Who Will Benefit?

• Process/production engineers; technical managers; personnel involved in quality control; customer/technical services.
• Those responsible for selling or purchasing extrusion equipment.

Course objectives and learning outcomes:

As a result of attending this course delegates will be able to:

• Understand the basic extrusion process
• recognise the different extrusion techniques
• Identify the most common faults to be found in extrusion
• Design improved laboratory (R&D) projects with a view to scaling up to production
• Understand why different polymers perform differently during extrusion.
• Make informed choices when purchasing equipment

Benefits will be:

• better product quality
• improved efficiency of production
• quicker resolution of process problems
• wider understanding of extrusion processes
• more informed choices when purchasing equipment
• improved communications with suppliers and customer companies.

Attendees will learn:

• The Basic Extrusion Process - What are we aiming to achieve?  
• The various elements of the extrusion process
• The theory behind feeding, melting and pumping
• Critical aspects of design, choice and purchase of equipment
• The essential differences between single and twin screw extrusion
• Important elements of mixing in theory and practice
• How to scale up both single and twin screw extrusion processes
• How different end products are produced
• An approach to trouble shooting with solutions to common problems

 

Course Content

• The Basic Extrusion Process - What are we trying to achieve?  Densification, Mixing, Compounding, Reinforcement, Reactive Processing, or the production of a particular shape.
• Extrusion Theory - Feeding, Melting, and Pumping processes in single and twin screw machines, and the energy balance of the process.
• Rheology- its influence on the extrusion process.
• Extrusion Design - Aspects of design, choice and purchase of equipment.
• Twin Screw Extrusion - Different types of twin screw, their uses and compounding optimisation
• Mixing - Various mixing techniques exist, add on mixing heads, barrier screws and modular kneading elements.
• Scale-up - Sizing of a machine from laboratory trials, scale-up, and choice of equipment.
• Downstream- Compound, pipe, film, sheet, cable sheathing, profiles.
• Trouble shooting - Fault finding, practical solutions to common problems, i.e. probable causes of surging, melt fracture, etc., difficulties encountered in handling rework
• Materials, feeding systems,etc.
• Practical Demonstration Practical demonstrations will be used to illustrate aspects of the course.

Course Presenters

Jon Lea- Consultant, Smithers Rapra, Colin Chilles, Process Technologist, Smithers Rapra, Mat Cox, Process Technologist, Smithers Rapra

Discounts given for multiple registrations:
10% discount for 2 delegates registering
15% discount for 3 or more delegates registering

Find out more about reducing energy consumption in plastics engineering at

www.eurecipe.com.