An Extruder is a motor-driven screw inside a tube or barrel. Various raw materials, such as plastic compounds, are fed into the extruder. The outside of the barrel is a hollow jacket through which a hot fluid can be circulated in order to melt the material inside the barrel. The screw action moves the material through the barrel and helps blend it together. The plastic mixture is forced through a device on the end of the barrel that either shapes the material into a tube or other form, or it can be chopped into pellets again.
For mixing, blending, shaping a variety of materials, extruders are used in for making chemicals, blending materials for fibers, producing plastic and rubber products like straws and tubing.
Designing a thermal fluid system for an Extruder application requires the following process information:
- The circulating pump for the HEAT system is based on the design of the barrel jacket, through which the heat transfer medium will flow.
- If the flow rate and pressure drop through the barrel is not specified, a detailed design drawing can be used to determine the correct flow rate and pump design for the system.
- The number and sizes of the jacket connection ports is important
- The size of the extruder, heat up time required, and the amount of material processed per hour are important considerations in HEAT system design.
Submit through our Inquiry Forms link for more required design information.