Extruded polystyrene foam has received the trade name "penoplex". It has been widely used in the construction of new buildings, during repairs. It is safe to say that today the foam insulation is the most popular and popular heat-insulating material for the floor, ceiling, roof, walls.
A brief excursion into history
Extrusive manufacturing technology developed in the fifties in the USA. Special equipment was also created for the production of foam plastic with a capacity of up to 100,000 m3 in year. At that time, a mixture of freons or carbon dioxide was used for foaming.
Most countries have now banned the use of freon-containing materials in production. Now Penoplex boards are made only on a blowing agent containing CO2. Thus, enterprises produce absolutely safe and environmentally friendly products.
Development Principle
The modern technology for the production of foam is a continuous process of mixing granular polystyrene, which occurs at elevated temperature, extruding from an extruder and injecting a freon-free mixture based on CO2.
The result is a material with a fine mesh structure. Then, after extrusion from the extruder, very quickly the air is replaced by the remnants of the Freon-free mixture. The successful implementation of this technology was promoted by the equipment for the production of foam.
The hardware line is designed to make a sheet of expanded polystyrene. Only secondary material can be used as raw material, which significantly reduces the cost of an already inexpensive production. Equipment pays off quickly enough.
Technological conveyor
Equipment for the production of foam is a closed automatic line. The whole complex is divided into main sections (technological units):
- Preparation system: polystyrene with additives is loaded into the mixer, which is fed into the extruder through the hopper loader.
- The extrusion complex consists of two extruders. The first serves to melt the composition and mix it evenly with a blowing agent. This extruder is equipped with a high-precision dosing system for foaming additives, a hydraulic filter replacement device. The second provides complete mixing (static mixer) and finer-dispersed IPN structure. It is equipped with a slit head (a die that ensures the shape of the resulting product), through which the sheet is extruded directly.
- The calibration section with the pulling device serves to form an extruded sheet according to the specified parameters. It can be rolls or plates with a low coefficient of friction. Pulling the finished sheet at the time of cooling eliminates possible deflections.
- The trimming section completes the preparation of the sheet: several longitudinal cutters form a flat cloth with constant dimensions, and the transverse knives dissolve it on measuring sheets. Photosensors provide accurate dimensions.
- At the waste processing site, the scraps are collected, crushed, granulated to allow recycling.
- The final section - here is the packaging of finished products in film.
Insulation Installation
In internal work, penoplex is an invaluable material, since due to its light weight, small thickness of the plates and the simplicity of cutting, it is easy to work with.
Stages of installation work:
- preparation, cleaning and leveling of walls;
- landing on an adhesive base, and then nailing sheets of foam;
- reinforcing with a reinforcing layer;
- leveling the surface of the structure;
- finish finish.
In addition to excellent thermal insulation qualities, foam foam is an excellent sound absorber. The wall sheathed with them will become a reliable obstacle not only for the cold, but also for extraneous sounds.
Advantages
The revolutionary technology and advanced equipment for the production of foam can create a truly unique thermal insulation material with undeniable advantages:
- environmental friendliness;
- low thermal conductivity, high noise reduction;
- fire safety (ignition temperature about 500 aboutWITH);
- durability, ease of operation;
- low cost.
disadvantages
Low adhesion can be an obstacle to the active use of foam. This problem can be eliminated by a simple replacement: when performing outdoor work, use a related material - polystyrene.
Technologies and equipment are constantly being improved, modern realities place increased demands not only on production, but also on insulation materials. Penoplex fully complies with all these requirements. So, the equipment on which it was manufactured is high-tech and competitive.
