Extrusion

Extrusion is a manufacturing process used to create long objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile. A material, often in the form of a billet, is pushed and/or drawn through a die of the desired profile shape. Hollow sections are usually extruded by placing a piercing mandrel inside of the die,. Extrusion may be continuous (producing indefinitely long material) or semi-continuous (producing many short pieces). Most metals are extruded hot

The billet may be forced through the die by various methods. A single or twin screw auger, powered by an electric motor, or a ram, driven by hydraulic pressure (for steel alloys and titanium alloys for example), oil pressure (for aluminum), or in other specialized processes such as rollers inside a perforated drum for the production of many simultaneous streams of material.

Extrusion simulation tools help to understand the extrusion process and to optimize development of tools and products.

Commonly extruded materials include metals, polymers, ceramics, and foodstuffs.