The pellets containing pentane (expandable polystyrene) are initially expanded by the action of heat, which causes the polystyrene beads to swell up – we refer to this process as ‘pre-foaming’. The heat of up to around 90°C is supplied by water vapor, and it acts for approx. 2 minutes.
The beads can ultimately increase their volume up to 50-fold. A closed-cell foam structure into which water vapor diffuses is created inside the beads. The desired density (10 to 100 kg/m3) can be influenced by the foaming duration and material supply. Quality control is done by means of automatic bulk density monitoring.
Cooling causes the water vapor which has diffused in to condense. This creates a negative pressure in the pre-foamed beads. During storage in ventilated silos, the air which diffuses in equalizes the pressure and the cell structure is stabilized. The pre-foamed material can only be processed further once this process has been completed.
For expansion or block foaming, the temporarily stored foam beads are added to the block foaming machine. Another expansion process is triggered by a cycle that proceeds automatically – adding, vaporizing, cooling.
Further expansion of the foam material and the expansion pressure which forms in the closed molds fills up the remaining gaps and the contact surfaces are fused together by temperature and pressure.
No binding agents or adhesives are required for this fusing process. Before demolding, to release the expansion pressure, the block is cooled with water and a vacuum.
The automated machine board is a foam-moulded insulation board which scores points for maximum dimensional accuracy.
Similar to the situation with pre-foaming, cooling in turn causes the water vapor which has diffused in to condense. This moisture would impede the subsequent cutting of the blocks and lead to an inferior quality of cut. In addition, there is post-shrinkage of the block because the expansion pressure has not fully dissipated.
Intermediate storage of the blocks allows this moisture to diffuse out, and at the same time tension in the block and post-shrinkage are dissipated. This is an essential requirement for the precise, shrinkage-free quality of flapor, especially in facade construction.
The block machine is connected to the fully automatic block store and this in turn is connected to the cutting machines. All block data is transferred. The important first in/first out storage strategy is automatically monitored and implemented by the storage computer.
The temporarily stored blocks are in turn automatically transported to the modern cutting machines with oscillating glow wire cutting and automatic wire setting.
Blocks are cut in one operation into boards, stacked, bundled and placed on pallets. All waste material from the cutting is automatically recycled and fed back into the material cycle.
Time is a particularly crucial factor in construction. Our four fully automatic high-bay warehouses that can hold over 35,000 pallets and 4,000 m3 of EPS blocks as well as our 23 truck/trailers allow us to supply you with the goods you want quickly and on time. Orders for standard items which we receive in the morning are delivered directly to the construction site the next day.
The key figures:
Hängt von den Anforderungen ab: Isolierend mit Transportschutz, Mehrweg mit einfachem Handling, hoher Transportschutz und doch leicht und natürlich auch die Optik. Geht alles, fragen Sie uns einfach.