What is an extrusion machine?

An extrusion machine is a machine that pushes or pulls material through a forming die to form a continuous length of product with a pre-determined cross-section. The extrusion process produces many commercial products, including steel or copper wire, plastic tubing, plastic sheeting, and many food types. Extrusion as a manufacturing process offers many benefits, such as a wide range of possible complex cross-sections and the ability to form brittle materials. Depending on the material used, extrusion machines can form the material cold or hot, with certain types of materials melting completely before extrusion.

 

The simplest example of an extrusion machine is a baker's piping bag. The bag is filled with frosting and a decorative piping nozzle. If the bag is extruded, the icing fills the nozzle and is squeezed or extruded into a continuous length with the same cross-section as the nozzle opening. This is the same basic principle used in industrial extrusion machines to form many products using plastics, metals, and food or pharmaceutical ingredients. The only fundamental differences from this simple example are:

▪ The cross-section's complexity.

▪ The hollow core's inclusion.

▪ Some machines pull the material out of the die rather than push it.

 

The extrusion machine can be used to produce a variety of products from an equally extensive range of raw materials. It is also an attractive alternative to other manufacturing processes because it allows a broader choice of profiles and is suitable for brittle materials. In industrial applications, plastics are extruded to produce food packaging films, laminates, insulation, automotive parts, and plumbing products such as electrical conduits and water pipes. Steel and alloys are extruded into bars, tubes, wire, steel pipes, and building components for light engineering. The food and pharmaceutical industries also use extrusions extensively in producing products such as pasta, cereals, cookies, and several pharmaceutical carriers.

 

In some extrusion applications, particularly those using plastics, the extruded material must be heated to its melting point before use. These applications typically use a screw feeder mechanism similar to that used in the injection molding process to heat and feed the material. Cold extrusion is also standard and usually limited to metals such as tin, lead, steel, aluminum, and copper. Cold extrusion offers several benefits over hot processes, including lack of oxidation, better surface finish, and faster extrusion times. Cold extrusion presses produce items such as automotive pistons, cylinders, tubing, and gear blanks.

 

If you need to purchase an extrusion machine, our previous article has introduced the top 5 extrusion machine suppliers in China. They are all reliable manufacturers of extrusion machines you can visit first, of course, you can also contact us directly because we are Taizheng Machinery is also one of the them.

 

Reprinted from Taizheng Cable Machine - “What is an extrusion machine”