1. Project Overview
This project is a plastic food container manufacturing factory producing plastic lunch boxes (food containers) using two production processes:
- Sheet extrusion line → produces plastic sheets for thermoforming containers
- Injection molding machines → produces plastic food containers and related parts
Although both processes produce the same final product type (plastic food containers), they require different material stability and feeding control.
2. Key Production Challenge
The factory faces a common but critical issue in plastic food container production:
✔ Mixed production + multiple machines
- Sheet extrusion requires continuous, stable material feeding
- Injection molding requires flexible, multi-machine distribution
✔ High usage of crushed recycled material (regrind)
In addition to virgin raw materials, the factory uses a large amount of:
- Crushed plastic scraps (regrind material)
- Recycled production waste
This creates challenges such as:
- Unstable material ratio
- Dust and contamination risk
- Inconsistent product quality
- Difficult manual mixing control
3. Centralized Feeding System Solution Overview
To solve these problems, a central material conveying system is designed for the entire factory.
The system includes the following main components:
✔ 1. Central Material Storage System
- Virgin material silos (PP / PET etc.)
- Regrind storage bins
- Separate material management for clean control
✔ 2. Regrind Crushing & Recycling System
- Automatic collection of production waste
- Central crushing system
- Closed-loop recycling back into production
👉 Ensures stable reuse of recycled material without manual handling
✔ 3. Vacuum Conveying Pipeline System
- Fully closed conveying network
- Automatic material transfer from silo to machines
- Dust-free transport for food-grade production
✔ 4. Dual Production Feeding Distribution
The system supports two production areas:
Sheet Extrusion Line
- Requires continuous and stable feeding
- Ensures consistent sheet thickness and quality
Injection Molding Machines
- Multi-machine material distribution
- Flexible switching between different production orders
✔ 5. Central Control System
- Automatic material ratio control (virgin + regrind)
- Machine-by-machine feeding management
- Real-time monitoring and alarm system
4. Key Benefits for the Factory
✔ 1. Stable Production Quality
- Stable sheet extrusion feeding
- Consistent plastic food container quality
✔ 2. Efficient Regrind Utilization
- Controlled recycling of crushed material
- Reduced raw material cost
- Improved sustainability
✔ 3. Cleaner Production Environment
- Fully sealed conveying system
- No dust leakage from crushed material
- Suitable for food packaging production
✔ 4. Reduced Labor Dependency
- No manual material mixing
- No carrying or feeding raw bags
- Lower operator workload
✔ 5. Better Production Coordination
- Sheet extrusion and injection molding run independently
- Unified material management across the factory
5. System Foundation
This solution is built on a proven industrial architecture:
👉 central feeding system
which provides:
- Stable centralized material management
- Reliable vacuum conveying performance
- Scalable factory expansion capability
(Internal link to system principle page)
6. Conclusion
For plastic food container factories using both sheet extrusion and injection molding, especially with high usage of recycled crushed material, a centralized feeding system is essential to ensure:
Cleaner production environment
Stable production
Controlled material ratio
Lower cost
