KATHMANDU UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

FINAL REPORT ON

DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF PLASTIC EXTRUSION MACHINE

Bishwash Neupane 32105

Milan Pathak 32107

Mukunda Adhikari 32092

July, 2019
 PROJECT EVALUATION

DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF PLASTIC EXTRUSION MACHINE

By

Bishwash Neupane

Milan Pathak

Mukunda Adhikari

This is to certify that I have examined the final project report and have found that it is
complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the thesis
examination committee have been made.

_________________________________________
Asst. Prof. Pratisthit Lal Shrestha
Project Supervisor

_________________________________________

[External Examiner I…………………………….]

[Designation……………………………………...]
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The progress and success of this project required a lot of guidance and assistance from many

people and we are extremely privileged to have got this all along the progress of our project.

All that we have done is only due to such supervision and assistance. We respect and thank

Asst. Prof. Mr. Prathisthit Lal Shrestha for providing us an opportunity to do the project, and

giving us all support, supervision and guidance for the progress of the project. We are

extremely thankful to him for his contribution in stimulating suggestion and encouragement

that helped us to coordinate for the progress of the project. Furthermore, we owe our deep

gratitude to all those who provided us their direct and indirect support to carry out our project.

iii
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................... III

LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................. VI
LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................... VII
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................... VIII
LIST OF SYMBOLS ............................................................................................................ IX
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................. X
INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................... 1
1.2 OBJECTIVES ...................................................................................................................... 1
1.3 SIGNIFICANCE ................................................................................................................... 2
1.4 LIMITATIONS ..................................................................................................................... 2
LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................................................... 3
2.1 EXTRUDER ........................................................................................................................ 3
2.1.1 Historical Development of Extruder ......................................................................... 3
2.1.2 Extrusion Process ..................................................................................................... 4
2.1.3 Extrusion Machine Components ............................................................................... 5
2.1.4 Viscosity in Extrusion ............................................................................................... 7
2.2 EXTRUDER MACHINE ........................................................................................................ 8
2.2.1 Single Screw Extruder............................................................................................... 8
2.2.2 Twin screw Extruder ............................................................................................... 10
2.2.3 Multi- Screw Extruder............................................................................................. 10
2.3 TYPICAL EXTRUSION MATERIALS ................................................................................... 10
2.4 DENSITY .......................................................................................................................... 11
2.5 MELT FLOW INDEX (MFI) ............................................................................................... 12
2.6 TORQUE .......................................................................................................................... 12
2.7 FRICTION ......................................................................................................................... 12
2.8 COMPRESSION RATIO ...................................................................................................... 13
2.9 LENGTH-OVER-DIAMETER (L/D) RATIO ......................................................................... 13
2.10 AIR COOLING ................................................................................................................ 14
METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................ 15
3.1 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ............................................................................................ 15
3.2 STUDY DESIGN ................................................................................................................ 15
3.3 COMPONENTS DESIGN AND MATERIAL SELECTION ......................................................... 16
3.4 PRELIMINARY CALCULATIONS ........................................................................................ 16
3.4.1 Shear Rate Determination....................................................................................... 17
3.4.2 Flow Rate Determination........................................................................................ 17
3.4.3 Pressure drop inside the barrel .............................................................................. 18
3.4.5 Estimation of Motor Size......................................................................................... 18
3.4.6 Drag flow equation ................................................................................................. 18
3.4.7 Pressure flow equation ........................................................................................... 19
3.4.8 Heat Analysis of Polymer Extrusion ....................................................................... 19
3.5 GANTT CHART ................................................................................................................ 21

iv
FABRICATION ..................................................................................................................... 22
4.1 Base ............................................................................................................................ 22
4.2 Barrel, screw and hopper .......................................................................................... 22
4.3 Nozzle and die ............................................................................................................ 23
4.4 Barrel Holder ............................................................................................................. 23
4.5 Installation of motor .................................................................................................. 24
4.6 Band heater, Relay, PID, Thermocouple and Power supply ..................................... 24
TESTING AND MODIFICATION ...................................................................................... 26
5.1 Test Day 1 .................................................................................................................. 26
5.2 Test Day 2 .................................................................................................................. 26
5.3 Test Day 3 .................................................................................................................. 27
5.4 Test Day 4 .................................................................................................................. 28
5.5 Test Day 5 .................................................................................................................. 30
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ............................................................................................ 31
BUDGET EXPENSES ........................................................................................................... 32
CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................................... 33
RECOMMENDATIONS....................................................................................................... 34
REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................... 35
APPENDIX ............................................................................................................................. 36
GLOSSARY............................................................................................................................ 51

v
 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 2.1. 4 Capillary shear rates versus viscosity data [6] ........................................... 8
Figure 2.2. 1 A single screw extruder [7] ........................................................................ 9
Figure 2.2. 2 Parallel twin screw [7].............................................................................. 10
Figure 2. 8 Basic property of plasticizing screw [10] .................................................... 13
Figure 3. 2 Block diagram representing series of activities ......................................... 16
Figure 4. 2 Barrel and hopper assembly....................................................................... 22
Figure 4. 3 Nozzle and die fixed on barrel ................................................................... 23
Figure 4. 4 Barrel holder along with bearing mount .................................................... 23
Figure 4. 5 Motor, bearing, screw and coupler installed and their axes aligned .......... 24
Figure 4.6. 1 Initial wiring (Left), Final wiring with switches (Right) ........................ 24
Figure 4.6. 2 Plastic extrusion machine with filament roller ....................................... 25
Figure 5. 1 First batch of extruded plastic that burned due to excess heat ................... 26
Figure 5. 2 Black to brown gradient of molten plastic ................................................. 27
Figure 5.3. 1 Barrel length reduced .............................................................................. 27
Figure 5.3. 2 Melting Process of Plastic inside the barrel ............................................ 27
Figure 5.5. 3 Molten plastic from the nozzle ............................................................... 28
Figure 5.4. 1 Filament drawn out from the nozzle with varying diameter ................... 28
Figure 5.4. 2 Fabricated table top plastic extruder ....................................................... 29

vi
 LIST OF TABLES

Table 2. 1 Table for typical extrusion materials with recycling codes [8] .................... 10
Table 2. 2 Advantages of short and long extruders [10] ................................................ 14
Table 3. 1 Table for work schedule .............................................................................. 21
Table 7. 1 Table for budget estimation ........................................................................ 32

vii
 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
AC Alternating Current
CAD Computer Aided Design
COF Coefficient of Friction
CR Compression Ratio
DC Direct Current
DIN Deutsches Institutes fuer Normung
L/D Length per Diameter
MFI Melt Flow Index
MFR Mass Flow Rate
MVR Melt Volume Rate
PID Proportional Integral Derivative
PLA Poly Lactic Acid
PTC Positive Temperature Coefficient
RMS Root Mean Square
SSR Solid State Relay
USA United States of America

