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Product Design and Development Tutorial

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 S O C I E T Y
O F P L A S T I C S
E N G I N E E R S
w w w . 4 s p e . o r g

MAY 2007
OUR FINAL TECHNICAL PROGRAM FEATURES A SPEAKER WITH 22 PATENTS
Table of Contents
President’s Message . . . . . . .2
Product Design and Development Tutorial
Dr. Ranganath Shastri
Golf Outing Recap . . . . . . .5
CIATEQ Unidad San Luis Potosí – UDIT, San Luis Potosí, SLP, México
Study of PTFE Rheology
During Paste r. Ranganath Shastri is currently serving as a Volunteer with Peace Corps
Extrusion Process . . . . . . .6
Education Corner . . . . . . . .7
D Mexico, as a Plastics Expert at CIATEQ Unidad SLP – UDIT, assisting in
training & development of skilled workforce, Customer Technical Support
Bernoulli Blower Arrives
at The Woodlands and Applied Research & Technology Development. Dr. Ranganath Shastri is
Children’s Museum . . . . . .9 a veteran of over 27 years of experience in the plastics industry including
21 years with The Dow Chemical Company in various roles in New
Product & Technology Development, Application Development, Business
Research, Marketing, New Business Development, eBusiness and
Knowledge Management. He holds a B.E. (Chem. Engg) degree from
University of Mysore (India), M.S. in Chemical Engineering and Ph.D. in
Materials Science from University of Cincinnati. Dr. Shastri has authored over 65 technical publica-
tions and holds 22 patents. He was elected as a Fellow of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) in
May 2003. Dr. Shastri has been an active member of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) since
1975, serving on the Product Design & Development (PD3) Division Board since 1992, and as a PD3
Councilor since 2001. He is also a member of The Society of Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI), Society of
Automotive Engineers (SAE), American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), ISO/TC61 and
ASTM International. He also serves on the Editorial Board of Hanser Publishers.
®
Presentation
w w w. s p e - s t x . o r g
1. Methodologies in Plastics Product Design and Development
Most design engineers today are not adequately equipped with a good understanding of the behavior
of plastics and when it comes to designing parts with plastics, the general tendency appears to be
somewhat of the same approach for designing with metals or other material classes where time, tem-
perature and rate effects do not play significant role at service temperatures. The end result, most
often, is parts designed not fully capi-
May 14, 2007 10am-7:30pm talizing the unique features &
Brady’s Landing functionalities of plastics or improper
8505 Cypress St., Houston, Texas use of plastics that ultimately result in
premature failure. The scope of this
presentation is to illustrate how effec-
tive use of plastics can be achieved
with the concept of an integrated, con-
current approach involving the various
stages of the product development.

2. Sustainable Design of Plastics

Products through
Environmental Stewardship
The design flexibility and net shape
formability of plastics combined with

