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« An innovating technique : Extrusion-Compression » 

APLAST has developed  a unique processing  technique that combines Extrusion and Compression. This technique has several steps :

Stage 1 : Pellets drying

Hygroscopic materials need to be dried in a desiccator to remove the humidity. Once the pellets have been dried, they are ready for use.

Stage 2 : Processing cycle

The extruding machine is used to plastify and introduce the « melt » into a temperature regulated die.
Once the extrusion phase is complete, the compression cycle can begin. The full processing cycle is recorded (time, temperature and pressure).

Stage 3 : Thermal treatment

The final operation consists in a thermal treatments using a ventilated oven in order to eliminate the residual stresses from the moulding.

The thermal treatment has 3 phases :

• Temperature rise (5°C/hour)
• High temperature segment (Variable depending on the thickness)
• Temperature drop segment (3°C/hour)

The control of the time and temperature settings is essential. Considering the excellent thermal insulation coefficients of plastics, we recommend a slow temperature rise and drop segment to keep a consistent temperature both inside and outside the semi-product during the whole cycle.

This operation guarantees excellent dimensional stability when machining and over time.

The advantages of our technique :

• Dynamic technique
• Perfect material homogeneity (no unmelted grains)
• Good dimensional stability