Twin-sheet products

Leading the processing growth was the expansion of twin-sheet and pressure-formed plastic products. Fueled mostly by advances in mold technology, material developments, and thermoforming machinery capabilities, technology improvements in the form of machine controls have led to machine designs that are faster and more consistent than was previously possible. As an example advanced materials and... 

Basic process/variations Processing conditions Materials Mold design Product design Secondary operations Twin sheet forming Decorating Trimming/recycling... 

In North America, thick-gauge twin-sheet-formed products are formed in sequential fashion on rotary... 

Figure 16.18 Schematic of thick-gauge thermoforming machine with two ovens thereby allowing one sheet to be heated for each forming cycle thus doubling the throughput rate of a single oven machine. (Note this machine, often called a double-ender, can be equipped with a second mold to produce twin-sheet thick-gauge products).

Extrusion. In general, extmsion is the process of forcing a polymer melt through a die (104,105). Typical extmsion appHcations include initial resin pelletization after manufacture and production of film, sheet, pipe, tubing, and insulated wire. The HDPE extmsion temperature is around 150°C, the pressure 40—50 MPa (5800—7250 psi). An extmsion production line usually consists of an extmder (mono- or twin-screw) with a die at the end, a cooling and shaping device, a pulling device (a roUer), and a cutter. 

Fig. 1. Process flow sheet for the continuous conversion of latex in a counterrotating, tangential twin-screw extruder as it might be arranged for the production of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene polymer (Nichols and Kheradi, 1982). Polystyrene (or styrene-acrylonitrile) melt is fed upstream of the reactor zone where the coagulation reaction takes place. Washing (countercurrent liquid-liquid extraction) and solids separation are conducted in zones immediately downstream of the reactor zone. The remainii zones are reserved for devolatilization and pumping.

Extrusion. The main applications of this method include the production of film, sheet, pipe, and tubing. PB is usually extruded by using the same equipment (single- cu twin-screw extruders) as that used foi PP and HDPE, at melt and die temperatures of 170- 190°C. PMP is processed on extruders with a high length-to-diameter ratio at temperatures of 240-300°C. 

The extrusion of foamed products with twin screw extruders has been reviewed (375). The machinery, tools and processes for the production of foam core pipe, sheet and profile have been listed and the market reviewed (124,333). Technical details of PVC-U foam sheet extrusion lines, including dies and calibrators, have been given (258). 

Counter-rotating twin screw extruders are used almost exclusively for the production of uPVC pipes, profiles and sheet because they treat material more gently than single screws. Parallel screw and conical twin screw extruders are compared. Cincinnati Milacron Austria introduced its Argos parallel twin screw extruders last year. These machines are intended to complement the company s Titan conical screw range. Coextrusion of foamed core pipes is also described. 

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