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If you are planning to:
the lab resources at Davis-Standard are available to you to help you make an informed decision.
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Available Lab Extruders |
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| Smooth Bore | L/D |
| 2.5-inch (64mm) | 24:1 and 30:1 |
| 4.5-inch (114mm) | 24:1, 30:1, 34:1 |
| Groove Feed | L/D |
| 3.5-inch (90mm) | 24:1, 30:1, 34:1 |
| Other extruders available for development work in the Technical Center include: | |
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The pictures above were taken at a lab trial for a local medical tubing manufacturer.
- Problem: Which extruder size would generate the required throughput using a new material on an existing product.
- Results: Given a number of trials with different screw designs, it was demonstrated that different screw designs would produce varied throughputs, with the difference being in the quality.
- So now the decision will be: Which level of quality is acceptable? The answer to that question helps to determine screw design and machine size.
- This will now be a decision based on test results, instead of a decision based on an educated guess.
Machines are fully instrumented to monitor and record internal barrel conditions
There are over 200 screws and screw extensions available for testing
There is a complete line for medical tubing process development with state of the art downstream equipment available.
The R&D facility at Davis-Standard’s headquarters in Pawcatuck, Connecticut, specializes in feed screw design and development. Staff priorities include:
- Product development
- Optimizing turn-key extrusion systems
- AND this resource is available to end users.
Download a brochure describing the Davis-Standard Tech Center Capabilities
The first step in the extrusion process is melting and delivering plastic, so this is very important. Things you can learn by going through a lab test at Davis-Standard include:
- Determine the best combination of extruder size, and screw design for your process.
- Evaluate Groove Feed vs Smooth Bore processing
- Analyzing screw design can improve product quality directly, and it reletes directly to throughputs.
- Optimize your extruded product quality with the correct screw.
- Eliminate or reduce the amount of un-melted plastic or gels with an optimized screw design, rather than attempting to screen them out.
- Match extruder size, screw design and die in a laboratory environment . Don’t assume the correct mating pieces.
- Determine the correct L/D. The Davis-Standard lab has machines with bolt on barrel extensions. You can test with with longer and shorter barrels for different L/D ratios.