Extrusion

Registration

Course Number: PLSM.7280

Tuition: $1,850

July 15-17
Dr. Anne Soucy & Dr. Carol Barry
8:30am-5:00pm

For more information about registering, click here.

What Our Participants Are Saying

What did you like most about the seminar?

"Getting a deeper understanding of extrusion coating and other extrusion technologies."

"I liked the practical troubleshooting tips and the thoroughness in which we discussed each extruder section."

"I enjoyed being able to participate in labs. It helped me understand the concepts more clearly."

What are a few things you learned that you’ll bring back to your work?

"Semi-crystalline material vs. amorphous determination and processing differences, twin screw setups and reasons for using each piece for mixing, venting, conveying, etc., feeding issues and recommendations to adjust water to feed throat and incoming pellet temp."

"The different troubleshooting techniques and things to look for when using a sheet line (die/barrel/screw)."

"I learned some troubleshooting tips that will help our operators, as well as some technical knowledge that will help me to run studies to improve our process."

Overview

This seminar offers comprehensive coverage of the extrusion of polymeric materials. It is intended for individuals who have little or no background in the extrusion process or for those who have been using single- and twin-screw extruders and want to gain a thorough understanding of the interrelationships between the polymeric materials, the equipment and processing variables. Lectures discuss the significant characteristics of polymeric materials and their effect on the extrusion process. Types of extruders and their components, equipment specifications, instrumentation, and screw geometry are discussed. Operational principles including solids conveying, plastication, mixing and pressure generation of single- and twin-screw extruders are explained. Specific extrusion processes including blown and flat film, tube and pipe, profiles, extrusion coating and foam extrusion are discussed and expanded upon if requested by participants. Troubleshooting techniques and operational strategies are covered.

Content

Characteristics of Polymeric Materials

Molecular weight; molecular weight distribution; properties of bulk materials; polymer rheological properties; thermal properties

Types of Extruders

Extruder Components

Operational Characteristics (Single & Twin)

Zonal distribution & function; solids conveying principles; melting theories; conveying & pressure generation; screw characteristic curves; screw design principles; conveying, melting, mixing, venting & pressure generation; extruder output calculations; basic demands of production

Extrusion Processes

Blown & flat film; tube & pipe; profiles; extrusion coating; wire coating; foam extrusion; fiber spinning; coextrusion

Troubleshooting Techniques

Most of the afternoons will be spent in the Plastics Process Engineering Labs with hands-on experience in start-up, shutdown and troubleshooting single- and twin-screw extrusion operations. Demonstrated extrusion processes: blown film, flat film, tubes & pipes, foam extrusion and compounding with twin-screw extruders.