Extruder temperature control

MERCURE TRAINOR Extruder Temperature Control Experimental... 

Today s extruder temperature control systems are capable of maintaining temperature within a range of 1 °E Precision of this level is acceptable for practically all extrusion applications however, when variation exceeds just a few degrees, variations in product output can result. Therefore, it is important that accurate temperature control circuits are employed. 

The copolymers have been used in the manufacture of extruded pipe, moulded fittings and for other items of chemical plant. They are, however, rarely used in Europe for this purpose because of cost and the low maximum service temperature. Processing conditions are adjusted to give a high amount of crystallinity, for example by the use of moulds at about 90°C. Heated parts of injection cylinders and extruder barrels which come into contact with the molten polymer should be made of special materials which do not cause decomposition of the polymer. Iron, steel and copper must be avoided. The danger of thermal decomposition may be reduced by streamlining the interior of the cylinder or barrel to avoid dead-spots and by careful temperature control. Steam heating is frequently employed. 

Time, pressure, and temperature controls indicate whether the performance requirements of a molded product are being met. The time factors include the rate of injection, duration of ram pressure, time of cooling, time of piastication, and screw RPM. Pressure requirement factors relate to injection high and low pressure cycles, back pressure on the extruder screw, and pressure loss before the plastic enters the cavity which can be caused by a variety of restrictions in the mold. The temperature control factors are in the mold (cavity and core), barrel, and nozzle, as well as the melt temperature from back pressure, screw speed, frictional heat, and so on in the plasticator. 

An extruder for a polymer was controlled by a microprocessor based data acquisition and control system. The CAMILE system (Control And Monitoring Interface for Laboratory Experiments) connects the sensors and control elements of the extruder to a host MS-DOS computer. While a variety of variables are measured and controlled, this paper will consider only temperature control. 

A schematic view of an extruder is shown in figure 1. The extruder barrel is essentially a ferrous alloy cylinder, with aluminum block heaters attached to the outside. There are several temperature control zones along the length of the extruder. Measurement thermocouples are installed in the extruder barrel itself. Barrel temperature is used to control the temperature of the polymer melt. Energy from the heaters is conducted both radially and axially in the barrel. Below, figure 2 shows a sketch of the extruder barrel, with the heaters and the temperature measurement points used in this paper marked. 

A first principle mathematical model of the extruder barrel and temperature control system was developed using time dependent partial differential equations in cylindrical coordinates in two spatial dimensions (r and z). There was no angular dependence in the temperature function (3T/30=O). The equation for this model is (from standard texts, i.e. 1-2) ... 

Control of the temperature of rubber compound whilst being processed in extruders and injection moulding machines is vital if the product from these processes is to be uniform in quality. Failure to control temperatures in processing equipment can lead to scorching of the compound as it emerges from the extruder die or injection machine nozzle. Most modem items of processing equipment are fitted to a temperature control unit using either oil or water as the circulatory medium. 

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