High Precision Extrusion Of Glass Tubes

Precision glass tubes for analytical instrumentation often require tight tolerances in their inner and outer diameter, which makes them cumbersome to fabricate. The extrusion method is a potential method for the fabrication of precision glass tubes, however, the effects of die swell and taper which occur during the extrusion process can distort the final product. This work aims to determine the tolerances that can be achieved for glass tubes fabricated using the extrusion method by comparing the extent of the die swell and tapering on tubes extruded under a variety of extrusion parameters.