posted February 23, 2003 06:07 PM               

We are trying to determine if there is a demand for software that can better predict software process requirements for a desired output, for our 4th year project. If you could please look over the following questions, we would appreciate any input anyone can give regarding any of these questions. Thank you for your time.

1) Roughly how often does an extruder experience downtime?

2)How much of this time is due to troubleshooting during start-up of runs?

3)What are some rough costs loss due to this time? How often do companies typically restart a extruder processing run?

4) Are there any single or twin screw extruder control features that industry would be interested in seeing implemented?

5) How much would companies be willing to pay for this software?

6) Do companies typically hire extrusion consultants of handle processing problems in-house?

7) How much are companies willing to pay for consulting services?

8)What are some current extrusion processing issues of interest in industry?

9) We would appreciate any further comments or input regarding extrusion processing software.

posted February 23, 2003 07:52 PM               

I'll TRY to respond to your questions---
and I'll use twin screw pipe extrusion as the
example, since that's the largest consumer of PVC for extrusion.

1)-Downtime occurs when a size change is needed, or a power failure---otherwise the pipe keeps coming out!Downtime is also scheduled for extruder maintenance.

2)-Startup of runs should not be a "downtime
issue", unless problems occur with stringing
up the pipe or profile.

3)-Costs related to "downtime" can be estimated from "Encycopedia of PVC",2nd Edition,Volume 4,Chapter 8, published by Marcel Dekker,NYC---in a chapter I wrote on
operation of a PVC extrusion plant for optimum profitability.

4)-Perhaps the biggest concern would be wall
thickness uniformity and monitoring.At a given screw RPM and feed rate, can the pipe or profile wall thickness be constant??

5)-Good question---I have no idea what they would pay!!

6)-I'm a consultant, and have advertised my services for several years--the response has been "underwhelming"! Most try to do the job themselves!

7)- Zilch!!

8)- Wood flour-filled HDPE,PVC profiles for
"plastic lumber" is perhaps the fastest growing segment of the extrusion industry.

9)-Since my interest is primarily rigid PVC,
I would suggest that a sensor be placed in the die to detect early signs of PVC degradation-from overheating- (HCl evolution)so an operator could shut down the extruder or empty the hopper and start purging.

All the best,
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