extruding plastics 1

[jaytb]

is there a vendor out there that can extrude recycled polymer. what i have envisioned is something like vinyl siding except a little thicker.

can anyone point me out to someone so i can discuss this in further detail.

jtb

 

[automatic2]

Most extrusion houses will introduce a percentage of reprocessed material, into the input stream. Many, if not all, siding type compounds are formulated to accept a prescribed amount of repro. It's that or smoother under scrap. In house repro is a valued commodity and is traded internationally, unless of course your producing unusual amounts.

Vinyl siding is really quite a high quality type of extrusion, as is window profiles and the such. Dimensional stability and tolerances are key in sustaining viable markets. As such, manufacturers have very tight tolerances on there raw materials, including repro, and typically will only consume their own, because of it's known state.

If you have a consistant quality of a known compostition, you may find it easy to peddle the material. If on the other hand your material is coming in from the consumer stream, you will be severally limited in the scope and value of what you have.

The wider ranging the composition, the larger latitude you will require in both processing and product tolerance. For instance, dimensional extruded lumber has considerable tolerance and subsequently consumes wide spec recycled materials.

There will be several questions; what do you have for material, what is your finished product spec, and are you prepared for substantial tooling, packaging costs.

 

[jaytb]

I just moved to Kansas. I lived in South Dakota and could find no extruders that could make what I have in mind. Thanks for the help people.