Pexco Offers Advanced Extrusion & Compression Techniques

July 25, 2024  |  , ,

Pexco utilizes advanced extrusion techniques encompassing arange of sophisticated manufacturing methods to produce profiles, tubes, and multi-layered products with specific properties and configurations. Here’s an overview of each technique:

 

 

Profile Extrusion

  • Definition: Profile extrusion involves extruding plastics such as ABS, TBE, PE, and PC into a continuous shape that can vary in complexity, from simple designs to intricate profiles with specific cross-sections.
  • Advanced Techniques:
    • Precision Control: Utilizing advanced die designand computer-controlled extrusion systems to achieve precise dimensionsand surface finishes.
    • Co-extrusion: Integrating multiple materials or layers during the extrusion process to impart desired properties such as color, texture, or functional attributes.
    • In-line Processing: Incorporating secondary operations such as cutting, punching, or coating directly into the extrusion line for enhanced productivity and versatility.
  • Applications: Profiles are used extensively in construction (window frames, decking), automotive (trim and seals), and consumer goods (furniture components, appliance trims).

Tube Extrusion:

  • Definition: Tube extrusion involves the extrusion of plastics such as HDPE, FEP/PFA, and ETFE to create hollow tubes of various diameters and wall thicknesses.
  • Advanced Techniques:
    • Micro extrusion: Producing very small diameter tubes with high precision, often used in medical devices (catheters, tubing for drug delivery).
    • Multi-layer Extrusion: Extruding tubes with multiple layers to achieve specific properties like barrier resistance or flexibility.
    • High-speed Extrusion: Implementing advanced cooling and handling systems to maintain dimensional stability and surface quality at high extrusion speeds.
  • Applications: Tubes find application in industries such as healthcare (medical tubing), industrial (piping and conduits), and food processing (packaging and conveying).

Co-Extrusion:

  • Definition: Co-extrusion involves extruding multiple layers of different materials such as PTFE, ABS and PE,  simultaneously to form a single continuous profile or tube.
  • Advanced Techniques:
    • Barrier Properties: Creating structures with enhanced barrier properties against gases, moisture, or UV radiation.
    • Functional Integration: Combining materials with different properties (e.g., stiffness, flexibility) within a single extruded product.
    • Multi-color Extrusion: Producing profiles or tubes with distinct color layers without secondary painting or coating processes.
    • Applications: Widely used in packaging (food packaging films, bottles), construction (multi-layer pipes), and automotive (multi-material trim components).

 

Tri-Extrusion and Crosshead Extrusion:

  • Tri-Extrusion:
    • Definition: Tri-extrusion involves the simultaneous extrusion of three different materials such as ABS, PC , and PP  layers to create complex profiles or tubes.
    • Applications: Enables the production of products requiring three distinct layers with specific performance characteristics, such as  weatherability, strength, and aesthetic appeal.
  • Crosshead Extrusion:
    • Definition: Crosshead extrusion is a technique used in cable and wire manufacturing to apply an additional layer of insulation or jacketing around a core conductor.
    • Advanced Techniques: Precise control over thethickness and uniformity of the extruded layer, ensuring electricalinsulation properties and mechanical protection.
    • Applications: Essential in the production of cables for telecommunications, automotive wiring harnesses, and industrial powercables.

Benefits and Applications:

  • Benefits: Advanced extrusion techniques offer benefits such as increased production efficiency, precise control over material properties, customization of products with multiple layers or profiles, and integration of functional features. Typical materials include PVC, HDPE, LDPE, and nylon.
  • Applications: These techniques are essential in various industries including automotive,  medical, packaging, and electronics, where they enable the creation of lightweight, durable, and high-performance components tailored to specific requirements.

 

Pexco specializes in advanced extrusion techniques such as profile extrusion, tube extrusion, co-extrusion, tri-extrusion, and crosshead extrusion.  These techniques play pivotal roles in modern manufacturing, facilitating the production of complex, multi-functional plastic products across a wide range of applications and industries.  We leverage years of expertise to bring your product to market – on time and on budget.

 

For more information on how Pexco can assist you with your next extrusion project, please visit our website at www.pexco.com,or contact our office at 513.321.8404.

