Polypropylene extrusion

Developed in Italy in 1957 by Giulio Natta, polypropylene (PP) is obtained by the radical polymerisation of propene, a gas obtained from fossil fuels. To process PP various ways are possible, one of them is extrusion. It is an odourless, tasteless, colourless material, appearing both translucent and opaque and can be easily coloured with high gloss surface coatings.

Three forms of polypropylene with different tactics can be obtained from propene:

Isotactic
Syndiotactic
Attactic

Isotactic polypropylene is industrially the most interesting and widely used due to its high crystallinity, which gives it better chemical, physical and mechanical properties. As it is not a toxic material, it is particularly suitable for use in the food and pharmaceutical sectors.

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Polypropylene properties

With a density of 900 kilograms per cubic meter, polypropylene is lighter than most polymers with the same filler content. Being a non-polar material, it is also chemically stable in contact with various chemicals and, compared to polyethylene, has a higher thermal resistance, maintaining its electrical and mechanical properties up to 80 °C for pure PP and 120 °C for reinforced PP.

The electrical characteristics are similar to those of polyethylene, among which the insulating properties are high. Finally, it is particularly suitable for contact with water as it has a completely negligible absorption.

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Custom polypropylene extrusion

Bausano customized extruders can produce a variety of PP applications characterized by high resistance to:

External impacts;
Concentrated loads;
High-pressure jets;
Chemically aggressive fluids;
To relatively high operating temperatures.

In addition, it has an undeniable economic advantage due to the limited cost of the raw material and, as it is totally halogens and heavy metals free, it is completely recyclable at the end of its life cycle. With a Bausano extrusion line and screen changer it is easy to recycle PP scraps, like we did with our E-GO R single screw extruder (inserire link a pagina nuova sul riciclo poliolefine), for a customized customer project of polypropylene scraps recycling process.

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Custom polypropylene extrusion

Lastly, the mechanical properties of PP - Polypropylene can be improved using glass fibres. In particular, glass fibers enhance:

the elastic modulus
resistance to deformation and breakage under cyclic loads
creep resistance, permanent deformation under heavy load
impact resistance
stiffness under temperature

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Examples of Custom Polypropylene Extrusion Applications

PP has many applications, and Bausano can work with a few. For example:

PP-R: is a high molecular weight random propylene (copolymer that has found application in pipe construction. PP-R pipes withstand continuous operating temperatures of 82°C and, in addition, layers of reinforcement can be added to limit longitudinal thermal expansion/contraction.
PP-RCT: Random copolymer polypropylene with a special improved crystalline structure that allows superior pressure and temperature resistance. Thanks to the high mechanical properties of PP-RCT, pipes with reduced wall thicknesses can be used with the same external diameter, pressure and operating temperature. This allows an increase in flow rates and a reduction in weight.
PP-HM, high modulus or extra strong polypropylene. It is used for underground and non-pressure sewer lines and manifolds. The superior annular rigidity of PP-HM pipes, compared to other traditional pipes, allows this type of application, guaranteeing better results. In addition, since it has a very low roughness coefficient, the formation and presence of fouling is radically reduced, thus providing an economic advantage in terms of maintenance.

Bausano Extruders are developed by our technical department and R&D laboratory conducting extrusion tests of improved PP, scraps and other PP enhanced versions.

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