What Can Be Done With an Extruder?

The simple answer to the query posed in the title of this month’s column is, a lot. But first, what is an extruder? The word describes two rather different types of equipment: screw extruders and roll extruders. Roll extruders are commonly used in making confections and snacks by forming strips or ribbons of plastic material such as sugar-based taffy or cereal-based dough. The taffy or dough is placed in the nip between two counter-rotating drums, which may be smooth or grooved and are typically…