Integrated insulation extrusion and extrusion technology for window and door systems

1. A method of co-extruding an insulated extrudate with a plurality of integral foamed insulating strands, the method comprising the steps of:

feeding a first thermoplastic resin suitable for use in a structural fenestration component into a first extruder;

feeding a second thermoplastic resin suitable for integrated insulation into a second extruder; and

outputting the first and second extruders to an extrusion die and extruding the extrudate from the extrusion die, where the extrusion die forms a structural fenestration extrusion formed of the first thermoplastic resin and wherein the structural fenestration extrusion defines at least one hollow interior portion of a constant profile, and, wherein the extrusion die substantially fills the hollow interior portion of the structural extrusion with an integrated insulation formed of a plurality of strands of foamed second thermoplastic resin that crowd together to define a plurality of air pockets running in a length of the extrudate between the strands while also integrating with the structural extrusion to define an integrated insulating extrudate.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of air pockets of the integrated insulation running in the length of the extrudate are formed by the extrusion die with a plurality of individual outlets having a die land between 0.05 and 0.2 inches.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of feeding a third thermoplastic resin that is significantly transmissive of solar infrared radiation into a third extruder and outputting the third extruder into the extrusion die so that the third thermoplastic resin forms a dark-colored capstock layer of less than about 10 thousandths of an inch thick on a surface of the structural extrusion formed of the first thermoplastic resin.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the extrusion die forms the dark-colored capstock portion into a layer less than about 8 thousandths of an inch thick and the first thermoplastic resin contains between about 8 and 11 parts titanium dioxide per hundred base resin.

5. A method of coextruding an insulated extrudate with integral foamed insulating strands, the method comprising the steps of:

extruding a first resin to define a fenestration structure to be insulated; the fenestration structure having a longitudinal direction;

extruding a second resin as a plurality of foamed strands disposed within the fenestration structure;

allowing the foamed strands to expand and crowd together within the structure to be insulated to define a plurality of longitudinal air pockets disposed within the fenestration structure and between the foamed strands; and

integrating at least some of the foamed strands to the fenestration structure to form an integral insulated structure.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising the step of selecting the first resin and the second resin to be recyclable together.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising the step of selecting the first resin and the second resin to be resins comprised of polyvinyl chloride.

8. The method of claim 5 , further comprising the step of extruding the first and second resins from the same extrusion die.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising the step of forming the foamed strands and longitudinal air pockets with an extrusion die having a plurality of outlets having a die land between 0.05 and 0.2 inches.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising the step of substantially filling the fenestration structure with the expanded foamed strands.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising the step of adding a blowing agent to the second resin to achieve a density below 0.4 g/cc.