Manufacture of composite extrusions

Abstract

A method of forming a composite extrusion is disclosed wherein a main body portion (1) of the extrusion is first extruded from a thermosetting material, this body portion then being heated so as at least partly to cure it, the main body portion then being passed at high temperature through a further extruder where a thermoplastics material (8) is extruded onto one or more surfaces of the main body portion (1), the subsequent composite extrusion then being cooled and formed into its final shape. It is important that the combining step be undertaken at a temperatue high enough to cause the thermoplastics material to bond to the thermosetting material and while it is simplest for the thermoplastics material to be on an outer surface of the composite extrusion, it is possible for it to be located within the thermosetting material by extruding the thermosetting material in an "opened out" state and then after extruding the thermoplastics and while the extrusion is still hot, folding in edge regions of the main body to overlie the thermoplastics material and bond thereto. The thermoplastics material may be of a special colour, may be embossed, and if it is located within the thermosetting material in the end product, may be stiffer than the latter. The invention also extends to the extrusions themselves.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.