There are a lot of methods, but each method depends on the desired shape of the final object. Most of them rely on extruders. Extrusion did significant progresses recently, so that filler loadings as high as 80% can now be obtained, which was inimaginable a few years ago. For lower loadings, say 30%, classical extrusion is enough using, however, higher plressure than for plastic alone and surface-treated screws.
Alain
Fabricating thermoplastic composites requires a thorough understanding of rheology and processing. Once you have decided on the shape of the object you want, you can then decide on the processing technique – whether it is compression molding, injection molding, extrusion, and so on that would facilitate to make the object of the chosen shape. Having chosen the processing technique, the next step is the setting up of the processing conditions depending on your choice of the thermoplastic material and the filler material that you want to use for fabricating the thermoplastic composites. The quantity of the filler will dictate the ease of preparation of the thermoplastic composites. What would be crucial is your level of loading and the controlling conditions that would allow you to achieve higher loadings without running into processing difficulties. Most of the fundamental knowledge to achieve your specific goal has been discussed in various chapters of my three books and you may be able to get the appropriate directions by perusing through the correct sections of the books which might be available in your library. Best wishes to you for your intended work.
1. Aroon V. Shenoy, Rheology of Filled Polymer Systems, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Netherlands (1999).
2. Charles P. MacDermott and Aroon V. Shenoy, Selecting Thermoplastics for Engineering Applications, Marcel Dekker Inc., New York (1997).
3. A. V. Shenoy and D. R. Saini, Thermoplastic Melt Rheology and Processing, Marcel Dekker Inc., New York (1996).
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