Aiming for Energy Efficiency when Extruding

Extrusion efficiency needs to be considered when producing pipe, tube, wire & cable for infrastructure and transportation. The aim is to avoid unwanted waste.

Comparatively speaking, the process of plastic extrusion is relatively energy efficient. Its efficiency obviously needs to be considered when producing pipe, tube, wire & cable for infrastructure and transportation. Our customer’s end users consider production efficiency, extended life cycle and intensive use in their entirety. As a result, production costs linked to energy expenditure have to be closely monitored in order to avoid unwanted waste.

As a key technology provider to the industry, we strongly support this industry change and are providing new innovations to make it happen in a most sustainable way. For us, sustainability is driven by several deliverables. Global use of materials is accelerating. It has more than tripled since 1970. Moreover, only 9% of the global economy is circular. Just 9% of the 92.8 billion tons of material that enters the economy is re-used annually.

Modern manufacturing techniques enable the manufacturing of sustainable Wire & Cable and Pipe & Tube products. So, how can we transform regular goods into green products? The most efficient way is to focus on the manufacturing process.

Utility consumption on the whole

The direct electricity consumption of an extrusion line is relatively easy to calculate, but it is by no means the only type of utility required to run an extrusion line. Other sources such as cooling water or compressed air must be taken into account when calculating the line’s operating cost.

An extruder or extrusion group is generally the main consumer of energy, mainly through the mechanical effort provided. Heaters play a key role in process startup and stability, but contribute very little to the energy balance. One’s target is to optimize extruder motorization and screw & barrel pairs to establish the best operating conditions.

Turn to us better take control

We are unique in our role of providing customers with in-house expertise for optimizing the operation of their lines. Better still, we provide the tools and know-how for independently taking control. With advanced automation, data acquisition and database management system, the owner of a Maillefer line can carry out his own post-production analysis. Depending on the measuring devices installed on the line, it is possible for her/him to understand not only the detailed use of electrical power, but also quantify associated utilities.

Cooling and drying non-negligible

Cooling is important in more ways than one. Firstly, it is the second largest consumer of energy consumer after the extrusion. The cooling method chosen also influences the quality of the desired product, the resulting cooling trough length required, factory layout limitations, and of course overall line speed. Our goal is to best understand the unique constraints. Based on the product to be made and the product mix, we calculate the needed cooling together with the ideal cooling techniques to get the job done.

As the extruded product reaches the end of the line, it must be dry before reaching the conditioning step (coiling, reeling or cutting). Often underestimated, the drying step quickly becomes quite a challenge as speed increases. Depending on the line configuration, air consumption alone can account for up to 5% of the total energy consumed. This step deserves our full attention.

An overall view

Sustainable practices promote the health and vitality of the environment, people, and economy. Resources are limited and should be used carefully, sensibly, and with an eye on long-term goals and the effects of how they are used.

By mastering the extrusion process, cooling, and drying, Maillefer offers an overall view that best suits its customers’ operational needs. We strongly believe that extrusion optimization, proper water-cooling techniques, emphasis on vacuum control, and effective drying play key roles in the entire extrusion process.