(continued on page 3)
 President’s Message SECTION OFFICERS
President – Harish Sangani
PolyClean Technologies, Inc.
his will be my final column before our technical program-
T ming and newsletters take a break for the summer. It has
been an honor to serve our section membership, and I am
4709 Highway 36 South, #12
Rosenberg, TX 77471
832.595.9660 • harishsangani8@msn.com
President-Elect – Donna Davis
ExxonMobil Chemical Company
getting ready to turn over the leadership duties to Donna 4500 Bayway Drive, Baytown, TX 77522-4900
281.834.2036 • donna.s.davis@exxonmobil.com
Davis of ExxonMobil. She is already gearing up for the role
Vice President – Earl L. Johnson
and continuing her efforts to try new ideas to provide more Omicron Marketing
74 Ruskin Drive, Montgomery, TX 77356
value to you, our members. 281-465-8866 • earllj@extrusionplus.com
Treasurer – Robert Goddard
It has been a very successful year for our great section in its efforts to support Ribelin Sales
18106 Spellbrook, Houston, TX 77084
education in plastics and serve our members. Our annual Polyolefins Conference 713.854.0386 • rgoddard@ribelin.com
generated excellent profits this year, adding over $75,000 to our section’s budget Secretary – Raj Saxena
Wacker, Inc.
for support of university scholarship endowments and student sections. The annual 4807 River Hill Drive, Kingwood, TX 77345
281.361.3119 • Raj.Saxena@wacker.com
Frank Padula Memorial Golf Outing held a few weeks ago raised in excess of Councilor – Rick Wagner
$11,000 which will be used to fund additional plastics education activities in his Chevron Phillips Chemicals
Orange, TX
memory. We are participating with the Children’s Museum in The Woodlands for 409.882.6156 • wagnerc@cpchem.com
Past President – Ray Johannessen
sponsoring and funding an interactive exhibit on plastics, and the SPE student Croda Universal
311 Odessa Drive, Magnolia, TX 77354
chapter at Texas Tech University got together to build a Bernoulli Blower exhibit to 281.252.5550 • r.johannessen@crodausa.com
be used in the museum as well. In addition, we funded the services of the PlastiVan Prior Past President – Suzanne Biggs
Tru-Chem, LLC
for 10 days to bring additional interactive plastics education to various museums, 4119 Cason, Houston, TX 77005
713.664.2849 • suzannebiggs@yahoo.com
elementary and middle schools in the Houston area.
In other areas of accomplishments, our section won the Gold Level Pinnacle COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS
Advertising – Suzanne Biggs
Award from SPE International in recognition of all that our section does to support 281.240.0202 • sbiggs@tpcplastic.com
plastics education and our local membership. The SPE student chapter at Texas Tech Education – Mark Demark
281.756.3785 • MDemark@alvincollege.edu
University, a chapter that we are proud to support, was recognized as Outstanding Golf Outing – Lynnette Russo
Student Chapter by SPE International. Our section was instrumental in helping to 281.481.9100 • lynnette@bapoly.com
Housing – Emery W. Jorgenson
start a new SPE student chapter at Lamar University in Beaumont, TX, and we wish 713.827.1455 • emery@jorgensonmachinery.com
them the best of success. Newsletter – Earl L. Johnson
713.825.7372 • earllj@extrusionplus.com
All of these achievements and more are the result of sincere efforts by dedicated Membership – Gerard Fusco
281.225.4476 • gafusco@aol.com
volunteers and industry professionals who are proud to give back to the industry
Polyolefins 2007 – Bill Diecks
they are a part of, so that others may benefit from all that plastics have to offer. 832.813.4451 • dieckwa@cpchem.com
Technical Program – Donna Davis
Please consider joining in and continuing their efforts. I look forward to seeing new 281.834.2036 • donna.s.davis@exxonmobil.com
faces of dedicated professionals at our Board and technical meetings next year.
Until then, don’t miss out on our last technical program event of this year. This BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Abel Garcia – 936.760.2311
will be another tutorial format meeting, this time focusing on providing some basic abel@phoenixplastics.com
Larry Chriswell – 281.499.4393
knowledge and tools for engineers involved in product design and development. The LChriswell@houston.rr.com
Board meeting will be held at the same location after the tutorial program has ended, Bounita Favorite – 225.413.5811
bounitafavorite@bellsouth.net
and you are welcome to stay and learn how the Board does its work to coordinate all Kelly Harrison – 281.465.9013
that our section is able to achieve. Additional Board meetings will be held during the kelly.harrison@clariant.com
Kevin Menchaca – 281.481.9100
summer hiatus to make preparations for next year’s technical meeting program and kevinm@bapoly.com
education activities. Contact me or any of the section officers, directors, or committee Brandon Cleary – 936.760.2311
brandon@phoenixplastics.com
chairs to participate.夝 James Gubera – 281.556.6481
xspolymers@houston.rr.com
William Talbott – 281.218.6305
Billtt8@cs.com
Mike McMahon – 281.681.2500
mmcmahon@nfm.net
Harish Sangani Gerry Wissler – 817.944.5135
gewissler@att.net
SPE – South Texas Section President 2006-2007 Kevin Robel – 713.888.4505
krobel@na.ko.com
Emery Jorgenson – 281.481.9100
emery@jorgensonmachinery.com

2
(Product Design and Development Tutorial – continued from cover)
Personnel Consultants Of Houston, Inc.
Nick Marino – Sales/Marketing
the creativity of designers in exploitation of advanced technologies George Menghi – Additives Technical
Bob Shanley –R&D/Technical
with innovative combinations of dissimilar materials in product Joe Shanley – Engineering
designs introducing styling and aesthetics features for consumer 2555 Central Parkway, Houston,Texas 77092
SPE Member since 1966 713-680-9132 | fpchouston.com | Nationwide
appeal has facilitated virtually an explosion of traditional material
replacement as well as new-to-the-world applications for plastics in
the last two decades. An unintended yet undesirable consequence of
this phenomenal growth in plastics applications, however, is millions
of plastics products discarded daily by consumers worldwide, litter-
ing the environment leading to ever increasing content of plastics
waste in municipal waste streams everywhere. With the trend in Consider NFM for your compounding applications.
NFM provides a Total Package System — the products,
continually shortening product life cycles of most durable products, expertise and technical support to take your compounding
product designers have a responsibility to provide practical engineer- process to a whole new level.

ing solutions to minimize the negative impacts of their designs on

the environment. This presentation describes a comprehensive
approach to sustainable design of plastics products incorporating
entire life cycle management considerations, during each stage of
plastics product design and development cycle, outlining best prac-
tices and specific guidelines for “eco-design” of plastics products
through environmental stewardship.

