Customised solutions for plastic extrusion

Plastic extrusion is a high-volume manufacturing process in which raw plastic is melted and formed into a continuous profile. At Primo, we have been extruding plastic profiles since 1959. Both extruders and the process itself have undergone significant progress over the years.

A specialised production setup

Today, advanced technology and digital monitoring ensure high-quality and cost-saving processes for the benefit of a wide range of industries and numerous applications at our highly efficient and automated production plants in Europe and in China. 

In plastic extrusion, the heated plastic mass is put under pressure by a screw and is pressed through a die (the tool). The profile is then cooled down and hardens into its final solid state. This way, a profile can be produced in any length, which is an advantage, for example, when producing parts for cables that are rolled directly onto cable reels.

Plastic profiles for all kinds of purposes

Extrusion is a widely used method to shape plastic materials, but it is also used for other materials. For instance, the technique is used to a great extent in the food industry in which products like minced meat, pasta, and even cheese puffs are made by extrusion.

It is a frequently asked question  - and a fairly good one - whether plastics and polymer are the same.

The short answer is no. Plastic is a polymer, but polymer is not necessarily plastic.

Plastic belongs to the polymer family

A polymer is a macromolecule composed of many similar building blocks. Plastic belongs to the family of polymeric materials. The individual types of plastic are therefore also often called polymers.

The term is derived from the Greek "polymeros", which can be translated into poly = many and meros = parts. A polymer is therefore a very large molecule - a so-called macromolecule - composed of many similar building blocks. These building blocks are called monomers.

What are plastics?

Plastics are organic materials, just like wood, paper or wool. The raw material is first and foremost crude oil. In addition, cellulose, coal, natural gas and salt are included. Crude oil is a mixture of thousands of different substances, and in order to utilize them, the oil must be refined in large plants.

5 percent of the world's oil consumption goes to plastic; the majority is used for transport.

European plastic manufacturers are organised in Plastics Europe; here you can learn a lot more about plastics.

YOU CAN FIND OUR PROFILES IN Various INDUSTRIES AND IN TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED SOLUTIONS

Some plastic products require more properties than a single extrusion can deliver. In these cases, co-extrusion can be an option. Co-extrusion is the process of extruding two types of plastic simultaneously through the same tool as two layers, that are fused by the influence of heat.

Co-extruding is a complex process that puts great demands on the machinery and dosage of materials from both sources. The benefit however is that single plastic profiles can have a number of properties. For instance: a rigid side for montage and a softer plastic type for airtight sealing.