PROCESS ECONOMICS PROGRAM

Transcription

1 PROCESS ECONOMICS PROGRAM Abstract Process Economics Program Report No. FOAMED PLASTICS (January 1984) 97A SRI INTERNATIONAL Menlo Park, California Foamed plastics comprise a broad group of cellular products that have a wide range of properties. They are used increasingly, for example, in heat and sound insulation, energy absorption, and consumer disposal items (such as foamed cups), and as wood and metal replace- ments (for furniture, shutters, and business machine and personal coeputer housings). This report presents the process economics for the production of the following nonstructural, structural, and thermoformed foam products: Nonsturctural foam products - Polystyrene fo_am boards by preexpanslon processes - Polystyrene foam sheets by extrusion of expandable beads - Polystyrene and polyethylene foam sheets by direct-injection tandem-extrusion of general-purpose polystyrene and lowdensity polyethylene - Cross-linked polyethylene foam sheets by a chemical crosslinking and foaming process Structural foam products - Polystyrene foam parts by a low-pressure structura 1 foam molding process - Polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, and polypropylene profiles by an extrusion process Thermoformed foam products - Polystyrene foam hamburger packs - Cross-linked polyethylene foam parts. foam The report also reviews blowing agents, syntactic foams, and the various processes for producing thermoplastic foam parts. PEP'82 WSF

2 Report No. 97A FOAMED PLASTICS SUPPLEMENT A by WING SIEN FONG a I cl I m A private report by the January 1984 PROCESS ECONOMICS PROGRAM Menlo Park, California 94025

3 For detailed marketing data and information, the reader is referred to one of the SRI programs specializing in marketing research. The CHEMICAL ECONOMICS HANDBOOK Program covers most major chemicals and chemical products produced in the United States and the WORLD PETROCHEMICALS Program covers major hydrocarbons and their derivatives on a worldwide basis. In addition, the SRI DIRECTORY OF CHEMICAL PRODUCERS services provide detailed lists of chemical producers by company, product, and plant for the United States and Western Europe... ii

4 CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION SUMMARY... 3 Market Statistics... 3 Fabrication Processes... 4 Process Economics INDUSTRY STATUS Production and Consumption United States Polystyrene Foam Polyolefin Foam Structural Foam Chemical Blowing Agents Japan Western Europe Properties and Applications Polystyrene Foam Boards Structural Foam Cross-Linked Polyethylene Foam Polypropylene Foam Cross-Linked Polyvinyl Chloride Foam 27 4 BLOWINGAGENTS Physical Blowing Agents Chemical Blowing Agents FOAM EXTRUSION PROCESSES Review of Processes Extruded Nonstructural Foam Parts Extruded Structural Foam Parts Process Description--Polystyrene Foam Sheet by Extrusion of Expandable Beads Process Discussion--Polystyrene Foam Sheet by Extrusion of Expandable Beads Cost Estimates--Polystyrene Foam Sheet by Extrusion of Expandable Beads Process Description--Thermoplastic Foam Sheet by Direct-Injection Tandem-Extrusion iii

5 CONTENTS 5 FOAM EXTRUSION PROCESSES (Continued) Polystyrene Foam Sheet... Low Density Polyethylene Foam Sheet Process Discussion--Thermoplastic Foam Sheet by Direct-Injection Tandem-Extrusion. Cost Estimates--Thermoplastic Foam Sheet by Direct-Injection Tandem-Extrusion. Polystyrene Foam Sheet... Low-Density Polyethylene Foam Sheet. Process Description--Rigid Thermoplastic Foam Profile by Extrusion... Polyvinyl Chloride Foam Profile.. Impact Grade Polystyrene Foam Profile... Polypropylene Foam Profile... Process Discussion--Rigid Thermoplastic Foam Profile by Extrusion... Cost Estimates--Rigid Thermoplastic Foam Profile by Extrusion... Polyvinyl Chloride Foam Profile.. Impact Grade Polystyrene Foam Profile... Polypropylene Foam Profile... Effect of Production Rate... 6 SYNTACTIC FOAM... The Hollow Particles... The Matrix.. Production Methods Properties and Applications 7 STRUCTURAL FOAMS... Review of Processes... Structural Foam Injection Molding. The Structural Foam Injection Molding Line... Multicomponent Structural Foam Injection Molding Processes... Injection Molded Structural Foam Parts... Extrusion and Coextrusion Processes Extrusion Processes... Coextrusion Processes... Rotational Molding and Sinter Casting... Press Molding IV

