Patent ID: 8038430

Claim:
An extrusion system for coating wire with polymer material, comprising: a breaker plate for causing molten polymer material to flow in a linear manner; a filter for filtering polymer melt contaminants from the molten polymer material, wherein the filter has a filter size of less than 3 microns; a die holder with an annular interior space; an extrusion die within the annular interior space of the die holder, wherein the extrusion die is adapted to extrude a coating of approximately 50.8 microns of polymer material on an approximately 25.4 micron diameter wire; an extrudate heater attached immediately adjacent to the extrusion die to heat the polymer extrudate swell about the wire as the wire exits from the extrusion die, wherein the extrudate heater comprises a wire loop to heat the wire in an ambient environment after the wire exits the extrusion die and proceeds through the wire loop; a thermocouple, disposed in a space between the wire loop of the extrudate heater and the extrudate swell, that generates a signal indicative of a temperature of the extrudate swell; and a controller for controlling operation of the extrudate heater based upon a signal received from thermocouple.