Channels can attach, hold, guard, seal and direct the flow of liquid. Common types of profiles include J-channels, H-channels and U-channels, although much more complicated profiles are often extruded for applications such as window insulation, which requires multiple internal gaps and chambers for heat and sound insulation. Read More…

Leading Manufacturers
Preferred Plastics, Inc.
Plainwell, MI | 269-783-4068Preferred Plastics is an ISO 9001:2000-certified custom plastic extruder, specializing in rigid, flexible & co-extruded products, including extruded tubing.

SFR Industries Inc.
Cadott, WI | 800-369-9410Since 1978, SFR has been a leader in custom plastic profile extrusions, specializing in vinyl polymers for a variety of industries ranging from commercial furniture and store fixtures to industrial applications.

Absolute Custom Extrusions, Inc.
Milwaukee, WI | 414-332-8133We have a long history of providing plastic extrusions. We will proudly serve you and we are committed to quality customer service. Our plastic extrusions are used in industries ranging from automotive to medical.

GSH Industries, Inc.
Cleveland, OH | 440-238-3009A plastic extrusion manufacturer of extruded plastic products, GSH Industries manufactures custom plastic extrusion profiles. We have continually expanded & attained our position as a preferred supplier of quality products & engineering ingenuity.

Britech Industries
Stuart, FL | 772-286-9278Britech does custom manufacturing and our stock items come in a variety of shapes, colors and designs. Our goal is to meet your specifications and we have highly trained engineers to do just that.

Pexco
Johns Creek, GA | 770-777-8540As our name suggests, we are a leading custom extruder of plastic shrink tubing, flexible and rigid tubing, and profiles in standard or custom colors in a multitude of material options. We use state-of-the-art machinery for our extrusions and perform secondary operations on site, such as drilling, slotting, notching, etc. Pexco is ISO 9001 certified.

Northland Plastics, Inc.
Sheboygan, WI | 800-776-7163At Northland Plastics, we are the experts in unique custom plastic extrusions. We specialize in single and dual durometer profile extrusions, vacuum calibration, automated inline fabrication, custom fabrication, and more. Custom colors and various additives are also available. As an ISO 9001:2015 company, we value product quality, timely delivery, competitive pricing, and excellent customer service above all else. Contact Northland Plastics today for all your extrusion needs!

Petro Extrusion Technologies, Inc.
Middlesex, NJ | 800-229-3338Petro specializes in plastic extrusions, offering our customers many capabilities, such as customized shapes & extruded tubing, along with tape application, coiling & angle cutting.

Polytec Plastics, Inc.
St. Charles, IL | 630-584-8282We develop the most affordable and long lasting plastic extrusions. These extruded materials come in a variety of options and are Polytec Q-1 certified. We offer fast delivery and our customer service team is willing to design a perfect solution for your industry.

Construction industries use plastic channels quite extensively, not only for window trim and insulation, but for outdoor siding, indoor and outdoor trim, outdoor gutters (commonly known as U-channels), indoor drains and gutters, door frame trim and insulation and for guards and bumpers around sharp corners and edges.
Appliance manufacturers use flexible PVC and vinyl channels for refrigerator and stove door sealant, while automotive industries use many profiled channels for interior and exterior trim and bumpers.
Commercial manufacturers extrude plastic channels into curtain rods, drinking straws, picture frames, partition holders, point of purchase displays, shelving and guards. Channels are often coextruded, combining hard plastic with softer plastic or rubber to create soft sealing channels with hard fixtures.
Plastic channels are produced by the plastic extrusion process. Extrusion is very well suited to the production of channels and other long plastic products because the process is continuous.
The extrusion process begins with a collection of raw plastic material in a hopper suspended above a conveyance channel. The raw plastic is released from the hopper into the channel. In the channel is long shearing screw that forces the plastic down the channel. The friction caused by the turning of the shearing screw heats the plastic and causes it to become molten.
Some plastic extruders also feature electronic heating elements that aid in the melting of the plastic. By the time the plastic reaches the end of the channel, it is completely plasticized.
At the end of the channel is a die, which is a specialized tool designed to shape raw materials into useful products. In the case of plastic extrusion, a die is a metal plate cut with a hole through which the plastic passes.
When the plastic is forced through the hole, it takes its shape, emerging on the other side of the die as newly-extruded plastic. The extruded plastic is allowed to cool and harden and is then cut and prepared for shipment or sent for additional processing.