6 CONTENTS 7 STRUCTURAL FOAMS (Continued) Tooling Recipes Process Description Process Discussion Cost Estimates POLYSTYRENE FOAMS... Review of Processes i... Preexpansion Processes... Belt Molding... Poly-Para-Methylstyrene... Process Description... Process Discussion... Cost Estimates... Preexpansion Process... Vacuum Preexpansion Process POLYVINYL CHLORIDE FOAMS Frothing Processes Extrusion Processes Injection Molding Cross-Linked Polyvinyl Chloride Foams POLYETHYLENE FOAMS... Review of Processes... Noncross-Linked Polyethylene Foams Cross-Linked Polyethylene Foams.. Irradiation Cross-Linking... Chemical Cross-Linking... Process Description... Process Discussion... Cost Estimates... Capital Investments... Production Cost and Product Value POLYPROPYLENE FOAMS V

7 CONTENTS 12 THERMOFORMING OF FOAMPARTS Review of Processes Process Description Process Discussion Cost Estimates Polystyrene Foam Hamburger Packs Capital Investments Production Cost and Product Value Effects of Scrap Cross-Linked Polyethylene Foam Parts Capital Investments Production Cost and Production Value Effect of the Amount of Scrap and the Credit for It APPENDIX DESIGN AND COST BASIS CITED REFERENCES PATENT REFERENCES BY COMPANY Vi

8 ILLUSTRATIONS Extrusion of Expandable Polystyrene and a Direct-Injection Tandem-Extrusion Process Flow sheet. 225 Polyethylene Foam Sheets by Direct-Injection Tandem-Extrusion Effect of Production Rate on Production Cost An Extrusion Process for the Production of Rigid Thermoplastic Foam Profiles Flow sheet. 227 Rigid Polyvinyl Chloride, Polystyrene, and Polypropylene Foam Profiles by Extrusion Effect of Production Rate on Production Cost Typical Density Profiles and Density Reduction Obtained by the Various Structural Foam Injection Molding Processes. 109 A Low-Pressure Structural Foam Molding Process Structural Foam Parts by a Low-Pressure Process Effect of the Resin and the Cycle Time on Production Cost Polystyrene Foam Boards by Preexpansion and Vacuum Preexpansion es A Chemically Cross-Linked Polyethylene Foam Sheet Plant A Process for the Production of Chemically Cross-Linked Low-Density Polyethylene Foam Sheets Polystyrene Foam Hamburger Packs by Thermoforming Effect of the Amount of Scrap on Production Cost Cross-Linked Polyethylene Foam Parts by Thermoforming Effect of the Amount of and the Credit for the Scrap on Production Cost Vii

9 TABLES Process Economics Summary U.S. Consumption of Polystyrene Foam, U.S. Consumption of Polystyrene Foam in Construction, Projected U.S. Insulation Market for U.S. Consumption of Chemical Blowing Agents Estimated Market and Capacity for Cross-Linked Polyethylene Foam in Western Europe, Properties of Polyethylene, Polypropylene, Polystyrene, and Polyvinyl Chloride Foams Physical Properties of Typical Commercial Cross-Linked Polypropylene Foam Sheets Chemical Blowing Agents Used for Plastic Foams and Their Gas-Releasing Temperatures Summary of Recent Patents on Chemical Blowing Agents and (or) Activators Properties of Some Structural Foams Produced by the Celuka Process Examples of Rigid Thermoplastic Foam Profiles by an Extrusion Process Polystyrene Foam Sheet by Extrusion of Expandable Polystyrene Major Equipment Polystyrene Foam Sheet by Extrusion of Expandable Polystyrene Utilities Summary Polystyrene Foam Sheet by Extrusion of Expandable Polystyrene Total Capital Investment Polystyrene Foam Sheet by Extrusion of Expandable Polystyrene Production Costs Polystyrene Foam Sheet by Direct-Injection Tandem-Extrusion Major Equipment IX

