SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR EXTRUDING PARTS HAVING MICROSTRUCTURES

• Main Authors: CANNON, ANDREW H, KING, WILLIAM P, HULSEMAN, RALPH A, MAGUIRE, MARCH
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 30.08.2012
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; TRANSPORTING; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

A manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing extruded parts having microstructures comprising: a support structure; a hopper carried by the support structure for receiving feedstock; an extrusion chamber operatively associated with the hopper for receiving the feedstock from the hopper and melting the feedstock above a feedstock melting temperature; a die carried by the support structure having die microstructures disposed on an inner surface of the die, the die microstructures having a plurality of microfeatures each having an upper surface and a lower surface, the melted feedstock being forced through the die to produce an extrudate having extrudate microstructures; and, a cooling assembly wherein the extrudate microstructures of the pre-cooled extrudate have larger physical dimensions than that of the extrudate microstructures of the cooled extrudate.