Leading Extruded Plastic Manufacturers

Melting plastic material, pressing it into a dye to form it into a continuous profile, and cutting it to length are the steps in the plastic extrusion process. The method works well for applications requiring a good finished product with a consistent cross-section. Due to its low cost and high production rates, it is a frequent manufacturing option for goods like piping, plastic sheeting, weather stripping, wire insulation, and adhesive tape, to name just a few of the prevalent plastic extruded products.

Types of Plastic Extrusion Materials

PVC

Polyvinyl chloride, also known as PVC, is a common material for various plastic goods. It is made of a strong substance resistant to chemicals and bacteria. Despite being a stiff plastic, adding plasticizers makes the substance more flexible. PVC is a material that may be used in various applications since it is more affordable to produce than other thermoplastics.

Polypropylene

A thermoplastic polymer resin with several uses, polypropylene is utilized in industries as both a structural and fiber-type plastic. It is a solid, long-lasting material with a high melting point, high tensile and compressive strengths, excellent dielectric characteristics, and resistance to the majority of acids and solvents. It has a low moisture absorption rate and is waterproof. It is simple to color or tint polypropylene. It is also flexible and lightweight. The bonding and strength of the material can be improved using melt processing techniques like extrusion.

Plastic Extrusion Process Basics

The bulk of extruded plastics is thermoplastics, although thermosets can also be extruded by heating. Numerous high-performance, engineering-grade, and commodity plastics are available under that classification, all of which can have either amorphous or crystalline molecular architectures.

The most expensive and scarcest sorts of plastics to be extruded, high-performance plastics are designed for demanding conditions and have particularly superior thermal and mechanical qualities. Polyether ketone (PEK) is one such plastic utilized in the aerospace and automotive industries due to its resistance to chemicals, flame, and shrinkage and its ability to maintain strength across a wide range of temperatures.

Engineering plastics are specialty plastics created to have particular features without being as expensive as high-performance materials. TPE, ABS, nylon, and polycarbonate are a few of these plastics. Finally, most extrusions are made of commodity plastics which are more universally useful materials. These plastics, including PVC, polypropylene, and polyethylene, are the most affordable.

Finally, the polymer structure of any plastic from these three categories might be crystalline or amorphous, which confers different qualities. Amorphous structures have disordered, movable polymer chains, such as those in PVC, ABS, and polycarbonate. This structure gives them flexibility, elasticity, and resilience to impact and shrinkage.

On the other hand, they lack the strength and chemical resistance of polymers with crystalline structures, such as HDPE or polypropylene. These plastics have rigid structures that add strength, stiffness, and heat resistance. However, they lack impact resistance and tend to shrink as well.

Specialty Plastic Extrusion Processes

Many applications require specific extrusion techniques to get relevant results or accelerate production. Typical methods for specialized extrusion include:

• Coextrusion: Coextrusion is the simultaneous extrusion of multiple layers of material. For example, different types of plastic are fed into a single extrusion head by two or more extruders. Extruding numerous layers of various materials via one or more dies can produce laminated products.
• Overjacketing: Overjacketing is a protective plastic covering applied to an item using extrusion. The most typical use of overjacketing is for outside wire and cable jacketing.
• Extrusion of tubing: This is comparable to classical extrusion, except that inner pins or mandrels are incorporated into the die to permit the creation of hollow plastic materials. In addition, the air is injected into the empty region to prevent the extrusion from collapsing.
• Blown film extrusion: This process creates plastic film goods like supermarket and food storage bags. The vertical, cylindrical shape of the dies used in this method forces the molten plastic upward as it develops and cools. Additionally, the air is blasted while being kept from escaping by continuously sealing the tube's end. Blowing the film also causes the plastic molecules to rearrange, so they line up along the tube's perimeter, strengthening the substance.

Choosing the Right Extruded Plastic Manufacturer

To ensure you have the most constructive outcome when purchasing extruded plastic from an extruded plastic manufacturer, it is important to compare several companies using our directory of extruded plastic manufacturers. Each extruded plastic manufacturer has a business profile page highlighting their areas of experience and capabilities, along with a contact form to directly communicate with the manufacturer for more information or request a quote. Review each extruded plastic business website using our proprietary website previewer to quickly learn what each company specializes in. Then, use our simple RFQ form to contact multiple extruded plastic companies with the same form.