It is no exaggeration to say that the process of selecting the right screw and barrel combination for your plastics application is a critical part of the success or failure of any particular machine unit. However, most people probably don't realize that this selection process is often wrong or even incomplete. Unfortunately, it's more frequent than you might think.
Hard numbers can be a bit elusive, as most companies are unlikely to track this particular metric. Just ask any seasoned salesperson and they might come up with 5 stories to prove it. It may not be as bad as it used to be in the industry, but in many cases, the barrel and screw are sometimes a secondary topic when buying a machine.
When shopping for a new machine, manufacturers are often more concerned with a complete list of machine performance, controls, clamping speeds, dry cycle speeds, and other general features and benefits. That's not to say their focus on clamping speed and performance is wrong, it's actually critical. Because time is money, however, it can be said that the choice of screw and barrel is something that the industry has taken many years to consider.
Again, it's not as bad as it used to be. However, as companies use more and more engineering resins, the pressure to increase productivity and eliminate scrap has led the aforementioned companies to expand their attention to screw and barrel options and choices. Over the past 10 years, the pressure to increase productivity has become more complex as the industry continues to see the composition of plastics/resins used in products change. As plastics and resins continue to evolve and advance, there is an increasing focus on choosing the right components for screw and barrel assemblies to handle the new nuances of each material's makeup.