Abstract
Hot-melt extrusion is commonly applied for forming products, ranging from metals to plastics, rubber and clay composites. It is also increasingly used for the production of pharmaceuticals, such as granules, pellets and tablets. In this context, mathematical modeling plays an important role to determine the best process operating conditions, but also to possibly develop software sensors or controllers. The early models were essentially black-box and relied on the measurement of the residence time distribution. Current models involve mass, energy and momentum balances and consists of (partial) differential equations. This paper presents a literature review of a range of existing models. A common case study is considered to illustrate the predictive capability of the main candidate models, programmed in a simulation environment (e.g., MATLAB). Finally, a comprehensive distributed parameter model capturing the main phenomena is proposed.
Highlights
Hot-melt extrusion has been a forming technique in popular use in industry since the 19th century
The aim of this paper is to review the mathematical models of hot-melt extrusion that were proposed in the past few decades, with a focus on dynamic models that could be the basis for developing a simulator, a state estimator or a controller
Mathematical modeling of extrusion processes has led to essentially five types of models:
Summary
Hot-melt extrusion has been a forming technique in popular use in industry since the 19th century It is a thermomechanical manufacturing process where solid materials are transformed into a uniform product with a specific, possibly complex, shape by forcing passage through a die [1]. A discontinuous extrusion process, which is widely used in industry, is the ram extruder, where the whole material billet is directly injected into the device and pushed out from the die by the ram pressure [17]. This single or multi-ram batch process can generate extremely high pressures, but usually results in poor melting efficiency [18]. This type of process will not be discussed, and attention will be focused only on modeling twin screw systems
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
