TPE Car Sheet Extrusion and Vacuum Forming Machine

TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) car floor mats and trunk mats are very popular products in recent years, gradually replacing traditional PVC and EVA products due to their environmental friendliness, odorlessness, softness, anti slip, easy cleaning, recyclability, and other advantages. Its production line is a combination of multiple steps and processes, rather than a single device.

The production of TPE automotive mats mainly involves two major processes:

1. Sheet extrusion: Manufacturing TPE material rolls or sheets.

2. Hot pressing and cutting: Heat and soften the sheet, press it into a specific 3D shape of the vehicle model in the mold, and trim the edges and corners.

The entire production line is a combination of extrusion line and hot forming line.

Part 1: TPE Sheet Extrusion Production Line

The purpose of this line is to produce TPE rolls that meet the requirements of thickness, width, hardness, and surface texture.

Main components:

1. Raw material processing system:

·Hopper dryer (optional): TPE pellets are usually not as easily hygroscopic as ABS, but in humid environments or with extremely high surface requirements, it is recommended to use a simple hot air dryer to remove surface moisture.

·Vacuum feeder: Automatically delivers TPE pellets to the extruder hopper.

2. Extrusion system:

·Single screw extruder: standard configuration, capable of plasticizing TPE. The length to diameter ratio (L/D) of the screw is recommended to be 28:1 or above to ensure uniform melting.

·Screen changer: an essential device used to filter impurities in the melt and ensure that the product is defect free.

·T-shaped die head: designed in a hanger style to shape molten TPE into sheet blanks of the desired width.

3. Shaping and cooling system:

·Embossing cooling roller set: This is one of the key equipment for TPE automotive pad production.

·Function: The billet coming out of the mold is immediately guided between a large-diameter cooling roller and an embossing steel roller.

·Surface treatment: The surface of the embossed steel roller is engraved with designed patterns (such as anti slip particle patterns, brushed patterns, logos, etc.), and under pressure, the patterns are clearly imprinted on the surface of the TPE sheet, while the cooling roller rapidly cools and shapes it.

·Double sided effect: By configuring, single-sided embossed or double-sided embossed sheets can be produced.

4. Traction and winding system:

·Tractor: Provides stable pulling force.

·Automatic winder: roll the cooled TPE embossed coiled material into large coils (master coils), waiting for the next process.

Part 2: Hot pressing and cutting production line

This line is responsible for transforming flat TPE rolls into three-dimensional car floor mats.

Main components:

1. Material rack and preheating station:

·Install the TPE mother roll onto the feeding rack.

·The sheet is first heated uniformly in an infrared oven to the softening point of TPE (usually around 150-180 ° C), making it soft and malleable.

2. Hot press molding machine:

·Core equipment: a large tonnage four column or two column hydraulic press (or high-speed servo stamping press).

·Mold: Both the upper and lower molds are made of aluminum alloy or steel molds, and the mold cavity is CNC machined according to the specific car model's foot pad 3D data, with precise details.

·Process: The heated and softened sheet is automatically fed into the lower mold of the mold ->the upper mold is rapidly pressed down ->under the combined action of strong pressure (usually tens to hundreds of tons) and vacuum (vacuum holes), the sheet is stretched and tightly adhered to the mold cavity, and after cooling, it forms a 3D three-dimensional shape.

·Vacuum system: It is the key to forming clarity, which can extract air between the mold and the material, allowing the sheet to perfectly replicate every detail of the mold.

3. Cooling and retrieval:

·After molding, the product needs to be cooled and shaped inside the mold or after removal.

·Mechanical or manual removal of semi-finished products after molding.

4. Punching and trimming machine (trimming machine):

·Hydraulic punching machine: Using a sharp knife die, the excess burrs and material frame of the formed foot pad are accurately punched off to obtain the final product shape.

·The shape of the knife mold is completely consistent with the final contour of the foot pad.

5. Edge material recycling system (important):

·The cut scraps (TPE material can be 100% recycled) are centrally crushed into particles and can be mixed with new materials in a certain proportion (such as 20% -30%) in the extruder, greatly reducing raw material costs and meeting environmental requirements.

1. Product positioning: Determine the number of molds (the more models covered, the greater the investment) and equipment grade.
2. Automation level: Whether to use fully automatic loading and unloading robotic arms directly affects labor costs and efficiency.
3. Mold: Mold is the second largest investment after equipment. Aluminum alloy molds have low cost and short lifespan, suitable for sampling or small batch production; Steel molds have high cost and long lifespan, making them suitable for large-scale production.
4. Environmental Protection and Recycling: The recyclability of TPE materials is a huge advantage, and it must be matched with a waste recycling system to maximize economic benefits.

The TPE car sheet extrusion and vacuum forming machine is a typical "extrusion+deep processing" combination production line.
·The first half (extrusion) is responsible for manufacturing materials and endowing them with basic surface functional textures (anti slip).
·The latter half (hot forming) is responsible for giving the product its final form, using molds and pressure to achieve the transition from 2D to 3D.
This production method is flexible and efficient, and different models of foot mats can be produced by changing molds. It is currently the mainstream process for TPE automotive mat manufacturing.

The advantages of the products we produce
We specialize in the research and development of car floor mats. For different car mats, we have a variety of styles and materials to choose , such as hot press molds, vacuum molds, 3D molds, 5D molds, aluminum molds, steel molds, etc. Mold design can be customized to meet customer requirements.

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