Extrusion Services

Extrusion services include the manufacture of lengths of cross-sectional shapes and profiles.  Extruded products are available in a wide variety of materials and material combinations. Important considerations when searching for providers of extrusion services include materials processed, applications, extrusion method, services offered, secondary operations, and certification or quality requirements.

Material selection considerations include tensile or impact strength, magnetic and electric properties, and corrosion resistance.  Material flow during the stamping or forming process is another significant consideration when deep draws or especially thin or thick parts are desired.  Choices for materials include aluminum, brass or bronze, ceramics, composites, copper, exotic metals and alloys, precious metals, plastics or polymers, rubber or silicone, and steel or stainless steel.  Common applications serviced by providers of extrusion services include thin film, sheet, rod or wire, custom profiles or cross sections, construction or building products, tubing or hose, pipe, gaskets or seals, and heat sinks.

Choices for extrusion services include hot extrusion, cold extrusion, co-extrusion, dual or multi-durometer extrusion, hydrostatic extrusion, impact extrusion, pultrusions, reverse or backwards extrusion, and wire drawing.  Hot-working extrusion is a process that uses the good deformability of heated metallic or thermoplastic materials for shaping them. Extrusion at elevated temperatures enables considerable changes of shape to be achieved in a single operation where otherwise shaping them is impractical.  The cold working extrusion process is performed at or near room temperature.  High stresses dictate robust tooling for this process.   Co-extrusion is a technique in which multiple layers are extruded together; most widely used in sheet, film, and tubular extrusion applications.  Dual extrusion and multi-durometer extrusion are techniques wherein materials of different hardnesses are combined in a single extrusion.  One common application is a rigid material being combined with a flexible material in one cross section; the rigid component can add strength and structural alignment, while the flexible component may have a function such as sealing.  Hydrostatic extrusion is similar to impact extrusion, hydrostatic extrusion relies on a more gradual ram application than the impact extrusion technique.  Impact extrusion services use a technique in which a small amount of material is forced through a die by a ram, often in a tubular or similar cross section.  Very significant material deformation makes this suitable for relatively soft materials such as aluminum, lead, or tin.   Pultrusion is a manufacturing process where resin-impregnated reinforcement fibers are pulled though a heated steel die. The fibers are typically pulled from rolls through a resin impregnator then through the die, where the die heat initiates curing into a solid, constant cross section of fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP).  Reverse or backwards extrusion is a technique in which the material blank is forced to flow in the direction opposite the extruding pin, plunger, or ram.  It may be combined with impact or hydrostatic extruding.   Rod or wire forming process wherein a material is forced through successively smaller dies, thereby reducing the cross section.  "Drawing" refers to the wire or rod being assisted in being pulled through the die.

Services offered by providers of extrusion services include design assistance or review, die or tool fabrication, prototype or short run, high volume production, assembly services, and specialty packaging.  Secondary operations include machining, grinding, EDM cutting, water or abrasive jet cutting, heat treating or stress relieving, welding, anodizing, electroplating, painting or powder coating, and printing or labeling.  Certifications or quality requirements met by providers of extrusion services include ISO 9001, ISO 9002, QS 9000, and MIL-SPEC.

• Taking Aluminum Extrusions to the Next Level
  Aluminum extrusions can be designed to minimize the need for further processing, making assembly and final production easier and more efficient. Nevertheless, extrusions often require some type of...
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• Articles
  Improving Control of the Extrusion Spheronization Process Extrusion spheronization can be an efficient route to pellet dosage forms, but close control of temperature and speed is critical. Author:...
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