Safety in Design and Manufacturing of Extruders Used for the Continuous Processing of Energetic Formulations

Abstract

Extruders used for the continuous processing of energetic materials require various types of safety features and thus are differentiated from the extruders commonly available to civilian industries. Items of particular importance to the user include the in-process volume, control of the energetic material properties (especially temperature and pressure), the ability to quickly release pressure, reduction of metal-to-metal contact, and the control of electrical discharge. In this article, two novel extrusion platforms, the first one involving a flexible manufacturing platform and the second designed to process nanoenergetics, are described to illustrate the procedures necessary to design extrusion platforms for energetics manufacture. Particular emphasis is given to the safety features that need to be incorporated during the design stage, along with a detailed discussion of the flexibility and ease of use of extrusion equipment. The use of material-specific mathematical modeling in the design of the extrusion platforms is also elucidated as a first line of defense for safety and ease of use.