Through our subsidiary, PST Worldwide, Industrial Process Group, Inc, provides all the services required to design, engineer and start up a modern and economical expandable polystyrene (EPS) production plant anywhere in the world. We also provide the services required to upgrade and/or expand existing facilities.
Technology Advantages
Economical one-step process
Narrow reactor bead size distributions: >= 99.5% bead diameters between 500 and 2000 microns and about 80% between 800 and 1250 microns
High reactor volume utilization – about 90% based on total charge and cycle times of 10.5-11.5 hours
No operator judgment or intervention required during the run to achieve readily reproducible batch-to-batch bead size distribution
Stable batches with little reactor build-up and minimal polymer debris
Improved monomer handling system for enhanced reactor control and product reproducibility
Reliable, efficient, easy-to-operate bead finishing (dewatering, drying, screening, surface lubing) operations
State-of-the-art lubricant additive system
Economic Advantages
Low utility consumption
Closed loop heating/cooling system that uses virtually no outside make-up water
New plants that give less than two-year payback on investment
Features of IPG's EPS Technology
The IPG process provides enhanced bead size control, narrower bead size distribution, more efficient bead finishing operations and higher prime product yield. These advances provide faster expansion rates and lower densities, reduced mold cycle times and molded product properties equivalent to those of today’s leading global suppliers.
IPG's single-step EPS process involves five sub-technologies:
- Reactor-Agitator Design and Formulation
Because bead size distribution (BSD) are among the most important EPS properties, it is critical to manufacture narrow BSD products. Two approaches are used: (1) a reactor-agitator system design for the bead-polymerization phase and (2) a state-of-the-art formulation that determines bead size without operator intervention. Our new reactor-agitator system and formulation typically produce narrow BSDs – >= 99.5% in the 500 to 2000-micron diameter range and an average of 80% in the 800 to 1250 micron range. With reactor cycle times of 10.5-11.5 hours, we easily achieve a reactor capacity of 46 kg of product per cubic meter of reagents charged per hour.
- Chemical Stabilization, Bead Size Control & Yields
Chemical stabilizers are used to produce stable batches with minimal reactor fouling (build-up) and "non-bead product," control the median bead size, and limit the formation of very fine (< 500 micron) and very large (> 2000 micron) beads. Bead size can be consistently reproduced using the chemical stabilizer system available through IPG. Bead size can be controlled and reproduced within close tolerances by controlling the quantity and timing of stabilizer reagent additions.
- Bead Composition & Internal Morphology
Important EPS processing parameters, such as expansion rate, density and mold cycle time, and end-use properties, such as flexural and compressive strength and thermal resistance, are controlled by molecular weight, cell structure and blowing agent concentration. The methods of controlling these are well-known to those skilled in the art. All EPS products utilizing IPG technology can meet the performance standards typically found in the products of leading suppliers in the world's markets.
- Raw Material & Product Handling Are Key to High Product Yields
Overall product yields and EPS properties are also strongly related to raw material and product handling, which are largely controlled by equipment selection and arrangement. Our knowledge of EPS processing equipment and its organization and operation ensures our clients of the highest possible product yields. Chief among IPG’s EPS process advantages is an improved monomer handling system. Bead size control is most adversely affected by changes in monomer quality. A well-regulated supply of quality monomer is crucial to the operation of a high yield EPS facility. IPG's monomer handling system ensures continuous and smooth control of median bead size to minimize the impact of typical shipment-to-shipment monomer quality variations.
- External Surface Additives
Low levels (< 0.3%) of surface additives are required in EPS processing to prevent bead agglomeration and low static flow during pre-expansion, while allowing fusion to occur during molding. IPG employs a surface lubricant package with state-of-the-art lubricant addition equipment to maximize the performance of your bead products.
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