Energy-efficient extrusion lines that allow for a quality sheet are a basic requirement for a production output of 10,000 tonnes/year of thermoforming sheet. This is why the Chinese company Guangdong Huasheng Plastics in Shantou has installed a thermoforming sheet extrusion line with a high-speed extruder and a Multi-Touch roll stack from the Packaging Division of battenfeld-cincinnati, Germany. This is the first time that the new Multi-Touch has been delivered to a Chinese firm and it is the fourth to be delivered in Asia.

Guangdong Huasheng, established in 1997, already operates two manufacturing plants today, where some 90 tonnes of cups and other types of containers are produced daily in addition to 120 tonnes of PP, PS, PET, EVOH and PLA sheet. These products are used in the packaging industry both locally and globally. It exports its products to more than 30 countries. Previously, the company used only locally produced extrusion equipment, and has now decided to acquire a line made in Germany for the first time. Guangdong Huasheng has installed the new line in a newly built production hall.

Company owner Wei Yunan comments: "The Chinese packaging market is one of the markets with the highest growth rates worldwide. We have also noticed a rise in the demand for higher standards of quality and efficiency, to which we are responding with this investment. Since its production start-up in March, the Multi-Touch roll stack from battenfeld-cincinnati has already contributed substantially to improving our product quality."

Thanks to the BC-75-40 DV T4 high-speed extruder and its output of up to 1,400 kg/hour of PP sheet, the new line is replacing a total of four to six previously used Chinese extrusion lines, which constitutes a significant reduction in space requirements and operation expenditure. In addition to its high output, the new sheet extrusion line distinguishes itself by quality and flexibility, says the manufacturer. It is able to produce sheet ranging from 350 to 2,500 microns in thickness. However, the unique selling point of this line is the new Multi-Touch roll stack, which has come on the market only recently, allowing for a unique roll configuration. First, a two-roll stack takes care of pre-calibrating the material coming out of the flat sheet die, then the sheet passes through the recalibration unit equipped with up to seven smaller rolls. Thus consistent roll contact and consequently uniform cooling on both sides of the sheet is ensured, even at maximum line speeds. The outcome is a significant improvement in sheet tolerances and production of stress-free sheet with optimal transparency, flatness and a uniform thickness profile.