viii
 LIST OF SYMBOLS

A Area [m2]
C Capacitance [Farad]
D Diameter of the shaft [m]
E Kinetic energy [Joules]
F Force [Newton]
H Screw channel depth [m]
Δ𝐻 Change in Enthalpy [J/kg]
I Current [Ampere]
L Length of Screw [m]
N Screw seed in revolutions/min [min-1]
Ρ Density of liquid [m3/kg]
Pa Actual power output [kW]
Q Flow rate [m3/s]
Q Charge [Coulomb]
R Resistance [ohm]
R Radius of die hole [m]
T Torque [Nm]
α Helix angle [°]
Θ Shear Rate [s-1]
Σ Stress [N/m2]
Η Coefficient of Viscosity [N-s/m2]
Δvx
Δz Velocity Gradient [s-1]

ix
 ABSTRACT

Tones of plastics produced and used by the human beings eventually end up in the nature
causing harm to living beings and the environment. The amount of plastic recycled than the
plastics produced is very much less and the requirement of plastic recycling and upcycling is
now an essential task. This project is about the design and fabrication process of plastic
extrusion machine which address the plastic recycling. This small tabletop extruder is just a
small step in recycling the huge plastic products.
The small table top plastic extrusion is designed. The initial design consists of different
components like hopper, screw, barrel, die and motor system. The plastic pellets are fed
through hopper which are moved forward using the rotating screw driven by suitable sized
motor. The friction between the pellets and barrel surface along with the external heat given by
the band heaters melt the plastic pellets and pump through the die. If the temperature is not
enough then the product is not good and fine as expected and the melt get pasted in the barrel
and when different type of plastic pellet is used in extrusion it results in the mixture of two
types of plastics. So, temperature maintenance is very important.
This prototype is designed in such a way that any people interested to make plastic extrusion
machine can follow the procedure mentioned in this report.
Keywords: Plastic Recycling, Plastic Extrusion, Plastic Extruder, Extrusion Screw
Plastic pellets, Extruded Products

x
 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background
Plastic extrusion process is a manufacturing process in which raw plastic is melted and formed
into a continuous profile producing items such as pipe/tubing, fencing, deck, railings, window
frames, plastic films, and wire insulation. The general process starts by feeding plastic
materials, like pellets, granules, flakes, or powders from a hopper into the barrel of the extruder.
The material is gradually melted by mechanical energy generated by turning screws, and by
heaters arranged along the barrel. The molten polymers are then forced into a shape that hardens
during cooling. Plastic extrusion process is one of the methods to recycle the plastic products
and reduce the plastic waste in some extent.
According to the estimates, every year more than 8 million tons of plastic ends up in the oceans.
Researchers claim that humans have produced 9.1 billion tons of plastics so far, and much of
it ends up in nature causing harm to living beings and the environment. In context of Nepal,
taking Kathmandu Valley as an example, Kathmandu alone uses around 4,700,000 to 4,800,000
plastics bags daily. In Nepal, 16 percent of urban waste is comprised of plastic, which is 2.7
tons of daily plastic garbage production [1]. Besides the sheer quantity of plastic being produced,
one of the major problems with plastic is its resistance to degradation. According to the
estimation, the average time for one single plastic bag to completely biodegrade is 500 years.
So, the best way to get rid of plastics is to reduce the production and recycle them time and
again. Plastic extrusion process helps to recycle plastic wastes and reuse them.
The use of plastic extrusion machines has increased globally with the increase of plastic
production, however in Nepal it has not gained much popularity except in some of the plastic
industries. Very few groups have started the plastic upcycling process like 'Himalayan Life
Plastic Private Limited', Pokhara Industrial Estate, and some digitalized groups like 'Khalisisi',
'Doko Recyclers' have been working on this field which, however is not enough [2]. So, the idea
of plastic extrusion machine can be used widely in Nepal by developing portable, simple, and
low-cost machine to reduce the plastic related crisis in local level.

1.2 Objectives

 To design and fabricate table top plastic extrusion machine which will be used to
recycle solid plastic wastes.
 To test if it can be used on daily basis for long term use.

1
  To understand the basic steps involved in plastic extrusion process.

1.3 Significance
The use of polymeric product is inevitable in daily life and the use of plastic products cannot
be stopped completely overnight. Nepal is no exception to excessive use of plastic products.
However, the idea of recycling and upcycling of plastic products is still not popular in Nepal.
Also, very few companies and industries are working in this field so the development of low
cost and simple plastic extrusion machine has now become a necessity to control the plastic
wastes.

1.4 Limitations
The limitations of this extrusion machine are:
 Cannot be used for extrusion in large scale.
 Only filaments can be extruded.
 Small pellets can only be fed in the hopper.

2
 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Extruder
Plastic extrusion machine or simply extruder is used to create objects of a fixed cross-sectional
profile. To extrude means to push or force out the material through an opening to get product
as extrudate.

2.1.1 Historical Development of Extruder

The engineers Charles Hancock and his co-workers applied the fundamental principle of
extrusion in 1820. In 1870s, first screw machine was developed and in 1890s it was
manufactured commercially in USA. In Europe Francis Shaw and Paul Troester developed
extrusion system commercially in 1900. The first modern extruder was developed in the early
19th century. The first thermoplastic extrusion was developed in 1935 by Paul Troester and his
wife Ashley Gerhoff in Hamburg, Germany. Roberto Colombo of Lampeupdatedusa, Italy
developed the first twin screw extruders in Italy [3].
Extrusion technology was introduced in late 1870, and this has revolutionized the extruder
system by accurate temperature setting in extrusion. This technology effectively reduced the
plastic deformation and increased the production of different thermoplastic polymers. From
1960 onwards, the constant developments made in extruder machine manufacturing have been
successful for wide range of polymer types. The basic design of extruder machines did not
change afterwards. Every extruder machine followed certain mechanical procedure during
production following the same principle. The demand of plastic product raised with the
development of extruder eventually, the next generation of the extruder was started when it
was focused on die making. Those remarkable developments made researchers able to look for
the many customization for further needs. The compression and pressure were studied together.
Nowadays, the extruder has developed in many ways, the attention of the modern engineers
changed its classical form to the modern form. The flight time of the extruder screw was
increased co-rotating and counter rotating principle. Each design was noted for each use. The
produced pressure was analyzed to develop the more advancement in the extruder [4].
Recently, the extruder system is fully automated and there is huge development in extrusion
system. The extrusion system has high in demand from pipes to the objects that are printed in
3D printer by using the same extrusion with the fusion of latest technologies. Starting from the
wide range of extrusion technologies against the historical background, the new advancement

3
is still running to produce sustainable/eco-friendly biopolymers such as PLA or Nano-
composites [5].

