Studies in the effectiveness of a new generation extruder. Part I. The influence of the location of the rotating sleeve of the barrel in the plasticizing system

Studies on the influence of the position and the rotational speed of a rotating sleeve of the barrel in a plasticizing zone of an extruder on the extrusion of low density polyethylene (PE-LD) has been evaluated. The studies were performed with a specially developed extruder with a segmented barrel to enable the adjustment of the position of the rotating sleeve (Fig. 1). Measurements of selected characteristic extrusion parameters were performed during the process. From the obtained results it was found that the position of the rotating sleeve plays a crucial role in the plasticizing system and determines the effectiveness of the extrusion process (Figs. 2-10). Positioning the sleeve in zone III of the plasticizing system where it interacts with a shallow, continuous channel of constant depth of the screw leads to an advantageous increase, among others, of the mass flow and the sleeve rotational speed.