Plasticator

In the first-stage plasticator the screw motion generates controllable low pressure [usually 50 to 300 psi (0.34 to 2.07 MPa)], which causes the screw to retract slightly, preparing the melt to enter the second stage.

An extruder, consisting of a rotating flighted shaft in a stationary barrel, is a well-known plasticator for its inherently efficient and effective energy transfer and positive displacement.

Fiber/resin pellets are gravity or machine fed through a hopper into the low-shear plasticator. The plasticator is maintained above the melting point of the thermoplastic polymer; the molten mass interacts with the screw of plasticator.