The screw and barrel interact to convey the plastic material, melt the material, and push it through the die. The screw is rotated at a predetermined speed by a motor drive unit and a gear box. A temperature controller is connected to
the heating and cooling elements on the barrel to maintain the temperature at the set point temperature.

The ability of the screw and barrel assembly to extrude a given material depends on the characteristics or construction of the barrel and screw, the properties of the plastic material, and the environment in which the system operates.
When the extrudate leaves the die, it can be set to the desired shape, or its shape can be changed and then set to the shape.

The equipment that performs this process is called a "post-extrusion equipment" or "pulling equipment", and it is usually much larger than an extruder. This is because plastic takes a considerable amount of time to cool, and this cooling
process determines how fast the production line runs.