2.1.2 Extrusion Process

The single screw extruder is basically a volumetric pump. It is not a positive displacement
device and variations in feeding results in variations in output. The process in extrusion is
simple and can be divided into following different steps:
1. Feeding
2. Solid Conveying
3. Melt and melt conveying
4. Mixing
5. Die Forming
These various processes solid conveying, melting, melt conveying, mixing and die forming
occur simultaneously and are inter-dependent. The extruding unit generally contains screw,
barrel, heat controlling unit, and the die. Feeding of the extruder is independent of screw design.
A consistent feed stream must be supplied for the successful operation of any single screw
extruder. The feed stream must be of uniform composition and uniform weight. The resin
feeding process is generally driven by gravity or gravitational force causes the pellets to drop
in the rotational screw. This process is opposed by frictional forces, centrifugal forces due to
screw rotation and escaping air from compaction. The optimum conditions for resin feeding
are low coefficient of friction between pellets to hopper, pellets to pellets, large volume to
surface ratio of pellets and large opening of hopper.
Solid conveying process is generally driven by sliding force between pellets to barrel and
opposed by sliding force between pellets to the rotating screw. The optimum conditions for
solid conveying are high COF between pellets to barrel, pellets to pellets, low COF between
pellets to screw channel, low surface to volume ratio of pellets and high channel width to depth
ratio.
Melting process is driven by viscous heat due to shearing, heat conduction from adjacent
polymers and heat conduction from barrel and screw. And it is opposed by heat removal. The
optimum conditions for melting are high viscosity and shear rate, large solid interface with
barrel and small channel width. The screw rotates and creates the friction which generates shear
heat which melts the pellets. The electric heat control act as a thermal energy for the process.
Pumping or melt conveying process is driven by drag flow and opposed by the pressure flow.
The optimum conditions for melt conveying are low head pressure, high entrance pressure,

4
high screw speed and high melt viscosity. Mixing process is driven by two types of mixtures
solid in liquid and liquid in liquid and two types of mixing occurs namely dispersive and
distributive.
Die forming is the final process in which the molten plastics after passing through filter form
the final customized product.

2.1.3 Extrusion Machine Components

The single screw extruder consists of different mechanical and electrical components.
Mechanical components include Hopper, Screw, Barrel, Die, Drive system meanwhile
electrical components are PID controllers, Electrical heaters, Solid state relay, Thermocouple,
Kapton tape and so on. The brief descriptions of individual components are discussed below.

2.1.3.1 Hopper
Due to the force of gravity polymer pellets reach to the system through hopper. The hoppers
are generally in funnel shape to make sure the pellets can slide through the angled surface
inside the hopper. The most hoppers are attached by nut bolt system and are detachable to
replace it with proper size according to feed needed in the system.

2.1.3.2 Screw
The screw plays a vital role in extruding. The screw is needed to push the material which is
feed to the system from the hopper. The rotating screw pushes the pellets in to the barrel. The
screw is the critical part to optimize. The improper design of the screw may result instabilities
and poor product. The speed of the screw can be determined from the control unit.

2.1.3.3 Barrel
The pellets are heated through the five channels of heating using ceramic band heaters in barrel.
The granules are from solid state to liquid state mixing together. The friction force between
screw and pellets makes it easy to melt because the barrel temperatures gets high enough to
melt the plastic. The molten material through the barrel gets into the holes of die where the
shape of product is given.

2.1.3.4 Die
The extruder contains breaker plate placed at the head of the extruder barrel which connects
with the die. Gear pumps are also often placed in between die and the extruder for producing
very uniform pressure, which produce uniform cross section dimensions. It provides a seal

5
between the extruder and the die. It contains many holes due to which the plastic is forced to
pass in straight line after rotating movement during process. It also filters other impurities to
enter die. Dies are all replaceable and according to product requirement. The opening area of
die is usually larger than the area to the finished side. Die is a key unit of the extruder
throughout the extrusion process.

2.1.3.5 The Drive System

Drives system is an important part of the extrusion machine. It is very important to have the
right kind of motor and drive combination that will help in saving energy and enable in
improving the efficiency of the extrusion machine. In most of the extruders DC motor acts as
a core driving component. But the AC motors have been replaced in the place of DC motors as
AC motors can be easily synchronized and optimized into 3-phase system. Normally the motors
are mounted with the pulley system to drive depending on the extruder. The drive needs as
much as force to overcome the friction on the system between screw and the barrel.

2.1.3.6 Motors
DC motors are used for many years to power extrusion equipment although newer AC motors
are being developed to fit this need as well. DC motors and drives have wide ranges for
constant torque speed. They are simplistic in design and some DC drives can easily be
retrofitted for existing DC motors. These also come in smaller sizes but with larger horsepower
ratings.

2.1.3.7 Electrical Heaters

Electrical heating is process through which external heat is provided at specific point required
using electrical heaters like band heaters. Electrical heaters have replaced other fluid heaters or
steam heaters. They are widely used nowadays as these specific heating components reduce
cost and are very efficient too. Electrical heaters usually cover a large area than other heating
system. The certain number of current passes through the conductor which has certain
resistances, these resistances work as the barrier in the flow and generate heat. The heat
obtained by this is given below in the equation:
𝑉2
𝑞𝐶 = 𝐼 2 𝑅 = 𝑉𝐼 = 𝑅 Equation (2.1)
This equation is used in both AC and DC current and expressed in RMS. For three phase circuit
heat equation is given by:
𝑞𝐶 = 3𝑉𝐼 Equation (2.2)

6
2.1.3.8 Solid State Relay (SSR)
SSR is the device in which the temperature can be controlled with the help of PID. For
controlling the electric circuit to maintain the temperature. The temperature can be controlled
by controlling electricity. So, this device acts as the gate keeper for the electricity. Which means
when the temperature is insufficient the SSR will transmit electricity to the heater and when
the temperature reaches the required level it cuts of the electricity with the help of PID and
thermostat.

2.1.3.9 PID controllers

PID is the device which provides the Information to SSR when to turn on and when to turn off.
PID reads the temperature of any system with the help of thermostat. It functions as the input
panel to the system. General-purpose of temperature controllers are to control most critical
processes in industry. Typically, they come in a range of DIN sizes, have multiple outputs, and
programmable output functions. They are traditionally placed in the front panel with the display
for easy operator accessibility. These controllers have a pre-tune function to initially calculate
the PID temperature for a process, and a continuous tune function to constantly refine the PID
temperature. This allows for quick setup, saving time and reducing waste.

2.1.3.10 Thermocouple
The sensor which is used to measure the temperature is known as thermocouple. It consists of
two wires made from different metals. When the two material are subjected to the heat, it
produces some electric voltage which determines the reading of the temperature in the system.
The thermocouple is used for low cost, durable and high temperature range.

2.1.4 Viscosity in Extrusion

Viscosity is the quantity that describes a fluid's resistance to flow. Fluids resist the relative
motion of immersed objects through them as well as to the motion of layers with differing
velocities within them. Mathematically, viscosity (represented by the symbol η "eta") is the
ratio of the shearing stress (ƒ/A) to the velocity gradient (Δvx/Δz or dvx/dz) in a fluid.
Polymer viscosity is important in extrusion to understand the processing window, the role
temperature plays in viscosity, and the importance of shear rate during processing. The
viscosity versus shear rate curve shows large differences with temperature changes and only
small differences with shear rate changes. To lower viscosity during extrusion, it is more
effective to decrease the melt temperature. Going to a higher shear screw in either single or

7
twin-screw extrusion does not dramatically alter the resin viscosity. Higher shear rate does
induce shear heating, which lowers the polymer viscosity and can lead to resin degradation.
Some resin systems exhibit both strong temperature and strong shear dependence.

