When choosing an expandable polystyrene machine, consider the required hourly volume and budget. High-end machines are computer-controlled and handle the entire production cycle. Chinese machines comply with ISO 9001 standards and some have a weighing function. Larger machines produce bigger blocks, but weigh more. Smaller models divide production capacities into individual machines. Consider recycling waste material.
Choosing the best expandable polystyrene machine depends largely on the volume of expandable polystyrene (EPS) packing material you need per hour and the budgetary constraints of purchasing such a machine. The high-end expandable polystyrene machine designs are fully computer controlled and can handle the entire production cycle. This includes opening and closing the molds and filling them. The EPS foam is also steamed, stabilized and cooled, as well as cut and ejected automatically.
Many expandable polystyrene machines intended for factory packaging lines are built in China and comply with the ISO 9001 standards of the International Standardization Organization. Some machines are also equipped with a weighing function at the end of the EPS production line so that foam blocks can be better tracked as inventory. The bigger and more expensive the machine, the bigger the expanded polystyrene blocks it is capable of producing. Heavy-duty models have expansion chambers that are 3.5 feet by 3.6 feet by 5.6 feet (1.07 meters x 1.1 meters x 1.7 meters) or larger.
The faster the machine runs and the larger foam block size it can produce per cycle, the more it also tends to weigh. Cycle times can range from 60 to 130 seconds per block, and the shipping weight for delivery of the machine from a supplier in China is 11,464 to 14,330 pounds (5,200 to 6,500 kilograms). Although the machines run on 5 to 10 kilowatts of electrical power for their hydraulic, vacuum and hopper pumps, they are designed for low energy consumption. This is done through precise computer control of everything from the vapor pressure used to produce the foam to the vacuum condensing systems used.
There are also smaller expandable polystyrene machine models, where the main production capacities are divided into individual machines. This includes the process of a pre-expander, the EPS block molding machine, an EPS cutting machine and ancillary equipment to process the foam afterwards. A self-contained pre-expander requires the raw material to be manually fed into the processing chamber, after which the steam is turned on. A fully integrated expandable polystyrene machine, however, weighs the EPS beads before and during processing to produce exact amounts of foam.
Another feature to consider when purchasing an expandable polystyrene machine is the reverse process for waste material. Because polystyrene is a thermoplastic that can be melted and reshaped without losing its molecular cohesion, foam-generating insulation machines often go hand in hand with expanded polystyrene machines that take old foam and recycle it into new EPS blocks. Foam machines generally have the same range of features and costs for breaking down the foam as those that create it in the first place.
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