Spiratex Co. has extruded a large, ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene tube for an undisclosed food-processing company.
Spiratex of Monroe, Mich., extruded a tube with an outside diameter of 12 inches and inside diameter of 6½ inches, which it claims is the largest such tube ever extruded.
A food processor had been machining such an UHMW PE tube from rod but the firm couldn't get the length it desired and was forced to bond two tubes together to get the correct length. The bond, however, created a seam that caused mechanical problems. Spiratex extruded the tube to the exact length required and also eliminated several secondary operations required in the previous approach.
Spiratex claims it was the first to extrude an UHMW PE profile in the early 1960s. It now stocks standard shapes and does custom work.
Tel. 734-289-5226, fax 734-289-4804, e-mail [email protected]
