Twin-screw injection molding extrusion

The twin-screw injection molding extruder is an injection molding machine that is capable of both blending/compounding and extrusion in one step. Because it is a one step process, the fibers never go through the entire extrusion process as well as the pelletization that limits the fiber size, but are blended into the molten plastic before injection. The screw part of this machine is based on a non-intermeshing, counterrotating twin-screw extruder (Chapter 5). One of the screws in this machine is capable of axial movement and has a non-return valve on the end. This action enables the screw to inject and mold parts. 

Blends of polypropylene (PP) and liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) processed without melting the LCP were compared with conventional melt processed blends. In a first stage, PP was blended with 20 wt% of LCP in a twin-screw extruder with the take-up speed varied to achieve blends with different LCP fiber dimensions. In the second stage, these blends were processed both below and above the Tm of the LCP by extrusion and injection molding. 

Most of the compounds were extrusion compounded in a conical, partially intermeshing, counter rotating twin screw extruder (Haake Reomix TW-lOO). The extruder speed was set at 50 rpm and the barrel temperature profile was set to produce a melt temperature of 260°C at the die. Samples were injection molded in a 31.8 MT Battenfeld press with a 59 cc shot size. Where noted, samples were compounded in a 60 cc Brabender internal mixer and compression molded. 

In a typical formulation, an ethylene-n-butyl-acrylate-carbon monoxide (60/30/10) terpolymer (60 wt%) is melt compounded with plasticized PVC (40 wt%) in a twin-screw extruder and the ethylene terpolymer dispersion cured in situ during the mixing by catalytic amounts of a suitable peroxide (0.3%) and a bismaleimide crosslink promoter (0.2%). The extruded pellets of the elastomeric blend can be used in conventional melt fabrication processes such as profile extrusion, extrusion coating, milling and calendering of sheets, injection and/or compression molding. 

Soy based bio-plastics have been prepared by cooking with a plasticizer and blending with a biodegradable poly(ester amide) (94). The biocomposites thus prepared were blended with chopped industrial hemp fiber via twin screw extrusion and also by an injection molding process. 

Melt compounding is most commonly utilized for the preparation of PO/silica nanocomposites. POs and their blends, such as PP [326-337], PE [338-343], ethylene-propylene copolymer [344-354], ethylene-octene copolymer [347], thermoplastic POs [348-350], PP/ EPDM [351,352], and PP/liquid-crystalline polymer (LCP) [353-357] blends, have been used as the matrices in the preparation of PO/silica nanosystems and nanomaterials by twin-screw extrusion and injection molding or lab-scale single-screw extrusion and compression molding. 

The reinforcement of thermoplastics, notably polypropylene (PP) and polyamide (PA), with short glass fibers is a classical method to improve polymer mechanical properties. Fibers are dispersed more or less homogeneously in the polymer by melt compounding techniques such as twin screw extrusion to produce compounds ready for injection molding. Molded parts benefit from the better mechanical properties of the reinforcing fibers as the fibers bear a considerable part of the load applied to the composite structure. 

TS twin screw extrusion, IM internal mixer, E single screw extrusion, I injection molding, C casting, MM manual mixing, crosslinked PLA. 

Practical processing (e g., extrusion or injection molding) is usually performed under non-isothermal conditions. Isotactic polypropylene was nucleated with 1,3,5-benzenetri-carboxylic acid tris(cyclohexylamide) for processing in twin-screw extrader. The ciystal-lization activation energy was decreased from 370 kJ/mol for virgin iPP to 312 kJ/mol for the nucleated material. ... 

MWCNT-PLA Film casting, twin-screw extrusion - - injection molding, twin-screw extrusion - - compression molding, melt compounding -F compression molding [109 112]... 

Oilseed filler-PLA Twin-screw extrusion + injection molding [48]... 

---