3. Tools for Product Design on the Internet for Designers

The “Information Age” spawned by the explosive usage of Internet in
the last decade has energized the plastics industry to explore means
to leverage the vast potential of the web for growth beyond tradi-
tional boundaries. The lure of reaching multitudes of new customers
from wide corners of the world – round the clock – on the net has led
to creation of huge number of web sites targeted towards various NFM NFM-UK NFM-SW USA
577 Oberlin Road Quin Street 25325 Borough Park Dr. #105
Call or fax
segments of the plastics industry with scores of new sites being for a copy
of our new
Massillon, OH
44647-7899 USA
Leyland, Lancashire
PR25 2TB UK
Woodlands, TX
77380 USA
TEM Series 330.837.3868 44.1772.421.258 281.681.2500
launched every day. Many of these sites remain mostly “hidden” as it Brochure. Fax: 330.837.2230
www.nfm.net
Fax: 44.1772.431.114
www.nfmiddon.co.uk
Fax: 281.681.2501
extrudersales@nfm.net

is virtually impossible to keep up with all the resources already

available to even the web savvy plastics professional. Despite the
availability of most powerful search engines, the seasoned plastics
professional and the novices alike are faced with the challenge of
searching for a needle in a haystack in their attempts to “mine” the
vast resources available on the net. This presentation will highlight
various powerful tools and resources available on the net specifically
to the designers, molders and moldmakers for access to information
from around the world.

4. Material Data Needs for Plastics Product Design

Within the last decade, replacement of traditional materials such as
steel and die cast metals in durable applications involving structural
components exposed to rather broad varying operating environ-
ments over the life cycle of the product has become the primary
growth area for plastics. As plastics product designers accelerate
their effort to fully exploit the design flexibility and unique charac-
teristics of plastics in development of complex parts, Computer 1300 McCabe Rd.
Custom, Proprietary and Toll LaPorte, Texas 77571
Manufacturer of Polyolefin 281-867-3000
(continued on page 4)
Based Products Fax 281-471-1741
ISO 9001/2000 bayshore@icopolymers.com

3
(Product Design and Development Tutorial – continued from page 3)

Aided Design/Engineering (CAD/CAE) utilizing Finite Element

Analysis (FEA) techniques are becoming powerful tools for design
engineers in performing engineering analysis to predict perform-
ance of the parts under a variety of situations to ensure reduced
product development costs and accelerate speed to the market. In
order to design effectively with plastics, design engineers need Chemtura. Value is our strongest additive. ™

comprehensive material data to ascertain a confident knowledge of

the safe operating limits of the designed component, involving Monomer Polymerization Finishing Compounding Fabrication

exposure to service conditions that vary over a broad range of tem-

peratures, loading history and environments over the life cycle of
the product, rather than typical values reported at room tempera-
ture in technical datasheets. However, there are misconceptions
about which material properties are essential for design and vari-
ous simulations as well as lack of uniform testing protocols and
standardized reporting format for material data needed for design. Adding new possibilities, all along the value chain.
The focus of this presentation is to raise the awareness of the plas- We add exceptional value, with a powerhouse portfolio of polyolefin additives,
antioxidants, flame retardants, vinyl stabilizers, intermediates and a host of
tics community regarding the essential material properties needed other plastics additives.
for designing with plastics and how they are measured with spe- We’re Chemtura, the world’s largest plastics additives company and a global
specialty chemicals company. We advance ideas in polymers and the additives
cific considerations to the status of standardization activity in this which enhance their performance across the full polymeric range.
area including the sensitivity of the various simulations to errors in
material property data.
Please visit www.chemtura.com.
5. New Strategies for Material Pre-Selection for Successful
Product Design
Search for the ideal candidate for any application involves rigorous
screening among all the available commercial products in the mar-
ketplace on the basis of the material properties that relate to the
end-use performance requirements of the intended application.
With more than 30,000 commercial grades of plastics from hun-
dreds of suppliers and distributors available on the market,
selecting the right grade for the intended application poses a very
challenging task. Material selection process is further complicated
by additional factors, such as the difficulty in quantifying the per-
formance criteria to enable this search, often the poor quality of
material data available and often insufficient data as well as lack of
comparable data for inter material comparison. This presentation
will introduce practical and innovative concepts useful for material
pre-selection and demonstrate various electronic tools readily avail-
able for selection of plastics.夝

Ribelin Sales, Inc.

69 Years of Service
Supplying:
Pigments, Fillers, Extenders, Polymers,
Resins, Additives & Containers
1-877-Ribelin

4
Golf Outing Recap
e held the South Texas Golf Outing Monday, April 16th at
W Gleannloch Pines. We had 122 golfers. Prize winners were:
Low Gross Longest Drive
Kip McAlister Tim Groudle Your Innovative Partner for
Danny Crosby
Mark Dawson
Longest Drive Pigments and Additives
Kip McAlister
Doug McIntyre
Longest Drive  Pigments and Dyes for Plastics  Antistats
Low Net  Antioxidants  Flame Retardants
April Barnett
Dave Powell  UV Stabilizers  Waxes
Wes Sumner Closest to the Pin
Jim Gleason Jim Cartwright Contact Kelly L. Harrison, Sales Executive
Jim Riley 281.465.9013
The Outing earned $11,000 to donate to education in memory of
Clariant Corporation, Pigments & Additives Division
Frank Padula. Thanks to all the volunteers who helped: Lynnette 500 Washington Street, Coventry, RI 02816, Tel: 800.441.4414, Fax: 401.823.2565
Russo, Kevin Menchaca, Paul Banks, JoNell Kelly and Joann Padula.夝 www.pa.clariant.com