Figure 2.1. 4 Capillary shear rates versus viscosity data [6]

2.2 Extruder Machine

The present day's extruder machine is improved and refined. The extruder is classified into
various types depending in the number of screws. There are basically three types of extruder:
 Single Screw extruder
 Twin screw extruder
 Multi- Screw extruder

2.2.1 Single Screw Extruder

Single screw extruders are the extruder which have only one screw in the system. It is
commonly used for the simple and general materials. In recent years, people have done lots of
researches for more constant and stable single screw extruders. Some core advantages of single
screw extruders are including low cost, straightforward design, uneven surface, reliability and
best performance/cost ratio. The screw in this type of extruders have only one compression
section, even though they have three distinctive geometrical sections.

8
Figure 2.2. 1 A single screw extruder [7]

9
2.2.2 Twin screw Extruder
Twin extruder is generally used for powder processing. In this type of extruder, the powder is
mixed according to the ratio. This extruder has better self-cleaning ability and mixing ability.
The twin extruder is also used in the field of pelletizing the plastics. The performance which
can be taken from twin extruder system is more qualitative. In some extruders, the screws rotate
in the same direction while in others they rotate in opposite direction. The way the twin-screw
extruder is designed makes it possible to be used for specific operations.

Figure 2.2. 2 Parallel twin screw [7]

2.2.3 Multi- Screw Extruder

The multi screw extruder is for the purpose in which we need more good output. The materials
don’t have mixing problem in this type of extruder. The output quality is very good and strong.
This type of machine has more screw depending on the need of the uses.

2.3 Typical Extrusion Materials

The different types of plastics are used in extrusion process as extrusion materials. These
includes polyethylene, polypropylene, acetal, acrylic, nylon, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride,
acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and polycarbonate. These materials are at first shredded using
the shredder. The shredded pellets are either mixed or collected separately so that it makes
easier to detect the type of material used in extrude product. Following table shows the typical
extrusion materials with their respective plastic identification codes.

Table 2. 1 Table for typical extrusion materials with recycling codes [8]

10
 Material Plastic Full Polymer Examples of
Type Identification Names Common Product
Acronym Code
PET 1 Polyethylene Soft-Drink and water
Terephthalate bottles, Salad domes,
HDPE 2 High Density Milk Bottles, ice-
Polyethylene cream containers
PVC 3 Polyvinyl Chloride Cosmetics containers,
pipes films,
LDPE 4 Low density Squeezable bottles,
Polyethylene rubber bags, food
wrap
PP 5 Polypropylene Lunch boxes,
microwave
containers,
PS 6 Polystyrene Plastic cutlery, CD
cases
EPS 6 Expanded Protection packaging
Polystyrene for fragile goods
Other 7 Acrylonitrile Car parts, appliances
butadienees parts, computers,
styrene and water cooler bottles
Santoprene

2.4 Density
Density is defined as weight per unit volume. In extrusion three different densities are critical:
 Raw material density
 Melt density in the extruder
 Solid polymer Density
The bulk density is important in determining whether potential feed problems may occur. A
bulk density below 320.37 kilograms per cubic meter is very fluffy and may not flow well from

11
the feed hopper into the extruder. If it is free flowing, the feed volume per unit time may greatly
reduce the anticipated throughput rate
The melt density is more than the bulk density due to the removal of air and space between the
particles in solid state. In melt state the density is less than the final plastic part, as polymers
contract when temperature decreases. In the final part, the molecular chains are tightly packed
together and the air is removed that was originally present in the bulk density. Density is critical
when selecting pellets for extrusion [6].

2.5 Melt Flow Index (MFI)

Melt flow index is a measure of the ease of flow of the melt of a thermoplastic polymer. It
gives the actual data or measurement of flow of plastic resin. It represents the index for typical
polyethylene and also for variety of materials for quality control on large production. It does
not require very deep knowledge about the properties of materials if operator follows the melt
flow index. Polymer processors usually correlate the value of MFI with the polymer grade that
they have to choose for different processes, and most often this value is not accompanied by
the units, because it is taken for granted to be g/10 min [9].

2.6 Torque
The torque is simply a force which is required to rotate any object through an axis. The force
and the distance between the axes are generally taken while calculating the torque. The distance
between pivot and the point in which force acts is called moment arm. The motor having high
strength and can rotate despite of heavy resistance has more torque. Motor can be selected
according to required torque. The torque is defined as:
𝑇 = 𝑟 × 𝐹 = 𝑟𝐹 sin(𝜃) Equation (2.3)

2.7 Friction
When two surfaces come in contact and have some relative movement, an opposing force is
created and that force is called friction. Friction competes against the motion of one surface
across another surface. The friction between the pellets to pellets, pellets to screw, pellets to
barrel play an important role to maintain the quality of an extruded product. The heat generated
by the friction melts the pellets of polymer. The properties of the texture of surface of barrel
and screw gives the properties of friction acting within the different components. If the surface
is very rough then the friction is more in those surfaces. Contact force which pushes the two
surfaces together is another factor that affects friction.

12
2.8 Compression Ratio
The ratio of channel depth in feed and metering zone is called compression. The ratio is
considered as very important parameter in the field of screw design. The compression ratio
typically ranges from 1.5:1 to 4.5:1 for most thermoplastic materials. Higher compression ratio
results increase in shear heat imparted to the resin, heat uniformity of the melt, potential for
creating stresses in some resins, and energy consumption. The compression ratio is given by:
𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑙 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑡ℎ 𝑖𝑛 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑧𝑜𝑛𝑒
𝐶𝑅 = 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑙 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑡ℎ 𝑖𝑛 𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑧𝑜𝑛𝑒 Equation (2.4)

Figure 2. 8 Basic property of plasticizing screw [10]

The screws like barrier screw are special ones, therefore to consider the volumetric
compression is more important and reliable for design parameter than depth compression ratio.
In designing this screw, the flight pitch is also changed from feed to the transition and metering
zones.

2.9 Length-Over-Diameter (L/D) ratio

The length over diameter (L/D) is also one of the important measures in screw design. The
ratio generally is found ranging from 20:1 to 34:1 of any typical screw. The ultimate application
of the screw is responsible to determine its length. So, length of the screw is depending on,
each turn while designing the screw. For typical extrusion there are three zones, feeding,
compression and metering zones. Therefore, conventional screw generally has L/D ratio of
24:1. Besides conventional screws application, there are other fields of application where high
pressure, heat and constant temperature is required in order to process the material. After
knowing the Length-over diameter, it is possible to find out how long is the barrel.

13
The length-over-diameter ratio is defined as:

𝐿 𝑆𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑤 𝑓𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝐿𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ

= 𝑆𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑤 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝐷𝑖𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 Equation (2.5)
𝐷

The advantages of using long and short extruders are given below:
Table 2. 2 Advantages of short and long extruders [10]

Advantages Short extruders Advantages of Long Extruders

1. Required floor space is less 1. Capable of more mixing
2. Low initial cost of investment 2. Can pump at higher die pressure
3. Less Torque is required resulting to 3. Good melting Capacity with less
small sized motor with less hp heat

4. Output is related to L/D of extruder 4. More conductive heating from

barrel

2.10 Air Cooling

Air cooling is a method of dissipating heat. It works by increasing the flow of air over the
object to be cooled or both. The air has to be cooler than the object or surface from which heat
has to be removed. Any of the extruded products can be cooled by using the air-cooling system.
The air cooling can be done with the help of fan. The small CPU fan can be easily used when
the cooling is required. This makes the extruded product to cool down and avoid extra shrink
of the product.

