Research was directed towards further understanding the process of templating, whereby the crystallisation of the bulk material (branched polyethylene) Is altered from unoriented to oriented after melt shear by mapping it on to a pre-existing minority structure (linear polyethylene). Due to the rotational component in shear flow It Is considered a weaker flow, as compared to elongatlonal flow, for providing chain extension. Removal of the rotational component might lead to higher levels of anisotropy being detected in the melt, thus aiding in the understanding of templating. This was achieved by utilising a custom-built channel die to impart plane-strain compression in the melt.