El Cerrito, CA 94530 USA • Telephone (301) 758-7788 •
My live seminar has been converted to a Virtual seminar, all digital and available now in PowerPoint, with or without my audio explanations. See also my home page on this site. For content in more detail, scroll down to the bottom of this page. For further information, call 301-758-7788 (Pacific time) or email .
These are based on the seminar outline below, Introduction to Extrusion, but adapted to individual needs and interests. Personal visits are not now possible, but Zoom or similar visual training can be arranged.
Since 2010 I have been presenting 1-hour free webinars. We had a typical registration of over 500 and in a few cases, we went over 1000! I still do webinars from time to time, hosted by Plastics Today. See the home page for more detail. The following past webinars are available (PowerPoint slides only), no charge, on request.
“The Ten (11) Key Principles of Extrusion” Mechanical, thermal, speed, heat transfer, inpush, costs, power needs, output, the vital signs, shear rate, and barrel-motor balance.
“Plastics Chemistry for Non-Chemists” An easy-to-understand cartoon-based explanation of how monomers become polymers.
“Plastics in the Environment” Major issues (bag ban, phthalates, BPA, more) and reasons for the massive misunderstandings.
“Testing Incoming Raw Materials” Why you should be testing and how to do it.
Questions on content or availability, call me at 301-758-7788 or reply by email to .
This is an outline of the practical extrusion seminar that I have presented since 1979 and attended by over 5,000 people since then. It is an intensive introduction for people in the extrusion business.
We first discuss the ten (11) key principles of extrusion, then get some basics in plastics chemistry (plastics are polymers with additives).
Motors, drive systems, speed reduction, screw and barrel, the head zone, instrumentation (the vital signs), and other hardware such as screens and screeners, static mixers, and gear pumps. In private sessions, we cover appropriate dies and downstream equipment.
Limits to output rate, how to estimate both inpush and output, and what happens in the various zones of the extruder, the head, and die. Simple practical rheology: melt index, IV and K-values, torque rheometry and shear rate, and why these things are important.
Setting conditions, how controllers work, start-up and shutdown, safety, and maintenance. Common problems in extrusion, with suggested solutions and ways to prevent them from happening at all.