McAlister, Crosby, Dawson, McIntyre

PLASTICS INFORMATION: CHECK IT OUT

Since the Houston Public Library on McKinney St is essentially
closed for remodeling, you cannot go there to browse for
books on plastics/polymers. However, go to their cata-
log at www.hpl.lib.tx.us and arrange to pick up books at
a branch library.
The Fondren Library at Rice University has the most complete collection 7095 Industrial Rd., P.O. Box 6270 (41022-6270)
of books on plastics and polymers. This is also a prime resource for patent Florence, KY 41042 • www.berstorff.com
and trademark information, as well as other US Government documents. You 859-283-0200 • Fax 859-283-1860 • Info@berstorff.com
Compounding, Pelletizing and Calenderizing Equipment
cannot check out books there unless you join Fondren Library [$50], but you
can arrange for books to be sent to your library by inter-library loan. Use their
catalog at www.rice.edu/fondren/.
Comprehensive Plastics Testing Since 1973
The next best place to browse is at the MD Anderson Library at the
University of Houston central campus. South Texas Section has donated many Chemical • Thermal
plastics books to this library. If you plan ahead, you can get a TexShare library Mechanical • Compounding
card from a library where you are a member, which will allow you to check out Failure • Weathering LABORATORIES, INC.
books from any U of H library. Their catalog is at www.library.uh.edu/ 夝 PLASTICS | POLYMERS | RUBBER | ASTM www.polyhedronlab.com
10626 Kinghurst, Houston, TX 77099 • 281-879-8600 • Fax: 281-879-8666

5
Study of the PTFE
Rheology During Paste
Extrusion Process
Shia Chung Chen1, Lei-Ti Huang1, Ping-Shun Hsu1,
Yu-Wan Lin1, and James Huang2
R&D Center of Membrane Technology, Chung Yuan
University Chung-Li 32023, Taiwan
Yeu Ming Tai Chemical Industrial Co., Ltd., Taichung
Industrial Park, Taichung 407, Taiwan

Abstract
olytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a remarkable membrane material.
P Due to its high melting point, PTFE fine powder cannot be
processed using conventional molding methods. Instead, techniques
involving paste extrusion, rolling and sintering have to be employed.
This research builds a simple PTFE capillary rheometer system, with
accurate extrusion speed and extrusion pressure control, and investi-
gate the rheology of PTFE paste during extrusion process. Due to the
lower constant speed, the density variation of PTFE extrudate Plastics, additives, for:
decreases from 1.75 g/cm3 (± 5.8%) to 1.68 g/cm3 (± 0.48%). In Injection, Blow Molding
9708 S.P.J.D., Suite B-IOI and Extrusion
addition, different lubricant content (18 wt%, 20 wt%, and 22 wt%)
Corpus Christi, TX 78418 Specializing in prime, virgin
was used to monitor the pressure drop at different extrusion speeds Phone: 361-939-9898 materials, custom compounds
Fax: 361-939-9853 and full material development
(0.5 mm/s, 1 mm/s, 2 mm/s) and reduction ratios (RR=26.47, 47.06,
www.tdlplastics.com TDL is a NMSDC certified minority supplier.
80.06). It was found that higher lubricant content and high reduc-
tion ratio result in lower pressure drop. Lower extrusion speed also
results in a better performance in extrudate formation.

Introduction
It was a mere accident from the beginning, but the discovery of
polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) had turned out to be one of the most
exciting scientific advances in the 20th century. PTFE is a fluorocar-
bon compound. The molecular structure of PTFE is such that its
carbon backbone is totally covered by fluorine, thus preventing the
reaction between other aggressive media and the backbone bonds.
Additionally, the bond between carbon and fluorine is extremely
strong compared with others, so the replacement of the fluorine is
highly unlikely. It is also insoluble in all solvents, even at increased
temperatures. As a result, only a few chemicals, such as elemental
fluorine, molten alkali metals, and some inter-halogen compounds, At Cytec, we help plastics
can attack PTFE. Besides the excellent chemical stability, the high perform better and last longer.
crystallinity of the compound (90%-95%) results in a high melting Cytec is a leading global supplier of stabilizers to the polymer
temperature of PTFE, thus high thermal stability. These and addi- industry. Our product portfolio includes:
tional properties of PTFE have been described elsewhere [1,2]. • CYASORB® light stabilizers
The combination of the unique properties above has given • CYANOX® antioxidants
• CYASTAT® antistats
PTFE a special position in the modern-day human life. A well-
known example is the invention of non-sticking cookware coated
with PTFE that utilized PTF’s low coefficient of friction and high-
Cytec Industries Inc.
(continued on page 9) Polymer Additives Customer Service:
www.cytec.com 888-CYTECPA

