Commercial appliances stock the kitchens of restaurants everywhere. These appliances are specifically made for the food service industry and are designed to be used almost constantly, unlike household appliances. Because they are expected to be durable and run continuously, it is important that their parts are created using the right manufacturing processes. Plastic profile extrusion is a manufacturing process in which plastic is melted, shaped into a profile, and then cut to the proper length. This process is used to create various parts for commercial appliances, including plastic extrusions for refrigeration.
Plastic Extrusion Parts for Refrigeration and Commercial Appliances
There are various parts for a wide range of commercial appliances that are commonly manufactured using plastic extrusion. Much of the tubing and plastic components that you see can be created using this manufacturing process.
Appliance Trims or Edging
Appliance trims are installed in order to make the appliance aesthetically pleasing. These plastic parts are installed around the edge of the appliance, making it look like it was custom-made for the home or restaurant it is in.
Appliance Seals
Appliance seals are pieces of soft, flexible plastic that outline the doors of appliances. These seals are used to retain heat or prevent heat from entering the appliance. Oven doors have appliance seals to keep the heat in while they are in use. Refrigerator doors have them as well to keep the cold air in.
Plastic extrusions for refrigeration also include door seals. Refrigerator seals are generally made of plastic or a synthetic alternative and some kind of magnet that is used to keep the door sealed entirely. A vital part of the refrigerator is its production of cold, dry air to keep food fresh. The seal’s job is to prevent this air from exiting the appliance and keep warm, humid air from entering and potentially spoiling your food. Making sure refrigerator seals work properly is crucial to the shelf-life of your food and keeping energy consumption low.
Drain Tubing and Hoses
Plastic tubing carries water and waste out of appliances like dishwashers and refrigerators. Generally created from flexible plastic tubing, drain hoses are responsible for moving water into and out of appliances without leaking. They need to be durable while maintaining flexibility, something the plastic extrusion process allows.
Plastic extrusion for refrigerators produces these tubes that are responsible for carrying drinking water and water used to produce ice into the machine. Moisture may also collect within the refrigerator, which is why there is a drain hole that connects to a tube. This tube will carry the collected water from the inside of the refrigerator to keep it in a dry environment.
Custom Parts
Some appliances require specialty or custom parts, like specific trims, seals, or tubing. Plastic extruders are able to create these parts so they are durable and functional while matching the look of the appliance.
Benefits of Using Plastic Profile Extrusions for Refrigeration and Appliance Parts
Versatility
The versatility of plastic extrusion is one of its biggest advantages. The process can create an extensive range of products with different shapes, sizes, and profiles. Plastic profile extrusion can be used to create any application on any appliance.
Cost-Effective
Thermoplastics offer great flexibility when it comes to design and application. Since they are so versatile and can be used for a wide range of products this leads to cost savings down the line. Additionally, plastics used in profile extrusion are constantly being heated and hardened, so there is very little waste generated and almost all excess material can be reused later, significantly reducing the cost of raw materials.
Durability
With so many different materials used in plastic extrusion, you will have no problem finding the plastic that is best for your application. You can choose from properties like flexibility, strength, heat resistance, and chemical resistance so you can be sure your plastic profile extruded product can hold up in its environment. Some of the plastics you can choose from are PVC, polyethylene, polypropylene, and many more.
Learn More About What Custom Profile Can Do for Your Residential and Commercial Appliance Parts
At Custom Profile, we have various plastic profile extrusion services for all of your commercial and residential appliance needs. Our extrusion capabilities include:
- Co-Extrusion: allows us to extrude parts with two different layers with different properties
- Dual Durometer Co-Extrusion: allows us to extrude a single part with multiple polymers of different hardnesses
- Tri-extrusion: combines compatible polymers to create different finishes or colors
- Crosshead Extrusion: gives us the ability to add metallic wires or strips into plastic products.
With more than 30 years of experience, Custom Profile has various other capabilities serving a wide range of industries. We serve the commercial refrigeration industry with door gaskets, trim, shelf edging, and drain tubes. We can also create trim, edging, tubing, hoses, and other custom parts for appliances.
If you are interested in seeing what we can do for you and your commercial refrigeration or appliance project, contact our team today.
