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

Year 2024, Volume: 12 Issue: 2, 680 - 695, 29.04.2024

Emin Uslu , Galip Yılmaz

https://doi.org/10.29130/dubited.1272683

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

On-site viscosity testing, Extrusion, Polymer processing, Equipment designing, HDPE, PMMA

Polimer Akış Karakterizasyonu için Bir Mini Ekstrüderin Tasarımı, Üretimi ve Karşılaştırmalı Analizi: HDPE ve PMMA Polimerleri Üzerine Bir Uygulama

Abstract

Polimer ekstrüzyon, en yaygın kullanılan polimer işleme yöntemlerinden biridir ve birçok standart ürün için tek seçenektir. Modern ekstrüzyon makinesi çok karmaşık bir tasarıma sahiptir; örneğin ekstrüzyon vidasının farklı bölgeleri ve karmaşık geometrisi vardır. Doğru proses ayarlarını belirlemek, mühendisler için her zaman bir zorluk olmuştur. Ek olarak, polimerlerin karmaşık reolojik özellikleri bazen çözülmesi zor ve öngörülemeyen sorunlara yol açar. Kolaylık sağlamak için, çalışması zor olan büyük imalat makinelerinden ziyade polimerlerin sorunlarını gidermek ve analiz etmek için küçük ölçekli bir ekstrüzyon makinesi kullanılabilir. Bu çalışma kapsamında, ekstrüzyon işleminin doğasından sapmadan üretimi kolay, küçük ölçekli bir ekstrüzyon makinesi üretilmiştir. Üretim detayları verilen ekstrüder, HDPE ve PMMA olmak üzere iki farklı polimer ile test edilmiştir. Uygun proses parametreleri için ekstrüder ile doğru sıcaklık ve vida dönüş hızı belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca bu polimerlerin akış özelliklerinin tayini sıcaklık-viskozite ilişkisi belirlenmiştir.

Keywords

Yerinde viskozite testi, Ekstrüzyon, Polimer işleme, Ekipman tasarımı, HDPE, PMMA

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