Profile extrusion is extrusion of a shaped product that can be a variety of configurations but does not include sheet or film products. Profile extrusion can include solid forms as well as hollow forms. Products ranging from tubing to window frames to vehicle door seals are manufactured this way and considered profile extrusion.
Extrusions have several advantages over other forms of plastics manufacturing. An example is the ability to create plastic forms of infinite length, in very large (or small) production volumes. Many different plastic products can be made in this manner out of a full spectrum of plastic materials, including PVC, Acrylic, ABS, and Polystyrene, just to name a few.
The extruded plastics market is projected to grow from USD 184.34 billion in 2016 to USD 291.74 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 4.7% from 2016 to 2026. Key factors that are expected to drive the growth of the market include low feedstock and energy prices that tend to reduce the overall cost of extrudates. Adoption of extruded plastics in medical and agricultural industries is also expected to fuel the growth of this market.
Extruded plastics are widely used in electrical & electronics in appliances, electrical components and accessories, and consumer electronic goods, among others. Major application of extruded plastics in this industry is in insulation and packaging of products such as wires & cables, switches, casing of electrical & electronic goods, and protective packaging of goods, among others.
Plastic extrusion is used for the manufacturing of plastic products, such as weather-striping lines, pipes, tubes, deck railings, plastic films, window frames, plastic sheets, wire insulations and thermoplastic coatings. The prominent advantage of the plastic extrusion process is that the plastic can be given any complex shape and molded into any design without the appearance of any cracks or imperfections as the plastic encounters only shear and compressive stresses.
