Plastic extrusion melts and conveys thermoplastics through a precision die to form profiles, tubes, and sheets. Using materials like PE, PP, PVC, and ABS, the process relies on calibrated dies and cooling systems for consistent parts in construction, automotive, and packaging.
Plastic extrusion is a continuous manufacturing process in which thermoplastic pellets are melted and shaped through a die to create profiles, tubes, sheets, or films. Material is fed into a heated barrel where a rotating screw conveys, compresses, melts, and homogenizes the polymer. Process control includes temperature profiles, screw speed, back‑pressure, and line speed, all of which influence melt quality and dimensional stability. Common materials processed include PE, PP, PVC, ABS, PET, TPU, and filled or reinforced compounds. Tooling consists of breaker plates and screen packs for filtration, plus precision‑designed dies with flow channels that ensure uniform distribution and consistent wall thickness. Downstream equipment—such as vacuum calibration tables, cooling tanks, haul‑offs, and cutters—stabilizes and finalizes product geometry. A wide range of tooling materials, mainly corrosion resistant tool steels is used depending on the load conditions and environments. Plastic extrusion is widely used for pipes, hoses, window profiles, wire insulation, films, packaging sheets, and structural plastic components across construction, automotive, medical, and consumer industries.
BÖHLER M310 ISOPLAST is a corrosion-resistant, martensitic chromium steel which, through electroslag remelting and optimization of the chemical composition, has a good homogeneity and a balanced hardness-toughness-corrosion resistance ratio.
Read MoreBÖHLER M390 MICROCLEAN is a corrosion-resistant, martensitic chromium steel produced by powder metallurgy. Due to its alloy design, this steel has very high wear resistance and good corrosion resistance. In addition, BÖHLER M390 MICROCLEAN is approved for food and beverage contact.
Read MoreBÖHLER M789 AMPO is a newly developed maraging steel, which combines the mechanical properties of 1.2709 with the corrosion resistance of 17-4PH. This patent bending grade can easily printed without any preheating and achieves a hardness of about 52 HRC with a very easy heat treatment. Furthermore, this material shows an excellent polishability, which makes it the ideal choice for inserts with conformal cooling in plastic injection molding and in any other application where a high hardness and corrosion resistance is of need.
Read MoreBÖHLER N695 is a corrosion-resistant, martensitic chromium steel with a high carbon content and added molybdenum.
Read MoreUddeholm Corrax is a precipitation hardening steel with a unique set of properties that makes it perfect for many demanding applications. The superior resistance against corrosion combined with a hardness up to 50 HRC and a simple heat treatment makes Uddeholm Corrax the obvious choice for long run series of aggressive plastics such as PVC. The chemical composition makes Uddeholm Corrax easy to process by Additive Manufacturing. Hence, it is also available as powder for Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) and Laser Metal Deposition (LMD). Benefits Very good corrosion resistance Flexible hardness of 34-50 HRC achieved by ageing No hard “white layer” after EDM
Read MoreUddeholm Mirrax 40 is a prehardened remelted stainless tool steel, supplied at 40 HRC. Uddeholm Mirrax 40 is produced using the electroslag remelting (ESR) process – an additional step in the steelmaking process that ensures very clean steel. Consequently, Uddeholm Mirrax 40 is capable of being polished to a very high surface finish. In addition, the combination of high hardness with high toughness results in a mould with good resistance to indentations and minimize the risk of unexpected failures, leading to a safer mould and a prolonged tool life. Benefits Lower production costs Fast tool making Excellent surface finish possible Less maintenance work Safe production
Read MoreUddeholm Tyrax ESR combines best in class toughness, corrosion and wear resistance. This grade was developed for molding of high performance plastics often filled with glass fiber reinforcements and additives like flame retardants. This matrix- based microstructure is designed to achieve a high-gloss surface by only a few polishing steps, dramatically reducing the tool lead time and enabling production of top quality plastic parts. Uddeholm Tyrax ESR can achieve a high hardness (up to 58 HRC) and is a suitable upgrade from AISI 420 ESR, AISI S7 and AISI 440C. Benefits good dimensional stability at heat treatment and in service even microstructure and small grain size good hardenability Uddeholm Tyrax is also available for Additive Manufacturing, powder for processing Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) and Laser Metal Deposition (LMD).
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