Extrudé

Extrudé is a French term that translates to "extruded" in English. In the context of manufacturing and materials science, extrusion refers to a process where a material is pushed through a die of a desired cross-section. This process is commonly used for metals, plastics, and food products. For metals, extrusion can create complex shapes like pipes, rods, and custom profiles. In the plastics industry, it is used to produce films, sheets, and tubing. For food, extrusion is employed in the production of pasta, breakfast cereals, and pet food, where it can also cook and shape the product simultaneously.

There are two primary types of extrusion: hot extrusion and cold extrusion. Hot extrusion involves heating the material to a temperature above its recrystallization point, making it more malleable and easier to shape. This process is often used for metals that are difficult to extrude at lower temperatures. Cold extrusion, on the other hand, is performed at or near room temperature. This method can improve the mechanical properties of the material, such as strength and hardness, due to work hardening. However, it requires more force and is typically used for materials that are ductile enough to deform without fracturing.

The extrusion process offers several advantages, including the ability to produce continuous lengths of material with consistent cross-sectional properties. It is also a versatile method capable of creating intricate shapes that might be difficult or impossible to achieve with other manufacturing techniques. The tooling, or die, can be designed to produce a wide range of profiles, making extrusion a cost-effective solution for high-volume production of many different products.