14
 METHODOLOGY

3.1 Conceptual Framework

The theory behind the plastic extrusion goes back to Archimedes and before but the modern
developments based on the physical phenomenon are less than 70 years old. The modelling of
extrusion started in the 1950s and the prominent names on this field are McKelvey, Gore,
Squires, Maddock, Maillefer and many more. Tadmor and Gogos have provided an idea on
their book to create a melt screw pump that can continuously transport fluid and build up the
pressure. The idea is to first twist the container and then wrap the wall around it to form the
barrel. Their proposed screw contains three sections: solid conveying zone, melting zone, and
melt conveying zone.
Darnell and Mol (1956) developed an isothermal model that relates the mass flow rate to the
ratio of outlet to inlet pressure. This model gives pressure rise downstream in exponential form.
The accuracy of model for solids transport depends on the friction coefficients. But the
coefficient of friction depends on pressure, temperature, surface condition, presence of
lubricants or additives in the feed, type of feed, shape of pellets, and their size, pellet surface.
It is very difficult to make good and reproducible and meaningful measurements [11].
In the late 1950's Bruce Maddock performed experiments, pulling the screw and examining
what happened. His conclusion is that melting really occurs in a film between barrel and solid
bed. A melt pool forms in front of the rear flight. The melt is dragged by the barrel surface;
actually, the down channel component that drags the melt component towards the discharge
end. The cross-channel component induces a circulatory pattern that results in respectively
good mixing. Shear is the primary source of melting. In all the screws at least the first 70% or
so of melting is due to the shear stress in the melt film between barrel and solid bed surface.
The solid bed is fairly easily subjected to breakup and the remaining solids will receive very
little shear. Single screw extruders are melting and pumping machines but they do virtually no
dispersive mixing and only limited distributive mixing. The pressure difference causes to pump
out the melt polymers to give the final product.

3.2 Study Design

Extrusion is a high-volume manufacturing process. The plastic material is melted with the
application of heat and extruded through die into a desired shape. A cylindrical screw kept
inside the barrel rotates and develops sufficient pressure to go through a die and produce
products with the desired geometry according to the cross-section of a die.
15
In this process, plastic materials in the form of pellets or granules are gravity fed from a top
mounted hopper into the barrel. Additives and colorants can be mixed in the hopper as per
requirements. The plastic material enters through the feed throat and comes into the contact
with the rotating screw. Motors power the screws to rotate through its axis. Rotating screw
further pushes the plastic pellets forward into the barrel. The band heaters heat the barrel at
specific points up to the melting temperature of plastic. The heating elements are used in such
a way that the temperature of barrel increases gradually from the rear to the front. Finally, the
melt polymers pass through the filter and die and produce the extruded product.

Feeding of Pellets Starting of drive Screw rotates to

in the hopper system convey solid
pellets

Mixing of melted Melting and Shearing of pellets

and remaining pumping of due to friction
solid polymers molten polymer

Temperature Addition of band Extrusion through

measurement heaters if required die
using
thermocouple Figure 3. 2 Block diagram representing series of activities

3.3 Components Design and Material Selection

The design of each components was done using software called Solid works which offer
complete tools needed for engineering design, the three-dimensional model of each
components was designed at first and then all the parts were assembled to bring out the outlook
of final product. The first phase of the time dedicated for this project was utilized for the
modelling and analysis. The brief explanation of design and 3D model of the components are
shown and discussed in this section. The detailed two-dimensional drawing with measurement
is shown in Appendix I.

3.4 Preliminary Calculations

The preliminary calculations as per the initial design is discussed here. The calculation can be
changed as per the change is design is required. The mathematical relation or formula are

16
written in the form of equation, using these equations many calculations can be done varying
the data altered during the change in initial design.
𝑘𝑔
Assuming the maximum rate of production i.e. throughput (ρQ) = 1 ℎ𝑟
Taking LDPE
𝑘𝑔
Density (ρ) = 916 𝑚3
Coefficient of viscosity (μ) = 5 ∗ 104 𝑃𝑎𝑠. 𝑠𝑒𝑐
𝐽
Heat capacity at constant pressure (𝐶𝑝 ) = 2500 𝑘𝑔0
𝐶
𝐽
Latent heat of fusion (𝐻𝑓 ) = 130000 𝑘𝑔

3.4.1 Shear Rate Determination

In order to calculate the exit temperature of the extrudate in this project's experiment, the shear
rate has to be determined, shear rate which is given by:
𝜋×𝐷×𝑁
𝑆ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒(𝜃) = Equation (3.1)
60×𝐻

As per design and initial screw selection, extruder barrel diameter is 18 mm, the screw speed
N is set 50 rpm and the channel depth (H) is 9.5 mm.
Then the shear rate at the barrel zone is given by (Equation 3.1);
𝜋×𝐷×𝑁 𝜋×0.18×50
𝑆ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒(𝜃) = = = 4.957 s-1
60×𝐻 60×0.095

The rate at which polymers sheared between the end of the screw tip and the barrel wall can be
computed using the same equation i.e. (Equation 3.1). The shear rates between the end of screw
flight and the barrel wall are high because the height is small and low between the screw
channel and the inner barrel walls. The rate at which polymers shear at the end of screw area
depends on the die shape [12].
Since the initial design of die consists of a round die dip channel, the shear rate is computed
using the equation below:
4×𝑞
𝑆ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑒(𝜃) = 𝜋×𝑟 3 Equation (3.2)
4ρ𝑄
=
𝜋ρR3
4∗1 1
=
𝜋 ∗ 916 ∗ (9 ∗ 10−3 )3 ℎ𝑟
1
= 1905.49 ℎ𝑟
1
= 0.5293
𝑠𝑒𝑐
3.4.2 Flow Rate Determination
Total flow rate in the barrel is affected by the drag flow, pressure flow and the leakage flow
over the flight.

