What is an extruder?
Extruders are conveying devices that use the Archimedes’ screw principle to press solid to viscous masses evenly out of a shaping opening under high pressure and temperature. Extruders can be divided into two process principles: Processing and compounding extruders. Processing extruders are mainly used for shaping, while compounding extruders are used for the chemical and/or physical modification of materials.
The extruder was already being used in the rubber industry before 1900. After some time, the food industry also discovered its many uses. Due to the great boom in the plastics industry in the middle of the last century, the extruder has also established itself as an important process engineering element in the continuous production of thermoplastic articles.
Depending on the product, pressures from 10 to 300 (700) bar and temperatures between 60 and 300° C are used. The length designations of the extruders are given in 25D, 30D, 40D etc., which means that 25 times (30 times, 40 times etc.) the screw diameter gives the length.
Ebbecke Verfahrenstechnik in Bruchköbel uses various extruders in the field of contract compaction.
