Extrusion molding melts plastic or metal and pushes it through a mold to create a linear shape. The final shape is cooled and cut to length. The process varies for plastic and metal. Factors like temperature and pressure can be adjusted. Mold design must consider shrinkage rates.
Extrusion molding, or extrusion molding, is the molding of plastics or metals into a predefined shape. In the process, metal or plastic is melted and pushed through a mold to create a linear shape. The final shape, commonly called a rod, although not necessarily cylindrical, is then cooled and can then be cut to various lengths, depending on the application.
If you cut a bar of material, the shape you see is called a cross section. The shape that emerges from an extrusion molding machine is identical to this cross-sectional piece. It is uniform throughout the article until the material or mold is changed.
An extrusion molding machine varies in size, but is typically at least the size of an automobile. It features a method of feeding the material into the machine and melting it into a liquid state. Then it can be pushed through a mold to create its shape.
Plastic and metal extrusion molding assemblies are similar in effect, but different in function. For plastic extrusion molding, a large funnel, called a hopper, is placed on top of the machine. Small granules of material, such as high-density polyethylene or plastic, are poured into it. These granules are easily dissolved into a liquid state and pushed through a mold to create a plastic tube or rod of some shape. For metal extrusion molding, preheated heavy metal rods called billets are fed into the machine and then pressed to force them through a die to create a metal tube or rod.
As with injection molding, there are many variables to consider when extruding materials. The temperature of the material, the pressure at which the material is forced through the die, and the extrusion time can all be adjusted to create ideal material conditions. Extrusion molding is similar to injection molding in that it melts and forms plastic or metal into predefined shapes. However, with injection molding, the plastic or metal is not extruded continuously. The mold fills with material, the material cools, and then opens to drop preformed shapes into a container.
When designing a mold for an extrusion molding machine, factors that affect the finished material after it has cooled must be considered. For example, plastics and metals have a shrinkage rate, which is a percentage of the size that is lost after the material cools. When designing a mold, the shrinkage rate of various materials must be considered.
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