Continuous Extrusion
BWE 315i CONFORM EXTRUSION
Continuous extrusion of metal powder and/or rod into long products and wire.
USES/APPLICATIONS
Continuous extrusion is unique in both the feedstocks it can process and products that it can create. By consolidating granular feedstocks, such as out-of-spec additive manufacturing powders or machining chips/swarf, it can add significant value to a waste stream.
For new products, it is also possible to process rod or powder feedstocks of aluminium, copper, brass, and precious metal alloys to replace conventionally extruded products. These might be used in a range of applications such as: electrical conductor wire, electrical contactors, electrodes, or welding/brazing rods.
More recent innovations in the process by the University of Sheffield have opened up the possibility of processing titanium alloys for dental wire, automotive springs, and wire-fed additive manufacturing feedstocks.
DETAILED SPECIFICATIONS
The bespoke BWE 315i Conform machine is a small/medium extruder that has been modified from the base specification, making it suitable for both research and production environments. A large 132kW drive system provides smooth extrusion operation even with hard to extrude materials such as titanium.
The machine has inbuilt induction heating for extrusion tooling to provide extremely rapid start up times, and an internal cooling system to moderate extrusion temperatures for Microstructural Control. It includes a Siemens PLC based control system, allowing the integration of non-standard external sensors.
The real-time data can be extracted, processed, and visualised to improve process knowledge and control when extruding new alloy systems. Finite Element and Discrete Element simulation techniques are used during development of new extrusions to reduce the upfront tooling costs.
LOCATION
Quarrell Lab, Sir Robert Hadfield Building, Mappin Street, Sheffield, S1 3JD
ENQUIRE HERE: royce@sheffield.ac.uk