A NEW DESIGN PROCEDURE FOR PROFILE EXTRUSION DIES

A new design procedure for complex profile extrusion dies is presented . This method applies to multiple channel dies, i.e. dies provided wit h melt flow independent channels in the land. The approach is based on the resolution of the flow inverse problem, which consists of finding the channel topology (channel land lengths, approach angles in the tr ansition region), which gives a balanced flow at the die orifice from the knowledge of the die contour. The methodology uses a blend of the network approach and the cross-section method. The procedure is used t o design an industrial die that has been tested in a manufacturing env ironment, showing the performance of the proposed approach.