17
𝑄𝑠𝑚𝑜𝑜𝑡ℎ 𝑏𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑙 = 𝑄𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑔 − 𝑄𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 (ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑) − 𝑄𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑘𝑎𝑔𝑒 (𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡) Equation (3.3)

3.4.3 Pressure drop inside the barrel

Calculation of pressure drop inside the barrel

8∗𝑄∗𝜇∗𝐿
∆𝑃= 𝑃𝑎𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑙 Equation (3.4)
𝜋R4
8 ∗ 𝜌𝑄 ∗ 𝜇 ∗ 𝐿
= 𝑃𝑎𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑙
𝜋𝜌R4
8 ∗ 1 ∗ 5 ∗ 104 ∗ 393 ∗ 10−3
= 𝑃𝑎𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑙
𝜋 ∗ 916 ∗ (9 ∗ 10−3 )4
= 2312781 𝑃𝑎𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑙
= 2.3 𝑀𝑝𝑎

3.4.5 Estimation of Motor Size

The target output rate of extrusion is 1 kg per hour. The feed pellets are at room temperature
and the desired melt temperature is approximately 200˚C. The minimum motor size of the
extruder is determined assuming 70% mechanical energy efficiency. Assuming the adiabatic
condition, the theoretical power at 100 % mechanical energy efficiency is calculated according
to following equation:

(𝑃0 ) = ρQ𝐶𝑝 (−𝑇𝑖𝑛 + 𝑇𝑜𝑢𝑡 ) + ρQ𝐻𝑓 + 𝑄 ∆𝑃 Equation (3.5)

= 1 ∗ 2500(−20 + 200) + 1 ∗ 130000 + 2.3 ∗ 106 ∗ 1.091 ∗ 10−3
𝐽
= 582509
ℎ𝑟
𝐽
= 161.80
𝑠𝑒𝑐
= 161.80 Watt
𝐾𝐽
= 161.80 ∗ 10−3
𝑠𝑒𝑐
0.16180
= hp
0.746
= 0.216 hp

3.4.6 Drag flow equation

The melted polymer sticks equally to the surface of the screw and barrel so that the velocity of
the melt in the channel at the screw root is equal to zero (v0) while the velocity at the outer
surface is the peripheral velocity of the screw (vb). This forms a shear field equal to vb at the
top and v0 at the bottom. That yields a triangular shear field moving down the channel or one
half the volume of one turn. The drag flow equation is given by:

18
 1
𝑄𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑔 = ∗ 𝜋 2 ∗ 𝐷2 ∗ 𝐻 ∗ 𝑁 ∗ sin θ ∗ cos 𝜃 Equation (3.6)
2
1
𝑄𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑔 = ∗ 𝜋 2 ∗ (18 ∗ 10−3 )2 ∗ (9.5 ∗ 10−3 ) ∗ 50 ∗ sin 17.66 ∗ cos 17.66
2
𝑚3
𝑄𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑔 = 2.195397 ∗ 10−4
𝑚𝑖𝑛
3.4.7 Pressure flow equation
The cross-section area of barrel is higher than of nozzle resulting increase in pressure inside
the nozzle. This pressure causes the back flow of the melted polymer. The flow due to pressure
head is given by:
𝜋∗𝐷∗𝐻 3 ∗𝑠𝑖𝑛2 (Ɵ) 𝑑𝑃
𝑄𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑 = ∗ ( 𝑑𝑙 ) Equation (3.7)
12∗𝜇

𝜋 ∗ 18 ∗ 10−3 ∗ (9.5 ∗ 10−3 )3 ∗ 𝑠𝑖𝑛2 (17.66) 2 ∗ 106

𝑄𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑 = ∗( )
12 ∗ 5 ∗ 104 0.393
−3 (9.5 −3 )3 2 6
𝜋 ∗ 18 ∗ 10 ∗ ∗ 10 ∗ 𝑠𝑖𝑛 (17.66) 2 ∗ 10
𝑄𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑 = ∗( )
12 ∗ 5 ∗ 104 0.393
𝑚3
𝑄𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑 = 4.35 ∗ 10−8
𝑠𝑒𝑐
𝑚3
𝑄𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑 = 2.61 ∗ 10−6
𝑚𝑖𝑛

The leakage over the flight is so small and can be neglected.

Thus,
𝑄𝑠𝑚𝑜𝑜𝑡ℎ 𝑏𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑙 = 𝑄𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑔 − 𝑄𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 (ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑) − 𝑄𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑘𝑎𝑔𝑒 (𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡)
𝑄𝑠𝑚𝑜𝑜𝑡ℎ 𝑏𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑙 = 𝑄𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑔 − 𝑄𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 (ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑)
𝑚3 𝑚3
𝑄𝑠𝑚𝑜𝑜𝑡ℎ 𝑏𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑙 = 2.195397 ∗ 10−4 − 2.61 ∗ 10−6
𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝑚𝑖𝑛
3
𝑚
𝑄𝑠𝑚𝑜𝑜𝑡ℎ 𝑏𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑙 = 2.169297 ∗ 10−4
𝑚𝑖𝑛
3.4.8 Heat Analysis of Polymer Extrusion
Energy needed for processing is provided by the motor and the band heaters. Usually very
negligible portion of energy is lost through the drive chain as frictional heat in the coupling
and the gear box.
Motor contribute to transmit the melted polymer and produce the shear energy by the rotating
motion of the screw. Heat required to melt is provided by the external band heater whereas
small amount of heat is generated in melt by viscous dissipation as the melt is shear by screw
rotation.
Also, the motor contributes the energy for the drive of the melted polymer with the rotation of
the screw. So, the power is given by the empirical formula:

19
 𝑁𝑎𝑐𝑡
𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 ≈ ∗ 0.9 ∗ 𝐼 ∗ 𝑉
𝑁𝑚𝑎𝑥

Where, Nact = actual rpm

Nmax = maximum rpm
50
𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 ≈ ∗ 0.9 ∗ 12 ∗ 240 = 112.69 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑡
1150

Now, energy required for phase transmission is equal to heat required to melt (LDPE) from
room temperature to its melting point.
= M * Cp * ∆T
= 1 * 2 * (200-25)
= 350 J

20
3.5 Gantt Chart
Following table shows detailed work done in particular months.
Table 3. 1 Table for work schedule

Months 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Literature
review
Consultation
Proposal
submission
Product
Design
Material
selection and
purchase,
Fabrication
Data Analysis
and
improvement
Midterm
presentation
Testing and
Debugging
Report
Submission,
Final
Presentation

Index:
Work Completed
Work Remaining

21
 FABRICATION

After preliminary calculations was done, the materials required were sorted out and then they
were purchased accordingly. The main essence of the fabrication process was to make it much
modular as possible. So that, any faulty component could be easily changed or repaired without
damaging other components. Another goal was to make it compact and light weight so that the
whole system could be carried and transferred easily.
To make the system modular and compact, the fabrication was carried out in series of steps
with the first step being making the base. The fabrication process was done with much
consideration, followed as per the final design.
The fabrication process is detailed below:

4.1 Base
Since the idea of the project is the table top extrusion, the base was made of size
600mmX30mmX10mm plywood which was then fixed on the metal frame.

4.2 Barrel, screw and hopper

The barrel was first cut to the length of about 393 mm followed by screw which was cut to the
length of 403mm. The screw was cut 10mm more than the length of the barrel so as to force
the molten plastic to the nozzle. A slot was cut in the barrel so that hopper could be fitted on
the barrel. Hopper was made using GI sheet of 18 gage. The dimensions were as per the final
design.

Figure 4. 2 Barrel and hopper assembly

22
4.3 Nozzle and die
Different machining processes like facing, turning, drilling, boring and tapering were
performed on a solid mild steel cylinder of diameter 30 mm and length 15mm. The nozzle was
machined on the basis of dimension of the nozzle as per the final design.
Die was made by drilling a 2 mm hole in the bolt head which would be then screwed on the
nozzle. The die could be changed as according to the diameter of the filament to be extruded.