6
 E DUCATION C ORNER
– Mark Demark, Education Chair

n March 23-24, 2007, we participated again in the Science/

O Engineering Fair of Houston as a Special Awarding Agency.
Our judging team comprised Mark Demark, David Fiscus, Jim
Kersting, Jesus Martinez, Costas Metaxas, Ted Marker, and Bill
Talbott. We found eight projects related to plastics and polymers
for awards in the Senior Division, the Ninth Grade division, the
Junior Division. This was the first time in several years that we
have found suitable projects in the Ninth-grade Division. First
place winners will receive a $200 award and trophy; second place, (photo courtesy of Marc Nathan Photographers)
a $100 award and trophy; and third place, a $50 award and tro- Row 1: (left to right) Aine McClean, Tom Mullaney, Deepa Koshti
Row 2: Bill Talbott, Cameron Strong, Kandis Schulte, Michael Rockey, James Taggart,
phy. The judging team selected the following projects for awards: and Costas Metaxas. Max Feinstein was not present for the photo.

Senior Division
First place – Deepa Koshti from Clear Creek High School for her
project “Difference in Metallic and Non-metallic Guitar Strings and
their Sound Characteristics”.
Second place –James Taggart from Clear Lake High School for
his project “Variations in Exercise Equipment for Bone in Space”
comparing static resistance vs. elastic resistance exercise machines.
Third place – Kandis Schulte from Navasota High School for
her project “Insulation vs. Heat” comparing three different plastic-
containing insulation materials.
Both Ms. Koshti and Mr. Rockey received additional awards
from other Special Awarding Agencies. Ms. McClean was one of
our awardees last year for the first part of her project that involved
materials different from her project this year.
We will mail the awards and trophies to the students.夝
Letter of Appreciation

Ninth-grade Division
First place – Michael Rockey from Friendswood High School for
his project “Sudden Impact” investigating the puncture resistance
(from a plastic BB fired from a BB gun) of composite sheets of
alternating materials and various total composite sheet thicknesses.
Second place – Cameron Strong from the Academy of Science
and Technology in The Woodlands for his project “Getting Carried
Away” investigating the effect of polyacrylamide and polyvinylalco-
hol in preventing soil erosion.
Third place –Tom Mullaney from Clear Lake High School for
his project “Insulate Me!” investigating five different materials in
preventing heat loss.

Junior Division
First place – Aine McClean from Seabrook Intermediate for her
project “Your Flexible Friend II” investigating the effect of diesel
fuel, gasoline, and olive oil on the tensile strength and elongation
of polyurethane, polyethylene, and polyvinylchloride bladders.
Second place – Max Feinstein from the Trafton Academy for
his project “Microwave Madness” investigating the effect of water
heated in plastic cups in a microwave oven upon plant growth
compared to straight water.

7
Bernoulli Blower Arrives
at The Woodlands
Children’s Museum
he Bernoulli Blower was delivered to the Woodlands Children’s
T Museum on Friday, March 30th. They are in the process of
building a base for it. It should be operating in the Science wing
of the museum by the time kids are getting out of school this year.

Preliminary Design

The air source-a powerful fan Preliminary design SPE South Texas Section Decreasing the outlet size-the set- SPE-TTU members enjoy a demo.
Member inspects the design up is too high
Final Design

Modification in TTU physical plant Final fittings Final design Basic set-up Bent tube

A Demo with our Members

Members having fun with the Trying a different fitting Trying a different ball Our Chairman, Prof. Karim, is
blower moving the bent tube

8
(Study of PTFE Rheology – continued from page 6)

