Design, Manufacturing, and Comparative Analysis of a Mini Extruder for Polymer Flow Characterization: A Case Study on HDPE and PMMA Polymers

Authors : Emin Uslu, Galip Yılmaz

Pages : 680-695

Doi:10.29130/dubited.1272683

View : 54 | Download : 79

Publication Date : 2024-04-29

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Polymer extrusion is one of the most widely used polymer processing methods and the sole option for many standard products. The modern extrusion machine has a very sophisticated design; for example, the extrusion screw has different zones and complex geometry. Determining the proper processing settings is always a challenge for engineers. Additionally, complex rheological properties of the polymers in extrusion sometimes yield challenging and unpredictable problems to troubleshoot. For convenience, a small-scale extrusion machine can be used to troubleshoot and analyze the polymers rather than the large manufacturing machines that are hard to work with. This study has produced a small-scale extrusion machine that is easy to manufacture without deviating from the extrusion process\'s nature. The extruder, whose production details are given, was tested with two different polymers: HDPE and PMMA. The correct temperature and screw rotation speed were determined with the extruder for the proper process parameters. In addition, the temperature-viscosity relationship of the polymers\' flow nature was also determined.
Keywords : Yerinde viskozite testi, Ekstrüzyon, Polimer işleme, Ekipman tasarımı, HDPE, PMMA