Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU), renowned for its high elasticity, wear resistance and hydrolysis resistance, has become a core material in flexible films, elastic coils and other fields. However, its molecular chains are highly sensitive to temperature and shear force, accompanied by processing pain points such as easy mold sticking and uneven cooling, which have become key challenges in the laboratory R&D phase. POTOP Co., Ltd. launches the FDSI-25/22 Desktop Small-Scale Precision Extrusion Casting Machine, engineered with the core of "miniaturized design + industrial-grade precision" and tailor-made for TPU processing characteristics. It enables precise control over the entire process from plasticization and molding to cooling, serving as an exclusive device for TPU film formula optimization and process verification in university research and enterprise R&D, and realizing efficient technological transformation from laboratory pilot tests to industrial mass production.
Precise Temperature-Controlled Plasticization, Safeguarding TPU Elastic Performance From The Source
The core challenge of TPU processing lies in the easy influence of the soft-hard segment ratio by external conditions: excessive temperature causes degradation and yellowing, while excessive shear force leads to molecular chain breakage and direct loss of elastic advantages. Addressing this pain point, the FDSI-25/22 Desktop Casting Machine achieves full-process precise control, with strict oversight from raw material plasticization to melt discharge:
- The equipment features an operating temperature range of room temperature to 350℃ with a temperature control accuracy of ±1℃. The multi-zone gradient temperature control design of the barrel allows for precise setting of heating curves according to different TPU grades, avoiding material degradation caused by local overheating, and is perfectly suitable for processing polyester-based, polyether-based and different hardness TPU materials.
- Equipped with a golden combination of 25mm screw and 28:1 length-diameter ratio, driven by a servo motor to realize stepless speed regulation of 0-120rpm, the shear force is controllable and adjustable, effectively protecting the TPU molecular chain structure and ensuring the elastic recovery rate of films. Even for high-elasticity TPU with a soft segment ratio of 60%-80%, elastic attenuation during processing can be avoided.
- The casting roll adopts an internal flow channel temperature control design, combined with optional air knife and electrostatic adsorption device, ensuring close contact and uniform cooling between TPU melt and roll surface. This fundamentally solves the problems of TPU easy roll sticking, film wrinkling and ribbing, resulting in flawlessly smooth surface of molded films.
Micron-Level Molding Precision, Meeting High-End R&D Requirements For TPU Films
Laboratory R&D imposes stringent requirements on the thickness uniformity and surface quality of TPU films. This desktop casting machine takes precision molding to the extreme, achieving micron-level processing standards:
- Capable of molding ultra-thin TPU films with a thickness of 0.02-0.1mm, the product width is flexibly adjustable from 0 to 150mm with precisely controllable thickness tolerance, fully meeting the high-end requirements of subsequent performance testing and customer sample preparation.
- Equipped with a high-precision melt pressure sensor (0-50MPa/0.5%FS), key process parameters such as temperature, screw speed, melt pressure and casting roll linear speed (0-10m/min) are real-time monitored and visually displayed. It accurately captures the impact of each parameter change on TPU film performance, making experimental data more referential.
- The digital casting die features a smooth flow channel without dead angles, avoiding local performance differences caused by melt retention. Combined with an independent servo-driven traction system, it ensures uniform stress on TPU films during cooling and molding, effectively avoiding local elastic differences caused by uneven stretching.
Compact Desktop Design, Significantly Reducing TPU R&D Costs
Compared with traditional large-scale extrusion casting equipment, the FDSI-25/22 Desktop Casting Machine adheres to a laboratory-friendly design concept, realizing dual optimization of R&D efficiency and cost while ensuring precision:
- With an overall dimension of 2550mm×880mm×1610mm and a weight of approximately 1200kg, it perfectly fits the limited space of laboratories, features easy installation, and allows a single person to complete daily operation and maintenance, greatly reducing site and labor costs.
- With a low output of 2kg/h, it significantly reduces raw material loss compared with traditional equipment. Even for high-priced modified TPU raw materials, it is safe to carry out comparative tests of multiple formulations and process parameters, and formula verification with gram-level raw materials can be easily achieved.
- The suspended mold is a patented design of POTOP. The screw can be directly taken out for cleaning without disassembling the mold, effectively solving the equipment cleaning problem after TPU mold sticking, shortening the interval between experiments and improving R&D efficiency.
High Compatibility and Expandability, Meeting Diverse TPU R&D Needs One-Stop
From basic material research to composite film development, the FDSI-25/22 adapts to the full-scenario needs of TPU R&D with its flexible design, boasting both compatibility and expandability:
- Seamless connection with a dehumidifying dryer is available, controlling the water content of TPU raw materials below 0.02%, avoiding molding defects caused by raw material moisture absorption from the source and ensuring experimental stability.
- Supporting multiple molding methods such as single-side lamination, double-side lamination and interlayer structure lamination, it enables R&D of composite films of TPU and other materials, meeting the R&D needs of functional TPU films.
- The height of the casting roll can be flexibly adjusted to adapt to TPU modified raw materials with different melt strengths. Stable molding can be achieved for both pure TPU films and modified TPU films added with functional additives.
- Equipped with an imported PLC control system and touch screen, it supports formula storage and data export. Experimental parameters are traceable and reusable, and processes can be quickly adjusted based on historical data without repeated trial and error, significantly shortening the TPU film R&D cycle and improving R&D efficiency by more than 40%.
Modular Design + Professional Support, Steadfastly Escorting The Entire R&D Process
In addition to meeting TPU R&D needs in performance, the FDSI-25/22 also provides comprehensive support for laboratory R&D in terms of equipment maintenance and services:
- The equipment adopts a modular design with standardized supply of spare parts, featuring convenient and efficient maintenance, avoiding delays in R&D project progress due to equipment failures and ensuring the continuity of experiments.
- As a leading domestic supplier of polymer material experimental equipment, POTOP relies on years of industry technical accumulation to provide customers with one-stop equipment solutions, with full follow-up from equipment installation and commissioning to process guidance.
- The equipment has a wide range of adaptability. In addition to TPU, it can also carry out casting molding experiments of various polymer materials such as PE, PP and TPE. One device meets the R&D needs of multiple materials, improving the utilization rate of laboratory equipment.
From the basic research of TPU materials in universities and research institutes to the development of modified TPU formulations and process optimization in enterprise R&D departments, POTOP FDSI-25/22 Desktop Small-Scale Precision Extrusion Casting Machine, with its core advantages of precision, efficiency, economy and flexibility, solves the processing challenges of TPU film in laboratory R&D, making every pilot test the starting point for mass production of high-quality products, and empowering the industrialization of polymer material R&D with professional intelligent manufacturing.
Choose POTOP FDSI-25/22, unlock new possibilities for precise molding of TPU films, and make new material R&D more efficient, precise and valuable!