temperature resistance. However, the role of PTFE in civilization is

certainly beyond this, and has an equally important impact on many
industries, especially in the membrane industry.
Polymeric porous membranes play an important role in separa-
tion engineering and a variety of techniques have been adopted for
the production of these membranes. One of the widely employed
methods of producing polymeric porous membranes is a series of
mechanical operations extrusion, rolling, and stretching. The com-
mercial membranes from polymeric material such as polyethylene
(PE) and polypropylene (PP) were reported [3-8]. In the case of
PTFE porous membranes, a melting process is not required in pro-
duction, significantly different from PE and PP. It forms a stable melt
even at 380°C, with melt viscosity equaling to about 10 GPa.s [9]. It
is not possible to fabricate PTFE resin using conventional polymer
melt processing due to the high melting temperature and melt vis-
cosity. Instead, techniques involving cold pressing, such as paste
extrusion, and sintering have to be employed. Fig. 1 shows the
schematic operations to produce PTFE porous membranes. In PTFE
paste extrusion, fine powder of with individual particle diameter of
approximately 0.2 Ìm is first mixed with a lubricant to form a paste.
A typical lubricant concentration varies from 16 to 22 wt% [10,11].
The paste is then compacted with a typical pressure of 2 MPa to pro-
duce a cylindrical billet (preform) that is free of void. The next step
involves the extrusion of the preform using a ram extruder at a tem-
perature slightly higher than 30°C. Afterwards, the evaporation of
the lubricant through an oven is carried out and then followed by
sintering. Such processes are used in wire coating and tube fabrica-
tion. In the production of PTFE tapes, the extrudate needs only
rolling before passed through the oven with no sintering require-
ment. More detailed description of the processes can be found
elsewhere [9-16].
It is important to control the pore size of PTFE membrane.
There are many ways to control the pore size of PTFE such as
plasma deposition treatment, heating process, and sputtering process
etc. However, the preforming and paste extrusion are important The Advantage
steps that influence the final film properties. In addition, the paste
viscosity will slightly increase associated with the increase in extru-
is Clear
sion pressure. The observed variations in extrusion pressure may be
significance in affecting the quality of the extrudate (Fig. 2) [17].
Therefore, a simple PTFE rheometer was built and the PID control
technology used to control the extrusion pressure and speed. It was
used to monitor the PTFE rheology in different lubricant content (18 A uniquely occurring combination of refractive index and particle
wt%, 20 wt%, and 22 wt%), extrusion speed (0.5 mm/s,1 mm/s,2 morphology, MINBLOC ® delivers superior optical properties and
excellent antiblocking performance. MINBLOC operates transparently
mm/s), and reduction ratio (RR=26.47, 47.06, 80.06). Furthermore, within the polymer matrix to produce high clarity blown and cast
this research focused on finding the PTFE paste behavior having dif- polyolefin film with the industry’s lowest haze and highest clarity
ferent L/D ratios, lubricant contents and different extrusion speeds and gloss values.
during extrusion processing. UNIMIN CORPORATION
Tel: +1-800-243-9004 Fax: +1-800-243-9005
(continued on page 10) E-mail: antiblocks@unimin.com
® MINBLOC is a registered trademark. All rights reserved. ©2007

9
(Study of PTFE Rheology – continued from page 9)
Adding Value to Polymers
Experiment
During the preparation of pastes, cold powders supplied from
Polymer Protection
DuPont Fluoroproducts were mixed with 20 wt% lubricant
• Antioxidants
(Isopar® G). The low temperature mixing procedure ensured that • Processing stabilizers
the resin particles were not prematurely fibrillated. The PTFE • Discoloration resistant stabilization systems
• UVAs, HALS
pastes were aged at least 24 hours at 37°C allowing uniform tem- • High performance stabilization systems
perature distribution within the pastes and better wetting of the Special Effects
powders. Before being processed in a ram extruder, the paste is • Antifog agents • Antimicrobials
preformed at least 2 MPa pressure to form a cylindrical billet. In • Antistatic agents • Clarifying agents
• Flame Retardants • Hydrophilic additive
this study, the length of preform was about 15 cm. It is to remove • Nucleating agents • Optical brighteners
air voids in the mixture to obtain mechanically acceptable prod- • Oxygen absorbers • Photoselective additive
• Ultraviolet filters • Viscosity modifiers
ucts. High preforming pressure may result in excessive uneven
lubricant distribution that will consequently lead to higher extru- Polymer Recycling
sion pressure and visually defective products, most probably • Additives for recycled and degradable plastics

exhibiting surface fracture. However, lower preforming pressure

For more information about Ciba Specialty Chemicals, visit our
may not be able to eliminate all the voids in the paste, rendering website at www.cibasc.com/plastics, or call 1 800 431 1900.
the extrudates structurally weaker. The duration of preforming
within cylinder is also expected to have an effect on lubricant
migration. A number of studies have been reported on lubricant NORAC® ADDITIVES
COAD® and
migration during paste extrusion [15,16]. A linear variable dis- ®
MATHE Metallic Stearates
placement transducer (LVDT) was used to monitor the paste Let Norac show you how our high quality metallic stearates
position. The pressure sensor (PCB®, type 224C, measuring range and related products provide solutions for your polymer
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up to 25 MPa) was mounted on the extrusion piston. In addition,
Our products find use as lubricants, mold releases agents, acid
the PID controller used to obtain the ram position and maintain scavengers, and costabilizers in the PVC, Polyolefin, Thermoset, and
the constant extrusion speed. Fig. 3 shows the control speed signal Rubber Industries. Our line includes Stearates of Calcium, Zinc,
Magnesium, Aluminum, Lithium, and Sodium.
from 2 mm/s to 0.5 mm/s. Man-machine interface was developed
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Azusa, California 91702-3232
itor the process parameters. The experimental parameters as show (626) 334-2908 Fax (626) 334-3512
in Table 1. Furthermore, the extrusion carries on 30°C and the bal- www.norac.com
ance (METTLER TOLEDO®, type AG, measure minimum was 0.01
mg and maximum was 210 g) used to measure the variation of the
density. Furthermore, the PMI® capillary flow porometer (Fig. 4)
was used to analysis the pore size distribution.

