Extrusion is by far the most important and the oldest processing and shaping method for thermoplastic polymers. This process concerns almost all synthetic polymers, as well as elastomers or food materials. Single-screw extrusion is mainly used nowadays to manufacture finished goods or semi-finished products. More than 90 million tons of thermoplastics are therefore processed every year.
Twin-screw extrusion may be divided into two systems: contra-rotating systems used within the context of PVC extrusion, for the manufacture of pipes or profiles; and co-rotating systems experiencing...