Extrusion

Registration

Course Number: PLSM.7280

Tuition: $1,850

Format: In-Person Only

July 29-31
Dr. Meg Sobkowicz Kline & 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.

Instructors

Dr. Carol Barry

Dr. Carol Barry is a Professor and the Chair of the Department of Plastics Engineering. After 12 years in industry, she returned to school to earn a D.Eng. Plastics Engineering. She then joined the Plastics Engineering faculty. Her research focus is plastics processing, including extrusion, injection molding, and novel processing techniques. Recent work has focused on nanomanufacturing with polymers, including compounding and forming of polymer and rubber nanocomposites, coextrusion of multilayer films, injection molding and embossing of micro and nanostructured surfaces, and template-directed assembly and transfer of nanoelements, 3D printing, specifically development of new materials for substrates and 3D printing. She has over 100 publications.

Dr. Meg Sobkowicz Kline

Dr. Meg Sobkowicz Kline is a professor of Plastics Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She completed her bachelors of science in Chemical Engineering at Columbia University in New York. She worked as a field engineer in the petroleum industry and in the municipal water treatment industry before returning to school to complete her doctorate in renewable polymer nanocomposites. Following her graduate studies, Meg accepted a National Research Council postdoctoral fellowship at National Institute of Standards and Technology to research polymeric materials for photovoltaic applications. Dr. Sobkowicz Kline joined the UMass Lowell Plastics Engineering Department in 2011.