MACHINERY | DIE DEVELOPMENTS


is ideal for compound-rich materials and complex coextrusion setups, says Tecnomatic. Growing demand for hydrogen-ready infrastruc-


ture has led to the creation of Hydro-Tec, its dedicated die head for pipes intended for gas and hydrogen transport. Developed in cooperation with material suppliers, it offers: very low melt residence time, to protect polymer structure; precise control over layer distribution for barrier and protective layers; and pressure-tight design, for maximum safety over the lifetime of the pipe.


Above: Tecnomatic has updated its die heads to offer enhanced performance


failure rates helped to cut maintenance costs – while less idle time led to greater production efficiency, it said. “When we transitioned to this system, we


immediately noticed a reduction in material overweight sections,” said the customer. “Not only did this save raw material costs but contributed to higher-quality pipes that met all specifications with less downtime.” Pipe quality was enhanced in several ways, especially consistency in wall thickness and durabil- ity in multi-layer designs, it said. “We saw fewer defects and stronger end


products – and customer complaints have dropped significantly since the installation.”


Die head updates Tecnomatic says its latest Venus die heads can be used in applications including large diameter PE pipe, multi-layer PP systems and hydrogen trans- port pipe. Its Venus Flow-Tec H series of spiral dies is designed for large-diameter PE pipes. With a newly engineered melt distribution geometry, these heads ensure regular concentricity – even at high throughput – and reduced pressure drop for energy savings. They are available for sizes up to 2,600 mm and


can process PE100 and PE100-RC at very high outputs, says the company. In addition, its Multi-Tec X series is designed for


extrusion of 2-5 layer pipe and is aimed at applica- tions such as PP-RCT hot and cold water systems, composite pipes and functional barrier layers. Benefits include: compact modular construction; independent flow control for each layer; and optimisation for direct extrusion – which reduces material waste and changeover times. This design


34 PIPE & PROFILE EXTRUSION | Summer 2025


Medical die US-based Guill Tool recently developed a recipro- cal die to make tubing that is suitable for wound draining – by reconfiguring the internal chambers of the tubing. Drain tubes can be inserted to remove excess


fluid from a wound, to treat or prevent infection and promote wound healing and patient comfort. They can also be used to diagnose post-operative complications. The new design has features that eliminate the need to weld or otherwise join sections with different profiles together. “Our automated extrusion process changes the


extruded profile in production, with no need to join separate sections of internal profiles,” said Tom Baldock, sales manager at Guill Tool. Guill has engineered this new reciprocal tubing die with various features. The traditional tip and die assembly is replaced with a linear reciprocating assembly that changes the tube’s profile within a given length. This process is repeated throughout a single extrusion run without interruption. Only one extrusion run is needed to make a finished product – rather than multiple extrusion runs with tooling changes along with a manual assembly operation to connect different tubing shapes via sonic welds or other methods of joining. The new reciprocating head eliminates this


entire assembly operation, as well as in-process inventory. This means there is no need to store various tubing shapes and connectors needed for assembly, fulfillment of orders and replenishment of finished goods.


Double-strand output One way to increase the productivity of a multi-layer pipe extrusion line is to use double-strand extrusion – a technique well known for single-layer pipes. Conextru of Austria recently produced a system


to make multi-layer pipe in dimensions of 16, 20, 25, and 32 mm SDR 7 from PP-R material on a twin-strand line. The product is a four-layer pipe, where the white


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IMAGE: TECNOMATIC


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