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Plastic Sheet and Blown Film Extrusion
Emma

Created by

Emma

11. October 2026SE
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Plastic Sheet and Blown Film Extrusion

Flat plastic comes from an extruder in two ways. Sheet too thick to blow is pushed through a wide slit die and pulled through chill rolls, which cool it and set its thickness and surface. Thin film is blown: a tube is extruded upwards from a ring die, inflated by air into a tall bubble that stretches it both ways, cooled, flattened by nip rolls into lay-flat tube, and wound or slit. Bags are cut and heat-sealed from the lay-flat tube; wrap is slit film.
Advanced
Continuous (industrial)

Instructions

1

Melt

Pellets are melted along the extruder's heated screw.

Materials for this step:

Polypropylene PelletsPolypropylene Pellets100 kg
PVC Compound PelletsPVC Compound Pellets100 kg
LDPE PelletsLDPE Pellets100 kg
HDPE PelletsHDPE Pellets100 kg

Tools needed:

Plastic ExtruderPlastic Extruder
Pellet Hopper FeederPellet Hopper Feeder
2

Sheet: slit die and chill rolls

For sheet, the melt leaves a wide slit die and passes between chill rolls that cool it and set its thickness.

Tools needed:

Plastic ExtruderPlastic Extruder
Extrusion DieExtrusion Die
3

Film: blow a bubble

For film, a tube is extruded upward from a ring die and inflated with air into a bubble, stretching it thin both across and along; an air ring cools it.

Tools needed:

Plastic ExtruderPlastic Extruder
Extrusion DieExtrusion Die
4

Flatten and wind

Nip rolls flatten the bubble into lay-flat tube, which is wound up or slit into sheeting.
5

Bags

Lay-flat tube is cut to length and heat-sealed across the bottom to make bags and liners.
6

Check

Thickness is measured across the width.

Tools needed:

Digital Caliper 6-InchDigital Caliper 6-Inch

Materials

4

Tools Required

4

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