Figure 4. 3 Nozzle and die fixed on barrel

4.4 Barrel Holder

To fix the barrel in horizontal position, a barrel holder assembly was made using the square
mild steel tubes. Mount for UC 204 bearing was made such that when bearing was installed,
the axis of the barrel and that of motor would be aligned.

Figure 4. 4 Barrel holder along with bearing mount

23
4.5 Installation of motor
A 12V DC wiper motor was selected to drive the screw. The next step was to make a motor
mount and then install the motor. UC 204 bearing was installed at the end of the barrel. On the
other side of the bearing, motor was fixed and then the shaft of motor and the screw were
aligned. A muff coupler was placed in between the motor shaft and screw to transmit power
from motor to the screw.

Figure 4. 5 Motor, bearing, screw and coupler installed and their axes aligned

4.6 Band heater, Relay, PID, Thermocouple and Power supply

3 band heaters of size 45X35mm were placed on the barrel, separated by a distance of 10 mm.
One of the heaters was placed on top of nozzle. The K type thermocouple was fixed temporarily
at the end of the nozzle so that it could be calibrated during testing process.
All of these components were wired on a PID. Two separate switches, One for PID and another
for motor were kept. A casing was made of wood to insert PID, switches, and relay and then
fixed on the base with screws.

Figure 4.6. 1 Initial wiring (Left), Final wiring with switches (Right)
The fabrication was complete after 3 weeks. Before final finishing and coloring was done, a
series of tests had to be performed so that any changes that had to be made could be performed
easily.

24
Figure 4.6. 2 Plastic extrusion machine with filament roller

25
 TESTING AND MODIFICATION

The final and rigorous process was testing and modification that took almost 2 weeks. A series
of tests were performed and modifications was done as required.
PLA plastic was selected as a test material. PLA obtained from damaged 3D printed product
were used as testing materials, which are crushed into small sized uneven pieces. At each test,
Band heater was turned on for about 20 minutes. After acquiring the stable temperature that
was set on the PID, the motor was turned on and then plastic was fed into the hopper. It was
found that motor shaft was eccentric with the coupler so a new muff coupler was made.

5.1 Test Day 1

During the day 1 test, the temperature was set to 180°C. The test was done without the die.
However, the plastic burned inside the barrel and a black slag came out of the nozzle with
fumes of CO2 and CO. After few minutes of test, the system was turned off and thoroughly
investigated to identify the problem. The investigation showed that the thermocouple that had
to be fixed in the barrel not touching it. So, the thermocouple couldn’t read the exact
temperature of the barrel and continuous heat was supplied by the heaters which burned the
plastic.

Figure 5. 1 First batch of extruded plastic that burned due to excess heat

5.2 Test Day 2

On the second day, the thermocouple was fixed near the end of the nozzle and then tightened
with copper wires. The temperature was set to about 160°C. This time, the thermocouple
measured the exact temperature of the nozzle and the plastic didn’t burn completely. However,
due to low feed rate, the plastic remained inside the barrel for longer time which caused the
plastic to heat up excessively and give out the fumes of CO2 and CO. A black slag was formed
but after reducing the temperature to 140°C and running continuously for few minutes, the
black color gradually changed to brown that showed some sign of progress.

26
 Figure 5. 2 Black to brown gradient of molten plastic

5.3 Test Day 3

The results for day 2 showed that due to low feed rate, the plastic remained in the barrel for
long time. So, to reduce this time, the length of the barrel was reduced by 20 mm and 2 band
heaters were used instead of three. The temperature was reduced to 135°C and then again, the
test began as usual. This time, the plastic came out from the nozzle in a brown color along with
some black slag which was from the earlier test. To the plastic color had to be in white. So, the
hopper and barrel were taken out from the system and then the screw was examined which
revealed that the plastic melted but as it moved to the end, the color changed from white to
brown and then a dark brown color.

Figure 5.3. 1 Barrel length reduced

Figure 5.3. 2 Melting Process of Plastic inside the barrel

27
 Figure 5.5. 3 Molten plastic from the nozzle

5.4 Test Day 4

Analyzing the results from the earlier tests, the optimum place for the thermocouple was
determined and the thermocouple was fixed by welding a nut on the nozzle. The temperature
was again reduced to 130°C and then test was performed. Test day 4 proved to be one of the
most optimum for thermocouple position and temperature. The molten plastic that came out
from the nozzle was light brown in color. The die was then screwed in the nozzle and the plastic
was hand drawn. The diameter of filament initially was around 0.5 mm and after few minutes,
the diameter increased to 1mm due to high feed and stability of temperature.

Figure 5.4. 1 Filament drawn out from the nozzle with varying diameter
Because the filament was drawn out by hand, the diameter varied. So, a motorized system was
made by which the filament would be drawn out by a motor rotating at a constant system and
then rolled to the filament roller. The motor that was operated with a 12V battery was replaced
by a CPU power supply box which could supply power to band heaters, motor and the rolling
motor.
Final finishing was done, the metals were painted and wires were managed inside the wooden
case. Power supply box was fixed under the base and the system was ready for the final test.
The height of the hopper was also reduced to match scaling.

28
Figure 5.4. 2 Fabricated table top plastic extruder

29
5.5 Test Day 5
On day 5, the rolling mechanism was installed on the main base and the system was prepared
for final testing. Temperature was reduced to 125°C.
The test revealed that due to constant rotation of the motor, the filament that was extruded was
of uniform diameter of 0.5 mm diameter. By reducing the rotation of the rolling motor, the
maximum diameter of the filament was 1 mm.

Figure 5.5. 1 Extruded Filaments

The intense testing and modification were performed and the filament was extruded with the
maximum diameter of 1mm.
The mixed plastic pellets were also used in the final test. At the temperature of 175°C the
filament with diameter 1.25mm (±0.25mm) was extruded.

Figure 5.5. 2 Filament extruded with mixed plastic pellets

30
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The final test showed that the extrusion of plastic filament of comparable quality to commercial
filaments is possible if the system is optimized further. The diameter is the most critical feature
and is dependent on the rate at which the filament is drawn away from the die as well as a
steady heat input to the barrel.
For efficient and robust continued operation of the extruder the hopper must be isolated from
the heating zone so that the raw pellets do not begin to melt in the hopper and clog the inlet.
With greater isolation between the hopper and the heating zone a larger volume of plastic can
be added to the hopper to extrude more filament without worry of clogging the inlet to the
heating pipe. Also, decreasing heat conduction between the heating pipe and the frame would
improve the safety of the extruder and also increase the efficiency by limiting power loss. To
remove the excess plastic when the extrusion is complete the pipe should be cleaned before the
heating pipe cools or simply left to cool and reheated when the extruder is used again.
The following results were obtained after the extrusion of the filament:
1. The heating process with only 2 heaters and a single PID was enough for the melting
process.
2. The temperature of the barrel fluctuates by ±15°C initially and becomes stable after few
minutes of operation.
3. The plastic melt around the screw was observed and it was constant.
4. The thermocouple should be kept close to the nozzle’s end to read the temperature of
the plastic at the nozzle which is essential.
5. The plastic which has melting point lower than 00°C was possible with this type of
extruder.
6. The filament with comparable quality to commercial filaments could be extruded in a
small system like this. With better optimization, the filaments with higher quality could
be extruded.