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Solving Your Most Difficult Challenges – Custom Plastic Manufacturing Capabilities

July 18, 2024  |  , ,

At Pexco, our strength lies in our solution diversity.  From custom solutions to solving specific engineering challenges, our expertise guarantees outstanding results. Pexco has been helping our customers bring ideas to life for nearly half a century.

Pexco specializes in the manufacturing of extruded, injection, and compression molded plastic parts. We deliver customized manufacturing solutions to meet the specific needs of each customer.  These solutions can help companies of all sizes accelerate time-to-revenue, lower production costs, and establish a flexible, resilient, and scalable supply chain for custom manufacturing. Each of these methods has its strengths depending on the complexity, volume, and specific requirements of the item.  Below is a brief outline of each method, and their typical advantages:

Extrusion Molding:

Extrusion Molding is used to form plastic materials into a pre-defined shape. During the process, the material is melted and pushed through an extrusion molding machine, forming a long, tube-like shape or rod.  This is cooled and cut to the required specs.

  • Process: Plastic material is melted and pushed through a die to create a continuous profile.
  • Advantages: Suitable for producing continuous shapes with consistent cross-sections. It’s efficient for high-volume production of items like pipes, tubes, and some profiles.
  • Materials:  Silicone, Polysulfone, Polycarbonate & Acrylic

Injection Molding:

Injection molding is a manufacturing technology for the mass production of identical plastic parts with good to tight tolerances.  The materials are first melted and then injected under pressure into a mold, where the liquid plastic cools and solidifies.

  • Process: Molten plastic is injected into a mold cavity under high pressure and cooled to form the part.
  • Advantages: Ideal for complex shapes and precise dimensions. It’s highly automated and efficient for large production runs, offering good repeatability and minimal material waste.
  • Materials:  Peek, Ultem PEI & Torlon® PAI

Compression Molding:

Compression molding is a forming process in which a plastic material is placed directly into a heated metal mold then is softened by the heat and therefore forced to conform to the shape ofthe mold.

  • Process: Plastic material is placed in a heated mold cavity, then compressed to shape the part
  • Advantages: Suitable for large parts and materials that require high-strength properties. It can be more cost effective for smaller production runs compared to injection molding.
  • Materials: PTFE

Pexco specializes in manufacturing extruded, injection, and compression molded plastic parts. We leverage years of expertise to bring your product to market – on time and on budget.

For more information on Pexco and how we can help you with your project, please visit our website at www.pexco.com.

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Let Pexco Solve Your Most Difficult Challenges

July 11, 2024  |  , , ,

Pexco.locations

At Pexco, our strength lies in our solution diversity.  From custom solutions to solving specific engineering challenges, our expertise guarantees outstanding results. From inspiration to application, Pexco has been helping our customers bring ideas to life for nearly half a century.

Pexco embrases the value of working together as One Pexco. This philosphy drives business-level product innovation, location efficiencies, client responsiveness and helps us attract talent. We are able to take advantage of the economies of scale, scope and skill while creating strong accountability and ownership, by pushing decision making down as close to the customer as possible.

Pexco places great value on firm-wide coordination in decision-making, cooperative teamwork and institutional committment. We have one way of doing things and utilize cross-facility teams to address client innovation.

Pexco’s multiple specialty manufacturing facilities across North America help control costs and provide the flexibility needed for fast and efficient product delivery.  And with 13 locations nationwide, we can meet most of your market’s product needs, On-time and on budget:

  • Asheboro, NC   
  • Athol, CT
  • Atlanta, GA – Headquarters
  • Bristol, CT
  • Cincinnati, OH
  • Grand Falls, NB, CA
  • Monterey, MX
  • Philadelphia, PA
  • Plastow, NH
  • Ravena, OH
  • Sparta, NJ
  • Tacoma, WA
  • Wallingford, CT

Pexco specializes in manufacturing extruded, injection, and compression molded plastic parts.  We leverage years of expertise to bring your product to market – on-time and on-budget.

For more information on One Pexco and how we can help you with your project, please contact Rich Reed, Vice President of Sales – Custom, at [email protected] or visit our website at www.pexco.com.

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