The plastic extrusion dies that Arlington Machinery typically has in stock can be broken down into sheet dies, strand dies, pipe/profile dies and blown film dies. An extrusion die for each of these processes is responsible for giving the extruded plastic its shape.

Sheet Dies

Sheet dies come in varying widths and thicknesses based the desired result. The width and “gap” determine the maximum width and thickness of the product. The simplest type is a manual sheet die. The thickness is set by manually adjusting the gap bolts. Flex-lip dies have a die that remains in place and the edge (lip) is moved to change the thickness of the sheet. Automatically adjusted sheet dies allow for quicker changing of the product or other production adjustments. They can also be multi-layer, which means they are able to produce a sheet of plastic by placing layer(s) of sheet directly on top of another that cool together.

Strand Dies

Strand dies, used for compounding or recycling plastics, are made up of any number of holes and sizes. When plastic is pushed through the strand die, it creates cylinders of plastic – or strands – that are cooled and then cut. The cut cylinders of plastic that are then used to in another extrusion process to produce the final product. The value and suitability for a project is determined by the size and number of holes in the strand die.

Pipe/Profile Dies

Pipe dies are used to create a continuous length of pipe that can be cut or wound. Because pipe in the US is generally standardized, pipe dies can be readily sold on the used market. Profile dies, when for a standard product like lumber, can be valuable; however, a product-specific die is more difficult to sell. Pipe dies can produce pipe and tubing from a diameter of millimeters all the way up to several feet – think from medical tubing to PVC drainage pipe.

Blown Film Dies

Blown film extrusion is a continuous plastic extrusion process. The plastic is forced from the extruder and through the round die that gives the film a round shape necessary to cool as it is carried to the rest of the line, flattened and either wound or processed into a product such as a bag. The blown film dies themselves can be either stationary or rotating and can be single layer up to 11 layers. This type of extrusion die is usually pared with an air ring, but they can be purchased separately. The air ring blows air up the center of the die to keep the plastic in the cylinder shape. Different dies and air rings can be used together depending on the desired output.

Plastic Extrusion Dies and Equipment Inventory

For plastic extrusion equipment of virtually any type, you can find what you need at Arlington Machinery. We offer a vast selection of plastic extrusion equipment and machinery suit your needs. We continually replenish our inventory and buy used equipment regularly. If you don’t see exactly what you need on our site, contact us with your equipment specs – we can find the product that you need.