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What is the difference between a melt metering pump and a regular extruder?

Melt metering pumps and ordinary extruders exhibit significant differences in functionality, working principles, application areas, and effects. The following is a detailed analysis of these distinctions:

I. Functional Differences

Melt Metering Pump:

Primarily used for the transportation, pressurization, and metering of high-temperature, high-viscosity polymer melts. It can pressurize and stabilize high-temperature plastic melts from the extruder, delivering them at a stable flow rate to the extruder head.

Thanks to its unique working principles and structural design, the melt metering pump achieves efficient and precise transportation and metering of melt media, providing strong technical support for industrial production.

Ordinary Extruder:

Its main function is to heat and melt solid plastic or rubber materials and extrude them into shape under certain pressure and temperature conditions. It is widely used in the production of plastic products, rubber products, food processing, and other fields.

While the ordinary extruder can complete basic extrusion tasks, it may not match the stability, precision, and efficiency of systems equipped with melt metering pumps.

II. Differences in Working Principles

Melt Metering Pump:

The melt metering pump is a positive displacement delivery device that relies on the change in working volume caused by the mutual meshing of the driving and driven gears to transport the melt. When the gears rotate, the melt is sucked into the gear grooves and, as the gears continue to rotate, is brought into the discharge cavity and pressurized into the outlet pipeline.

By precisely controlling the pump's rotational speed and displacement, the melt metering pump achieves accurate metering and transportation of the melt, ensuring stability in flow rate and pressure.

Ordinary Extruder:

The working principle of an ordinary extruder generally includes steps such as feeding, heating and melting, extrusion, and shaping. It heats and melts solid materials through the rotation and propulsion of the screw, then extrudes them into shape.

During operation, the ordinary extruder may be affected by various factors, leading to issues such as unstable material output and pressure pulsation.

III. Differences in Application Areas and Effects

Application Areas:

Melt metering pumps have been widely used in production lines for chemical fiber, granulation, plastic film, sheet, board, profile, pipe, wire and cable, drawing, and composite extrusion.

Ordinary extruders are more widely used in the production of various plastic products, rubber products, and food processing.

Differences in Effects:

Melt metering pumps can significantly improve product quality and production efficiency. By stabilizing melt pressure and flow rate, they can reduce the size tolerance and reject rate of extruded products; at the same time, they reduce extruder load and unit energy consumption, increasing extrusion output.

While ordinary extruders can also complete production tasks, they may not match the stability, precision, and efficiency of systems equipped with melt metering pumps.

In summary, melt metering pumps and ordinary extruders exhibit significant differences in functionality, working principles, application areas, and effects. With its high precision, high stability, and high reliability, the melt metering pump is playing an increasingly important role in industrial production.

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