Basics of Twin Screw Extrusion Compounding

Twin screw extrusion compounding is used in a wide variety of processing applications, from compounded polymers for injection molding and other end uses, to polymer degassing and solvent removal, pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion, and even cereal and pet food production. This talk will focus on twin screw extrusion for compounding engineering polymers. The overall layout of a compounding production line will be presented with discussion of issues in the overall process, from feeding to extrusion to pelletizing. The key design parameters for twin screw extrusion are presented, including geometry, free volume, various screw elements, screw design, die design, pelletizing, and how to define the goals of your compounding process and select the appropriate design details. In addition, the key process parameters will be laid out and their effect on each other will be discussed. Methodology for scale-up from R&D to manufacturing will be presented. The differences between twin screw and single screw extrusion will be discussed with information on other extrusion processes.