It is commonly excepted that extrusion of metals dates back to 1797, when a famous hydraulics engineer named Joseph Bramah patented an extrusion press for extruding lead pipes. The diagram below show what was the first patented seamless pipe extruder. The extruder consisted of an iron pot (a) which contained the molten lead and heated by flames beneath. It was forced by a pump (b) into a long projecting tube (c) which acted as the die, and the center bore was created by a tapered mandrel (d). Funny when you look at this you can easily see where the inspiration for hotchamber die casting machines might well have come. They too use a submerged pump.

The next important step was made by George Alexander Dick in 1894. Born in Germany in 1838 to a Scottish father and English mother he worked in a German ironworks. He designed that was to become the prevailing system for extrusion until this day.

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