Results and Discussions

In the preforming process, higher preforming pressure may result in
excessive uneven lubricant distribution that will consequently lead
to higher extrusion pressure and visually defective products, most
probably exhibiting surface fracture (Fig. 5). However, lower pre-
forming pressure may not be able to eliminate all the voids in the
paste, result to the extrudates structurally weaker (Fig. 5b). In the
paste extrusion process, it is obvious that the formation peak pres-
sure is due to the initial paste filling of the reduction zone and the
paste is subjected to great flow resistance upon arrival at reduction
zone. The pressure build up quickly within perform until it is high
enough to overcome the flow resistance. During this stage, pressure

(continued on page 11)

10
(Study of PTFE Rheology – continued from page 10)
BAYLAND, INC.
also builds up within the paste and release when passing the exten- CUSTOM PLASTIC EXTRUSION
sion zone similar to die swell phenomenon of polymer melt. This P.O. BOX 467
7900 BISSELL, MANVEL, TEXAS 77578
leads to the peak pressure drops. In addition, the different preform- 281-489-1930
ing processes also influence the stability of the paste. The paste www.bayland.com
extrusion pressure would tend to higher as the extrusion piston
compress from the top of the PTFE material in the preforming
process. However, the paste extrusion pressure would more stable,
Chemtrusion
as it prepared by the preforming process with both side compress as
show in Fig 6. The duration of preforming within cylinder is also Plastic Compounding Services
expected to have an effect on lubricant migration. A number of Analytical Testing Services
studies have been reported on lubricant migration during paste
extrusion [15, 16]. Chemtrusion, Inc. 7115 Clinton Dr. Houston, TX 77020
After the paste extrusion process, the extrudate cut 1cm from 713/675-1616 FAX 713/675-8479
the outlet of the extension zone per 10cm at the extrusion process. www.chemtrusion.com
The variation of the extrudate density would tend to higher as the Contact
extrusion speed without control (Fig. 7). It was found that the lower
Edward Bourbonais, Rick Stephens, Wayne Howard
extrusion speed lowered the variation of extrudate density.
Furthermore, the influence of extrudate density would reduce on the
reduction ratio (Fig. 8).The extrudate density is controlled at the
precise extrusion speed control at the same time, lower extrusion
speed tends to decrease the lubricant migration during paste extru-
sion. Due to the extrusion speed controlled, the paste density tends
to stable (Fig. 9). In addition, the extrusion speeds also influence the
pore size distribution. The PTFE membrane porosity is 38%, mean
pore size is 0.22 um as extrusion speed without control (Fig. 10).
However, in the Fig. 11 the membrane porosity is 55%, mean pore
size is 0.15 um as the extrusion speed controlled in 1mm/s.

Conclusion
In this study, a simple PTFE rheometer was built and the PID
control technology used to control the extrusion pressure and
extrusion speed (from 2 mm/s to 0.5 mm/s). It has been observed
that during the extrusion, the pressure increases in the reduction
zone and decreases after the paste passed the extension zone. The
lower extrusion speed would reduce the lubricant migration and
resulting the extrudate of uniform density. Furthermore, lower
extrusion speed can decrease the instability of PTFE rheology at
different reduction ratio. Lower extrusion speed also results in a
better performance in extrudate. Due to the lower constant extru-
sion speed, the variation of PTFE extrudate density can WORLDWIDE LEADER IN UNDERWATER KNIFE TECHNOLOGY

decreasing from 1.75 g/cm3 ( ± 5.8%) to 1.68 g/cm3 ( ± 0.48%). RITCH HELLER, Sales Manager Tel 713-688-6388
5615 Mitchelldale Fax 713-688-4222
In addition, different lubricant content was used to monitor the Houston, Texas 77092 USA Cell 713-703-0949
pressure drop at different extrusion speeds and reduction ratios. www.pelletizerknivesinc.com Email: Rheller@pelletizerknivesinc.com

It was found that higher lubricant content result in lower pres-

sure drop. Furthermore, higher reduction ratio leads to higher
pressure drop. Therefore, the shape effect such as reduction ratio

(continued on page 12)

11
(Study of PTFE Rheology – continued from page 11)

and aspect ratio play an important rule in the paste extrusion

process. Lower extrusion speed also results in a better performance
in extrudate. And the extrusion speed also influence the PTFE
membrane property.

