Extrusion machines push or pull materials through a shaped die to form continuous products with predetermined cross sections. They are used to produce a wide variety of commercial products, including steel or copper wire, plastic pipes, and food. The extrusion process offers many advantages, such as the ability to form complex cross-sections and brittle materials. Extrusion machines can be used with a wide range of raw materials and are suitable for use with brittle materials. Cold extrusion is commonly used for metals, while hot extrusion is used for plastics.
An extrusion machine is a device that pushes or pulls a material through a shaped die to form a continuous length of product with a predetermined cross section. The extrusion process is used to produce a large number of commercial products which include steel or copper wire, plastic pipes, plastic sheets and many types of foods. Extrusion as a manufacturing process offers many advantages such as the wide range of complex cross-sections possible and the ability to form brittle materials. Depending on the material used, an extrusion machine can cold or hot form the material with some types of materials completely melted before extrusion.
The simplest example of an extrusion machine is a pastry bag for bakers. The bag is filled with icing and features a decorative spout. If the bag is squeezed, the icing fills the nozzle and is ejected or extruded as a continuous length with the same cross sectional shape as the nozzle opening. This is the same basic principle as industrial extrusion machines used to form many products using plastics, metals, and food or pharmaceutical ingredients. The only real departure from this simple example is in the complexity of the cross sections, the inclusion of hollow cores, and the fact that some machines suck the material through the mold instead of pushing it.
An extrusion machine can be used to produce a wide variety of products from an equally wide range of raw materials. It is also an attractive alternative to other manufacturing processes as it allows for a wider selection of profiles and is suitable for use with brittle materials. In industrial applications, plastics are extruded to make food packaging films, lining sheets, insulation, automobile parts, and pipe products such as electrical conduit and plumbing tubing. Steel and alloys are extruded to form bars, tubes and wires, as well as steel pipes and light engineering building elements. The food and pharmaceutical industries also make extensive use of extrusions in the production of products such as pasta, cereals, biscuits and various drug carriers.
In many extrusion applications, especially those using plastics, the material to be extruded must be heated to its melting point before being used. These applications typically use a screw feed mechanism similar to those used in the injection molding process to heat and feed the material. Cold extrusion is also a common extrusion process and is normally limited to metals such as tin, lead, steel, aluminum and copper. Cold extrusion has several advantages over the hot process such as lack of oxidation, better surface finishes and faster extrusion times. A cold extrusion machine is used to produce items such as automotive pistons, steel cylinders, tubes and gear blanks.
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