In the process of profile extrusion, the plastic is fed in pellet form into the machinery, the material is conveyed continuously forward by a rotating screw inside a heated barrel being softened by both friction and heat. The softened plastic is then forced out through a die and directly into cool water where the product solidifies. From here it is conveyed onwards into the take-off rollers, which actually do the pulling of the softened plastic from the die.
The die is a metal plate placed at the end of the extruder with a section cut out of its interior, this cutout, and the speed of the take-off rollers, determines the cross-section of the product being manufactured.

It is like we are squeezing a toothpaste tube, the product comes out in a solid rod because of the opening at the end of the tube, if that opening had a different cross-section than the product produced would take on that new cross-section.