Extrusion Rate Loss Calculator

Excessive screw and barrel wear comes with rate and quality loss and rising energy consumption. When the radial clearance between the screw flights and barrel wall increase, leakage flow is inevitable. In extrusion applications the operator will typically see a reduction in rate, forcing higher rpms to achieve the desired output. As the material leaks over the screw flights, the material experiences excessive shear. This raises melt temperature, and is only compounded with higher rpm.

To help you and your team better understand and plan for screw and barrel wear, our team at R. Dray Mfg. has developed a simple calculator that helps estimate the potential reduction in productivity and profitability from your screw and barrel wear in extrusion applications. Fill in the fields below with details from your process and our calculator will automatically generate an estimated rate loss. Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you have about this tool!

Click here for a Melt Density reference table of common resins.