Troubleshooting Extrusion Processes With Hands-On Computational Procedures, 2006 PLACE Conference

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Troubleshooting machine and process related problems in extrusion processes such as film manufacturing and extrusion coating on site is gaining increasing importance as the drive for cutting back production costs intensifies. Indeed, as experience shows, most of these problems can be solved right on the shop floor where they occur, by applying simple calculation procedures of plastics engineering to analyze the process and the converting machine design. Starting from basic polymer rheology, this paper provides the methodology on the basis of easily applicable formulas to answer questions such as, Why do I need viscosity data? How can I compare the behavior of different resins? Or Why is the screw output lower than expected ?,to mention a few. The answers to these and other questions are illustrated by means of interactive examples prompting the audience to solve the exercises presented by themselves with the help of the formulas given with each example. All the formulas can be easily handled by means of pocket calculators.