In April 2022, Cowin delivered PLA degradable sheet production line with capacity of 500kg/hr to foreign client, This customer purchased COWIN’s granulation production line in 2021. Through COWIN’s technical after-sales team, the customer gradually dispelled his concern that he had never used extruder equipment, and purchased sheet line in 2022.PLA sheet production line is applicable to the production of PLA and modified PLA.
Polylactic acid (PLA) is a new kind of high molecular material which is friendly to the environment and has excellent performance. It has good biocompatibility. It can be degraded into lactic acid by microorganisms or in acid-base aqueous solution medium, and finally completely decomposed into carbon dioxide and water. It does not cause any pollution and harm to the environment.
The degradation of polylactic acid is divided into two stages:
- Pure chemical hydrolysis to lactic acid monomer: it is degraded by microorganisms and decomposed into carbon dioxide and water. The food cup made of polylactic acid can be completely degraded in only 60 days, truly achieving the dual effects of ecology and economy.
- Fossil based biodegradable plastics: the leading products are PBAT and PBS petroleum based biodegradable plastics, which mainly refer to biodegradable plastics made by polymerization of monomers produced in the petrochemical industry chain. At present, such plastics mainly include PBS、PBSA、PCL、PBAT.
PLA can be molded like ordinary polymer materials, such as extrusion, tape casting, film blowing, injection molding, bottle blowing, fiber molding, etc. The prepared films, sheets and fibers can be widely used in the fields of clothing, textiles, non-woven fabrics, packaging, agriculture, forestry, medical and health products, daily necessities and so on.
The main target markets of biodegradable plastics are plastic packaging film, agricultural film, disposable plastic bags and disposable plastic tableware. The PLA sheet production line customized by COWIN is also mainly used in the disposable plastic products industry.
Basic parameters of PLA sheet production line:
| Model | PLA sheet parallel twin screw extrusion production line |
| Raw material | PLA/Corn starch |
| Product structure | Single layer PLA or corn starch degradable sheet |
| Product width | 700-1000mm |
| Product thickness | 0.2-1.5mm |
| Linear velocity | 5~15m |
| Output | 400~600kg/h |
Features of PLA degradable sheet production line:
Adopted double screw design, specifically for polylactic acid, corn starch melt design, aiming at the particularity of material by vacuum exhaust, Three-roller forming, adjustable roller temperature through the die temperature machine, ensure that products do not paste, products forming on the surface of good color, good toughness and the thickness of the dial gauge positioning, winding adopts automatic tension winding.
Process of PLA degradable sheet production line：
PLA material corn starch material→twin screw extruder: melting and plasticizing of raw materials→quick change filter screen→extrusion die forming and extrusion→ three roller calender→cooling and setting device→trimming device→traction device →automatic tension winding
