Beipeng's new XPS board line. (KraussMaffei photo)

Beijing-based Beipeng will use the ZE75/KE250 Schaumtandex line to produce thermal insulation boards.

Beipeng started XPS board production in 1997, according to the company’s Web site. Its products have been used in the iconic China Central TV Station tower and Beijing National Stadium, known as the Bird’s Nest.

According to Munich, Germany-based KraussMaffei, several billion square meters of building area in China do not comply with the national energy-saving requirements introduced in 2001. Many buildings are not insulated, and the insulated ones often use XPS insulating boards that are made with ecologically harmful blowing agents. The blowing agents are released from the finished boards and deplete the ozone layer, said KraussMaffei spokesman Andreas Weseler.

The ZE75/KE250 can use more eco-friendly blowing agents such as carbon dioxide, instead of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and partially halogenated hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs).

The line consists of a primary twin-screw extruder ZE75, with output capacity of up to 1,000 kilograms (2,205 pounds) per hour, and a secondary single-screw extruder KE250 for downstream cooling. It is designed for continuous processing of boards of different lengths, thicknesses and milled edge profiles, up to 200,000 cubic meters (7 million cubic feet) per year. The line is highly automated, and the active melt seal prevents any loss of blowing agents during the extrusion process and therefore cuts cost, Weseler said in an email response to questions.

KraussMaffei said the project was supported by the German Technical Cooperation within the frame of the International Climate Protection Initiative by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).