A STUDY OF THE MELT TEMPERATURE PROFILE IN AN EXTRUSION DIE

摘要

The temperature of polymer melt is a very important variable and is one of the most difficult variables to accurately measure and control in the plastics extrusion process (1). The melt temperature will influence the polymer material's properties, which will therefore effect the appearance and the mechanical properties of the finished product (2). As processors strive to produce parts that are of a higher quality, the importance of accurate melt temperature prediction, measurement, and control becomes greater than ever.This experiment studied the radial temperature profile of the polymer melt in a die channel. Using an actuated reciprocating thermocouple, we recorded the melt temperature at different positions in the melt stream. A computer model predicting the melt temperature profile was constructed from rheological data and die geometry, using LFLOW computer software (3). The results of the simulation of the computer model and the experimentally measured melt temperature profile were then compared.