Acknowledgement
This work was supported by Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) Crodamide
Project grant 93-EC-17-A-10-S1-0004 and R&D center of mem- high quality slip and antiblock
brane technology. Croda Inc.
Polymer Additives 300-A Columbus Circle, Edison, NJ 08837-3902
References 732-417-0800 • FAX 732-417-0804

1. DuPont, Teflon PTFE Brochure (1990).

2. Latte, J. and Coomber, D., Japan Patent 42-13560(1967).
3. R. W. Gore, U.S. Patent 3,664,906(1972).
4. R. W. Gore, U.S. Patent 3,953,566(1976). Additive technology helping
5. K. Kamada, S. Minami, and K. Yoshida, Japan Patent brilliant ideas take shape.
56-52123(1981). Products of proven performance – brought to you by a company
6. M. Shindo, T. Yamamoto, and O. Hukunaga, Japan Patent committed to the development of new plastic additive
technology and dedicated to providing exceptional service
63-42006(1988). and customer support – that’s Lonza.
7. C. A. Sperati, Physical Constants of Fluoropolymers, Polymer The Product Edge The Performance Edge
Handbook. Wiley, NY, 1989. Offering an extensive selection of • Lubricants
amide waxes and specialty esters. • Antifog Agents
8. T. A. Blanchet, Polytetrafluoroethylene, Handbook of • Antistatic Agents
• Acrawax ®
Thermoplastics. Marcel Dekker, NY, 1997. • Glycolube ® • Viscosity Modifiers
• Glycomul ® • Dispersion Agents
9. S. Ebnesajjad, “Fluoroplastics Vol. 1: Non-Melt Processible • Glycostat® • Slip/Antiblock
Fluoroplastics”, Plastics Design Library, William Andrew Corp, Agents
• and More
NY (2000).
10. S. Mazur, “Paste Extrusion of Polytetrafluoroethylene Fine
Powder” in Polymer Powder Technology, John Wiley and Sons,
NY (1995). Lonza. The Additives Edge.®
Lonza Inc., 90 Boroline Road, Allendale, NJ 07401 • www.lonza.com
11. DuPont Fluoroplaastic, “Teflon® PTFE Fluoropolymer Resin– Technical Service: 800 777-1875 • Customer Service: 800 631-3647
Processing Guide for Fine Powder Resins”, Technical Bulletin,
DE (1994).
12. J. Benbow, J. Bridgwater, “Paste Flow and Extrusion”, Oxford
University Press, NY (1993).
13. G. R. Snelling, J. F. Lontz, J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 3(9), pp.257-265
(1960).
14. T. Kitamura, K. I. Kurumada, M. Tanigaki, M. Ohshima, and
S. I. Kanazawa, Polym Eng Sci, 39(11), pp.2256-2263 (1999).
15. A.B. Ariawan, S. Ebnesajjad, S.G. Hatzikirialos, Powder Synergistic Polymer Systems, Inc.
Plastics Additives Technical Sales & Service since 1992
Technology, 121(3), pp.249-258, (2001)
16. A.B. Ariawan, S. Ebnesajjad, S.G. Hatzikirialos, Polymer Steve D. Pontiff Phone: (713) 780-8888
Post Office Box 69 Fax: (713) 780-8887
Engineering and Science, 42(6), pp.1247-1259, (2002). Sugar Land Steve.Pontiff@SynPoly.com
Texas 77487-0069 U.S.A. www.SynPoly.com
17. S. C. Chen, L. T. Huang, P. S. Hsu, ANTEC Annual Technical
Conference proceedings, (1) pp. 434-437, (2004).
“Forecasting Tomorrow's Technology”

Keywords: paste extrusion, PTFE, density control • Stabilization • Essential Oils • CFA’s • VCI’s
• Specialty Compounding • Cleansing Compounds
• Halogen Free F.R. Conc. • Process Enhancement
• Antimicrobials • Ethylene Scavenging Additives
(continued on page 13)
5400 Jefferson Chemical Road
An ISO 9001:2000
Conroe, Texas 77301
Certified Company Ph. 936-760-2311 Fax. 936-7660-2322
www.phoenixplastics.com

12
(Study of PTFE Rheology – continued from page 12)

Fig. 3 The PID control technology used to control the extrusion pressure and speed

Fig. 1 Schematic of experimental operations to produce the PTFE porous membranes

Fig. 4. PMI® capillary flow porometer

Fig. 5. The parts of a typical PTFE preform:

Fig. 2 Pressure profiles of the paste pass the extension zone of different length (A) top and (B) bottom. The end of piston on the top of the paste.

(continued on page 14)

13
(Study of PTFE Rheology – continued from page 13)

Fig. 6. Pressure profiles of the paste pass the extrusion zone in different
preforming process

Fig. 9 The variation of the extrudate density in the different extrusion speed

Fig. 7 The variation of the extrudate density as the extrusion speed without control
Fig. 10 the PTFE membrane pore size distribution, as extrusion speed
without control

Fig. 11 the PTFE membrane pore size distribution with extrusion speed control
Fig. 8 The variation of the extrudate density in the different reduction ratio (1mm/s) process 夝

14
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