31
 BUDGET EXPENSES

The purpose of this project was to make an affordable table top extruder. The components were
selected and optimized within the lower budget limit. The components, their specifications and
materials with unit costs are listed in the following table.
Table 7. 1 Table for budget expenses

S/N Particulars Specification Unit Rate Total

(NRs)
1 Motor DC Wiper 1 1200/- 1200/-
2 Bearing UC 204 1 350/- 350/-
3 PID Controller REX-C100 1 1500/- 1500/-
4 Solid State Relay SSR-20 DA 1 300/- 300/-
5 Thermocouple Type K 1 300/- 300/-
6 Band heater 150W 2 400/- 800/-
7 Power Switch 220 V 2 50/- 100/-
8 LED 220 V 1 50/- 50/-
9 Connecting Wires 2m 1 100/- 100/-
10 Sheet Metal 250 mm×250 mm - 320/- 320/-
11 MS Black Pipe 600 mm - 100/- 100/-
12 Square Tube 2000 mm - 350/- 350/-
13 L Angle Profile 300 mm - 100/- 100/-
14 Screw (Drill) 480mm length 1 4000/- 4000/-
15 Barrel HSS 1 400/- 400/-
16 DC Motor 12V/100 rpm 1 350/- 350/-
17 Muff Coupler - 1 200/- 200/-
18 Paint - 1 300/- 300/-
19 Potentiometer 10KΩ 1 75/- 75/-
20 Power Supply 220V 1 1000/- 1000/-
Box
Total 11895/-

The table above shows that the extruder is made cheaper. The overall purchased part of this
extruder is relatively cheaper than the big extruders. The price of the parts can be different with
the countries and location as a result of which many people can take advantage of this extruder
with lower operational and maintenance cost.

32
 CONCLUSION

During the extrusion process in homemade extruder the filaments came out nice and uniform.
The proper heat and correct temperature setting during the process gives the high-quality
filaments. However, if the temperature is not according to the material that is being processed
the obtained filament will be rough and uneven. If the temperature is too low for material then
some plastic pellets will not melt properly and it cause the bubble and the roughness in the
filaments as a result. In these situations, to control the consistency of plastic melt inside and to
have a good flow, the speed of the motor can be decreased to the required temperature. Then
the plastic pellets melt uniformly and slowly with enough heat which results a good, even and
high-quality plastic filament.
While carrying out tests it showed that, the prototype could extrude good quality filament with
the temperature set at 130°C. The melting point of the Polylactic Acid (PLA) pellets is used
for the experiment. The size of the filament is determined by the size of hole on the die and the
speed at which motor rotates. For the efficient operation the hopper and the heating zone should
be isolated. The lack of isolation may result in molten plastic on hopper and can experience
clog on the system. The heat produce can melt raw material before going to barrel. The cleaning
of screw can be done time to time by taking it out and heating and the remains of plastic melts
away and same applies for the barrel.
This type of extruder becomes more efficient because it is very cheap to replace the parts. This
can be considered as the cleaver use of available parts. This can help society to learn new way
of reusing and recycling things made either out of plastic.

33
 RECOMMENDATIONS

To improve the quality of the filament being extruded, the team suggests the following
recommendations:
1. The longer the plastic is heated, smoother the final filament is and contains less air
bubble. So, heating zone of the extruder tube should be extended. However, the length
was shortened in this case since there was no way of increasing feed rate due to fixed
rpm of driving motor.
2. Isolate the hopper from heating zone to prevent the plastic from clumping up at the
entrance and cause the flow rate to vary (decrease mostly) causing varying diameter of
the filament.
3. Insulation to the heating zone would reduce the heat loss to the surrounding.

For further improvements, some structural changes in the extruder need to be made. Like
spatially separating hopper tube from the heating tube and placing an insulating material
between them. In current design, hopper and heater tube is essentially one single piece. Proper
spacing between the end of the drill bit and the nozzle should be maintained properly. Feed
rate should be constant or else the filament breaks during the extrusion.

34
 REFERENCES

[1] S. Yuvaraj, "Virtuous Cycle," Nepali Times, pp. 13-15, 09 07 2018.

[2] B. Crowther, Rubber Extrusion: Theory and Development, R. Dolbey ed., vol. 9, United Kingdom: Rapra
technology LTD, 1998.
[3] T. a. F. Group, "Advances in Food Extrusion Tachnology," Taylor and Francis Group, USA, 2011.
[4] T. Sakai, "Screw Extrusion Technology- past, present and future," Campus Innovation Center, Japan, 2013.
[5] J. Harod F.giles, Extrusion the definitive processing guide and handbook, New York USA: William
Andrew, 2005.
[6] C. Rauwendaal, Polymer Extrusion, 5th ed., Cincinnati: Hanser Punlications, 2013.
[7] R. Crawford, Plastics Engineering, Burlington: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2005.
[8] "Determination of melt mass-flow rate and the melt volume flow rate of thermoplastics," British Standard
Institute, 2005.
[9] H. Eslami, "Macro Advanced Extrusion System," 2015. [Online]. Available:
http://www.macroeng.com/understanding-screw-design-for-film-extrusion-process.php. [Accessed
December 2018].
[10] R. Ebewele, "Polymer Science and Technology," 2000. [Online]. Available:
http://www.academia.edu/7067859/Polymer_Science_and_Technology_Book. [Accessed December
2018].
[11] B. Paudel, "How to make Portable Homemade filament Extruder," Bijaya Paudel, Helsinki, Finland, 2015.
[12] N. L. Njobet, "Energy Analysis in the extrusion of plastics," Njobet Nana Levi, Helsinki, Finland, 2012.
[13] B. Paudel, "A plastic world," The Kathmandu Post, p. 5, 06 June 2018.
[14] D. Hakkens, "Precious Plastic," Precious Plastic, 2013. [Online]. Available: https://preciousplastic.com/.
[Accessed September 2018].

35
APPENDIX

36
GLOSSARY

37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
 GLOSSARY

Shear Viscosity: fluid's flow resistance to shearing action

Extrusion: a polymer processing technology carried out by pouring plastic pellet into hopper
Extrusion Pressure: the pressure developed by screw pressure, responsible for filament to get
out from the die
Screw: a part of extruding unit that helps to melt and transport plastic from the hopper to die
Shear stress: a stress developed on a surface of an object due to force acting parallel to the
surface
Shear Rate: is a rate of shearing measured by the velocity gradient across the radius of a flow
channel
Cooling time: the time it takes for an extruded molten plastic to solidify down to room
temperature
Flow Length: a length that a molten plastic flows through barrel under predefined set of
conditions
Shear Force: a force that makes the internal structure of a material to slide one over another
Volume Flow rate: a volume of fluid flowing through a certain cross-sectional area per unit
time
Parameter: a set of measurable factors defining a certain operation system
Calibration: the act of comparing and checking a process with a standard set of parameters.

51