Apparatus and method for extruding curved profiles

A method of extruding a material as a three-dimensional curved profile, the method comprising:

• providing the material to be extruded to an extrusion die from a first direction, wherein the extrusion die does not include a valve;
• providing the material to be extruded to the extrusion die from a second direction, wherein, for each direction from which material to be extruded is provided to the extrusion die, providing the material to be extruded to the extrusion die from that direction comprises applying, to the material to be extruded, a force in that direction from a compression element of a plurality of compression elements;
• and
• extruding the material in a third direction from a non-circular orifice in the extrusion die,
• wherein the first, second and third directions are not all in a same plane and wherein none of the first, second and third directions is parallel to any other of those directions, such that the material is extruded from the orifice as the three-dimensional curved profile having curvature in two orthogonal directions,
• wherein the curvature of the extruded material is in all three dimensions,
• wherein the first and second directions are substantially orthogonal,
• wherein providing the material from the first direction contributes to the curvature of the extruded material in one of the two orthogonal directions,
• wherein providing the material from the second direction contributes to the curvature of the extruded material in the other one of the two orthogonal directions,
• wherein the method further comprises controlling a movement of the plurality of compression elements, and
• wherein controlling the movement of the plurality of compression elements comprises:
• directing the plurality of compression elements to move simultaneously;
• and
• directing at least two of the plurality of the compression elements to move at different speeds.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising executable instructions which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to carry a method of extruding a material as a three-dimensional curved profile, the method comprising:

• providing the material to be extruded to an extrusion die from a first direction, wherein the extrusion die does not include a valve;
• providing the material to be extruded to the extrusion die from a second direction, wherein, for each direction from which material to be extruded is provided to the extrusion die, providing the material to be extruded to the extrusion die from that direction comprises applying, to the material to be extruded, a force in that direction from a compression element of a plurality of compression elements;
• and
• extruding the material in a third direction from a non-circular orifice in the extrusion die,
• wherein the first, second and third directions are not all in a same plane and wherein none of the first, second and third directions is parallel to any other of those directions, such that the material is extruded from the orifice as the three-dimensional curved profile having curvature in two orthogonal directions,
• wherein the curvature of the extruded material is in all three dimensions,
• wherein the first and second directions are substantially orthogonal,
• wherein providing the material from the first direction contributes to the curvature of the extruded material in one of the two orthogonal directions,
• wherein providing the material from the second direction contributes to the curvature of the extruded material in the other one of the two orthogonal directions,
• wherein the method further comprises controlling a movement of the plurality of compression elements, and
• wherein the controlling the movement of the plurality of compression elements comprises:
• directing the plurality of compression elements to move simultaneously;
• and
• directing at least two of the plurality of the compression elements to move at different speeds.