An apparatus for extruding a polymer resin, the apparatus comprising: a die having an inlet end and an outlet end; a ram mounted for movement within the inlet end of the die from a retracted position to an extended position; at least one hopper for introducing the polymer resin in a granular state into a resin inlet, wherein the resin inlet is proximate the inlet end of the die and downstream of the retracted position of the ram; a plurality of thermal zones (50,50A, 50B,50C) in the die spaced along a width and a length of the die 10); means for heating certain of the plurality of thermal zones (50,50A, 50B,50C) to a temperature above the crystalline melt temperature of the polymer resin; means for imparting movement of the ram along a longitudinal axis of the die to move the polymer resin from the resin inlet through the plurality of thermal zones(50,50A, 50B,50C) and out from the outlet end of the die as an extrudate, the polymer resin being melted and compressed to form an extrusion profile of the die during progression through the plurality of thermal zones (50,50A, 50B,50C) of the die, wherein the resin is extruded from the outlet end of the die as an extrudate at a temperature that is at or above the crystalline melt temperature of the polymer resin; means for evenly cooling and compressing the extrudate after exit from the outlet end of the die, characterized in that the apparatus further comprises means for moving the extrudate away from the outlet end of the die wherein the means for moving the extrudate away from the outlet end of the die does not apply a compressive force on the extrudate parallel to the longitudinal axis of the die; and furthermore, characterized in that the means for moving the extrudate away from the outlet end of the die comprise one or more finishing tables which move the extrudate away from the outlet end of the die so that there is no back pressure on the extrudate, and which promote even cooling and intermittent vertical compression of the extrudate, wherein the means for moving the extrudate away from the outlet end of the die applies a vertical compression force on the extrudate perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the die. a die having an inlet end and an outlet end; a ram mounted for movement within the inlet end of the die from a retracted position to an extended position; at least one hopper for introducing the polymer resin in a granular state into a resin inlet, wherein the resin inlet is proximate the inlet end of the die and downstream of the retracted position of the ram; a plurality of thermal zones (50,50A, 50B,50C) in the die spaced along a width and a length of the die 10); means for heating certain of the plurality of thermal zones (50,50A, 50B,50C) to a temperature above the crystalline melt temperature of the polymer resin; means for imparting movement of the ram along a longitudinal axis of the die to move the polymer resin from the resin inlet through the plurality of thermal zones(50,50A, 50B,50C) and out from the outlet end of the die as an extrudate, the polymer resin being melted and compressed to form an extrusion profile of the die during progression through the plurality of thermal zones (50,50A, 50B,50C) of the die, wherein the resin is extruded from the outlet end of the die as an extrudate at a temperature that is at or above the crystalline melt temperature of the polymer resin; means for evenly cooling and compressing the extrudate after exit from the outlet end of the die, characterized in that the apparatus further comprises means for moving the extrudate away from the outlet end of the die wherein the means for moving the extrudate away from the outlet end of the die does not apply a compressive force on the extrudate parallel to the longitudinal axis of the die; and furthermore, characterized in that the means for moving the extrudate away from the outlet end of the die comprise one or more finishing tables which move the extrudate away from the outlet end of the die so that there is no back pressure on the extrudate, and which promote even cooling and intermittent vertical compression of the extrudate, wherein the means for moving the extrudate away from the outlet end of the die applies a vertical compression force on the extrudate perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the die.