Many things that we use within our houses and offices these days are products of various kinds of techniques. May they be as small as a control button or as big as an airplane engine, they all undergo a series of processes in order for them to be in that form. One of these processes is called extrusion.

Meaning of Extrusion

Extrusion is the term which refers to a process in which a metal or any other kind of material is drawn or pushed through a die in order to produce finished products that vary in shape. It is used in the manufacture of many kinds of ceramics because of the benefits it provide. It is very efficient and economical.

There are several techniques which come under extrusion. Extrusion Glass, plastic, metals and others are usually involved to accomplish them. The tools and machines to be employed depend greatly on the type of task you are aiming to accomplish. Here are probably the most commonly used extrusion equipment these days: a single screw auger, an extrusion press, a twin screw auger, a die set, a hydraulic press, and a lot more.

Materials That are Often Extruded

Through the years, mankind has found a lot more materials that can be extruded. The following are just a number of them:

1. Extruded aluminum - this ranks as the number 1 most extruded material on the planet. It could undergo cold or hot extrusion. If used in hot extrusion, it can be exposed to heat that is approximately 300 to 600 degrees Celsius. Illustrations of its finished products are heat sinks, support frames, tracks, rails and mullions.

2. steel - the plain carbon steel type is used more often than any other type of steel. However, a lot of industries also employ stainless steel and alloy steel in their operations. When extruded, temperature can be between 1000 to 1300 degrees Celsius. Examples of finished products are tracks and rods.

3. copper - it could be exposed to pressure which is about 100 ksi. When extruded, it could be used to make wire, pipe, tubes, rods, welding electrodes and bars.

4. tungsten carbide - it is known to be tough so it is often utilized in extrusion.

5. magnesium - it has almost the same extrusion properties as aluminum. Illustrations of its finished products are nuclear industry materials and aircraft parts.

There are plenty of useful things that came about through extrusion and were not mentioned previously. For example, with extrusion, extrusion glass,, ceramic, plastic, food and drugs could be improved with its help. The whole procedure of extrusion has indeed benefited us in lots of ways.