Screws, Barrels, & Front-End Components

August 28th, 2020

All plastics manufacturing processes utilize front end components, screws and barrels, to melt plastic resin into a melt form. The melting process is primarily achieved through shear heat created by screw rotation inside the barrel. Injection molding requires the plastic melt to be injected into the mold by the screw moving forward under high pressure and speed. For extrusion, the screw is in a fixed position and the screw rotation pumps the material through a die. Screw designs are selected based on resin type and production rates. Screw and barrel materials are also selected based on resin fillers, corrosiveness and other factors.