape products: compared to injection molding, extrusion molding is more suitable for manufacturing long shape and continuous shape, and the cost is relatively low.

A wide range of material applications: almost all thermoplastics and most artificial rubber can be extruded molding, common applications including window frames, door frames and other building components as well as sheets and film, optical fiber can also be made through this process.

A variety of material selection: extrusion molding is suitable for a variety of materials, such as metal, polymer and ceramic, etc., and the surface of the extrusion material is usually bright, but also may form a specific texture due to the processing process, improve the processing hardening characteristics of materials.

The advantages of extrusion molding

Modeling restrictions: extrusion molding is mainly suitable for the production of pipes, plates, bars and film, common products include water pipes, parts, plastic plates, plastic strips and cables, etc., modeling is limited.

Part size deviation: A major limitation of the extrusion process is the inability to handle cross section or size deviation. Any changes will require separate molds, which may cause production delays.

Environmental impact: Both extrusion molding and injection molding involve heating plastic, and hot extrusion may cause some environmental problems. Moreover, the poor durability of the extrusion products further exacerbated the environmental impact of the process.

The initial cost is low but limited: the initial cost of extrusion molding is low because the mold is simple and is usually made of steel or carbide. With the increase of production, the unit cost reduction of extrusion molding is less significant than that of injection molding.

04 The main use and application industry of extrusion molding

Extruded molding is mainly used for manufacturing continuous strip materials with consistent section shape, such as special-shaped pipe, film, etc. Extrusion molding can also be combined with blow molding technology to make bag products, or press molding to produce starting bubble materials. This technology is widely used in the plastic industry, more than 60% of the world's plastic products are made through extrusion molding technology, especially suitable for the production of fixed cross section and can be continuously manufactured products. Extruding molding is widely used in all walks of life. Common products include:

1 Construction industry

The extrusion molding process is ideal for the manufacture of hollow pipes and pipes, including PVC water pipes up to several feet in diameter, and also widely used in PVC floor tiles, door and window frames, blinds, foam boards, wire guides, folding doors, etc.

2 Packaging industry

Extrusion molding can create very thin sheets and films, which can be used as glass substitutes, as well as in beverage plastic bottles and medicine blister packaging. Common applications also include food cling wrap, heat shrink film and shrink film.

3 electronic industry

Common extrusion molding products include transparent IC tubes, electrical parts, wires and cables, and fiber optic cables. Another important application is wiring insulation for wires and cables.

4 Medical industry

The medical industry requires minimal tubes for a variety of diagnostic and surgical applications. Extrusion molding technology provides these different diameters and ensures that performance is not affected, such as breathing tubes, drainage tubes, feeding tubes, and infusion bags.

5 automobile industry

Plastic extrusion molding is widely used in the automotive industry, including the pipe and fuel pipe in the engine, as well as the ines, panels, wires and pressing parts.

NEWS

Application products in the extrusion molding process-PVC Compound

PVC Compound is one of the most widely used plastic additives in manufacturing and plastic processing."PVC Compound", a plastic mixture designed for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin, is widely used in cables, building materials and pipelines. This kind of plastic material has excellent forming performance, chemical stability and weather resistance, and can provide a reliable performance basis for the product, and has become the ideal choice for the plastic processing industry!