10 5.8 Polystyrene Foam Sheet by Direct-Injection Tandem-Extrusion Utilities Summary Polystyrene Foam Sheet by Direct-Injection Tandem-Extrusion Total Capital Investment Polystyrene Foam Sheet by Direct-Injection Tandem-Extrusion Production Costs Polyethylene Foam Sheet by Direct-Injection Tandem-Extrusion Total Capital Investment Polyethylene Foam Sheet by Direct-Injection Tandem-Extrusion Production Costs Rigid Polyvinyl Chloride Foam Profiles by Extrusion Major Equipment Rigid Polyvinyl Chloride Foam Profiles by Extrusion Utilities Summary Rigid Polyvinyl Chloride Foam Profiles by Extrusion Total Capital Investment Rigid Polyvinyl Chloride Foam Profiles by Extrusion Capital Investment by Section Rigid Polyvinyl Chloride Foam Profiles by Extrusion Production Costs Rigid Polyvinyl Chloride Foam Profiles by Extrusion Direct Operating Costs by Section Impact Grade Polystyrene Foam Profiles by Extrusion Total Capital Investment Impact Grade Polystyrene Foam Profiles by Extrusion Capital Investment by Section Impact Grade Polystyrene Foam Profiles by Extrusion Production Costs Impact Grade Polystyrene Foam Profiles by Extrusion Direct Operating Costs by Section X

11 TABLES Polypropylene Foam Profiles by Extrusion Total Capital Investment Polypropylene Foam Profiles by Extrusion Capital Investment by Section Polypropylene Foam Profiles by Extrusion Production Costs Polypropylene Foam Profiles by Extrusion Direct Operating Costs by Section Structural Polystyrene Foam Parts by a Low Pressure Process Major Equipment Structural Polystyrene Foam Parts by a Low Pressure Process Utilities Summary Structural Polystyrene Foam Parts by a Low Pressure Process Total Capital Investment Structural Polystyrene Foam Parts by a Low Pressure Process Production Costs p... Polystyrene Foam Board by a Preexpansion Major Equipment Polystyrene Foam Board by a Preexpansion Utilities Summary Polystyrene Foam Board by a Vacuum Preexpansion Major Equipment Polystyrene Foam Board by a Vacuum Preexpansion Utilities Summary Polystyrene Foam Board by a Preexpansion Total Capital Investment Xi

12 TABLES Polystyrene Foam Board by a Preexpansion Production Costs Polystyrene Foam Board by a Vacuum Preexpansion Total Capital Investment Polystyrene Foam Board by a Vacuum Preexpansion Production Costs.... T Chemically Crosslinked Low Density Polyethylene Foam Sheet Major Equipment Chemically Crosslinked Low Density Polyethylene Foam Sheet Utilities Summary , Chemically Crosslinked Low Density Polyethylene Foam Sheet (2 lb/cf) Total Capital Investment Chemically Crosslinked Low Density Polyethylene Foam Sheet (5.6 lb/cf) Total Capital Investment Chemically Crosslinked Low Density Polyethylene Foam Sheet (2 lb/cf) Production Costs Chemically Crosslinked Low Density Polyethylene Foam Sheet (5.6 lb/cf) Production Costs Polystyrene Foam Hamburger Packs by Thermoforming PS Foam Sheet Major Equipment Polystyrene Foam Barnburger Packs by Thermoforming PS Foam Sheet Utilities Summary Crosslinked Polyethylene Foam Parts by Thermoforming XL-LDPE Foam Sheet Major Equipment Xii

13 TABLES Crosslinked Polyethylene Foam Parts by Thermoforming XL-LDPE Foam Sheet Utilities Summary Polystyrene Foam Hamburger Packs by Thermoforming PS Foam Sheet Total Capital Investment..... Polystyrene Foam Hamburger Packs by Thermoforming PS Foam Sheet Capital Investment by Section... Polystyrene Foam Hamburger Packs by Thermoforming PS Foam Sheet Production Costs Polystyrene Foam Hamburger Packs by Thermoforming PS Foam Sheet Direct Operating Costs by Section. Crosslinked Polyethylene Foam Parts by Thermoforming XL-LDPE Foam Sheet Total Capital Investment..... Crosslinked Polyethylene Foam Parts by Thermoforming XL-LDPE Foam Sheet Capital Investment by Section... Crosslinked Polyethylene Foam Parts by Thermoforming XL-LDPE Foam Sheet Production Costs Crosslinked Polyethylene Foam Parts by Thermoforming XL-LDPE Foam Sheet Direct Operating Costs by Section Xiii