《extrusion_die_design-echp-1》.pdf

Design of Extrusion Dies Milivoje M. Kostic Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, U.S.A. Louis G. Reifschneider Department of Technology, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, U.S.A. INTRODUCTION and heated as they are conveyed through either a single- or a twin-screw extruder (as described else- The goal of this chapter is to introduce the reader to where) to become a pressurized melt. The pressurized the importance of extrusion die design as well as the melt flows through a properly shaped orifice, or complexities inherent in the task. Extrusion is of vital extrusion die, and then is pulled (with a little pres- importance to all plastics processing. In addition to sure) as it is cooled and shaped to a final product providing raw stock such as sheet for thermoforming called the extrudate. The proper design of an extru- and pellets for injection molding and other extrusion sion die is extremely important to achieve the desired processing, numerous end-use products are made with shape and accurate dimensions of the extruded pro- extrusion such as film, tubing, and a variety of profiles. duct. The function of an extrusion die is to shape Although the types of extruded products made can dif- the molten plastic exiting an extruder into the desired fer dramatically in shape, there are a set of common cross section depending on the product being made. rules that govern basic die design. For example, it is The die provides a passage between the circular exit important to streamline the