Polymeric Extrusion

Abstract

In the field of composites, the extrusion operation is mostly used to perform the continuous blending and compounding of both miscible and immiscible polymers, for carrying out chemical reactions and to remove volatile substances from the polymeric stream before its shaping. In the following sections of this article, a fundamental survey on extrusion processes is provided with particular attention to the analysis of both single‐ and twin‐screw systems and their applications in composite technology. A basic theoretical analysis of the process is reported in order to highlight the fundamental process parameters and their relation to the quality and performance of products. Some examples of extrusion operations applied in the field of composite processing are provided, focusing on the mixing of particulate solids in thermoplastic polymers, including the nanocomposite issues.