Patent ID: 7687002

Claim:
A process for solid state drawing of a polymer composition, the process comprising the steps of: (a) providing a polymer composition containing an orientable polymer and having a softening temperature; (b) conditioning the polymer composition to a drawing temperature at or below the polymer composition's softening temperature; and (c) drawing the polymer composition through a drawing die; wherein the drawing die is a solid state drawing die for drawing a polymer composition, the die comprising a body having opposing ends and defining a shaping channel that provides fluid communication through the body from one end to the opposing end, the shaping channel begins at one end as an entrance opening and ends at the opposing end of the body as an exit opening, the die having shaping channel walls exposed within the shaping channel and defining the shaping channel, the shaping channel having an non-circular cross sectional shape and having a drawing direction extending in a straight line through the shaping channel, wherein: (i) the shaping channel walls define a polymer composition drawing path extending from the entrance opening to the exit opening substantially proportional non-circular cross section shape and have a centroid lying on a substantially straight line, a centroid line, parallel to the drawing direction; and (ii) all shaping channel cross section dimensions are at least 1.5 millimeters; and where the polymer composition follows the polymer composition drawing path through the shaping channel and experiences free drawing after exiting the drawing die, wherein the die induces polymer movement that applies a substantially balanced force about the centroid line.