Plastic extrusion is a highly efficient manufacturing process that transforms plastic granules into continuous film. This versatile material is used across various industries, tailored to specific applications and performance requirements.
Sarah Guaglianone
Updated on June 2, 2026
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Extrusion definition: Plastic extrusion is a forming process for manufacturing plastic films. Extruding with plastic is done by forming and melting plastic granules.
Plastic granules, also referred to as plastic pellets or plastic flakes, are a common starting form of plastics. They are small, granular particles made from various types of thermoplastics.
These particles typically have a uniform size and shape, making them ideal for processing in industrial manufacturing processes. In plastic extrusion, the granules or powder are pressed through a forming die to obtain the desired shape.
The extruder ensures that the molten plastic flows into an elongated, thin form, called melt strands. After cooling and hardening, the strand is cut into small particle grains - the finished granules - which are then collected and stored in bags, big bags, or containers.
These granules are then processed either in injection molding machines or again in the extruder. For plastic films and sheets, the latter applies.
Manufacturers of plastic films or sheets first purchase the required granules. This depends on which plastic film is to be processed. For example, if PET film is being produced, PET granules are needed.
In addition to granules made from virgin material, recyclate can also be used for the production of plastic film. With recyclate films, plastic flakes are fed into the extruder. These come from recycling, such as shredded plastic bottles or production remnants like edge strips and scrap grids.
By choosing between virgin material and recycled material, manufacturers can influence the quality, sustainability, and costs of the plastic film.
There are various types of plastics that can be used for plastic extrusion, such as
or also bioplastics.
The choice of the right plastic depends on the desired properties of the plastic film, such as transparency, flexibility or rigidity, or resistance to external influences such as heat or cold resistance, UV resistance, etc.
In extrusion technology with plastic and the associated film production, thermoplastics are transformed from granules into semi-finished products as films or thicker sheets. Semi-finished products describe products made from raw materials in their simplest form. In the following sections, plastic extrusion and how it works is explained in more detail.
After the cooling section, in the cooled state, the plastic film is further processed. This process can include various steps:
The film can be printed with information, logos, or designs. Additionally, surface treatments such as lamination with other materials or the application of special coatings are possible to improve properties such as gloss, scratch resistance, or barrier effect.
Finally, the plastic film is usually wound onto rolls. For thicker plastic sheets, cutting is done with circular saws or guillotine shears to achieve the desired widths and lengths.
The resulting plastic rolls or plastic sheets are used after extrusion as starting material for the production of plastic thermoformed parts, among other things. For the production of plastic thermoformed parts in plastic thermoforming, semi-finished products are heated and drawn into a thermoforming tool. Here the semi-finished product is either unrolled from a plastic roll or placed in the machine in the form of a plastic sheet.
The semi-finished product for plastic rolls has a maximum initial thickness of 3mm, although many manufacturers already set an upper limit at 2.5mm. This limit is solely due to the fact that plastic film can only be wound onto a roll to this thickness. After that, the semi-finished product becomes too inflexible for processing and is instead cut into sheets.
Plastic film is a versatile material that is used in numerous industries after thermoforming. Whether as packaging, trays, or covers, thermoformed products made from plastic film combine protection, hygiene, and efficiency.
In most cases, plastic thermoformers purchase the required plastic film. However, there are also some suppliers in the formary network that extrude their thermoforming film themselves. This in-house extrusion offers several advantages:
ℹ️ To learn about the other advantages our supplier network offers, watch the webinar on the procurement process for plastic thermoformed parts.
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Plastic extrusion is an essential process for the production of plastic films. Thanks to their diverse properties and application areas, thermoformed parts made from plastic films are indispensable in numerous industries. Do you need thermoforming films for your industry to benefit from the properties mentioned above? Then configure your thermoformed product now.
Plastic films are primarily produced through plastic extrusion, in which plastic granules (mostly polyolefins such as PE or PP) are melted, pressed through dies, and cooled.
