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Mantis Polypropylene Hollow Sheet (PP Hollow Sheet): Characteristics, Application and Market Prospects

• May 26, 2023

Overview of PP Hollow Sheet.PP Hollow Sheet (PP Hollow Sheet), also known as PP Honeycomb Sheet or Wantong Sheet, is a plastic sheet made of polypropylene (Polypropylene) as the main raw material through extrusion molding. Its unique hollow structure design makes it lightweight while maintaining good mechanical properties, making it an ideal substitute for traditional solid plastic sheets.

This sheet was first industrialized in Europe in the 1980s. After decades of technological development, it has now become an indispensable material in many fields such as packaging, construction, and advertising. The standard thickness of PP Hollow Sheet is usually between 2mm-12mm, the width can reach 2.5 meters, and the length can be customized according to needs.Product features and advantages.Physical properties.Lightweight: The hollow structure makes it 50%-70% lighter than the solid board of the same volume, and the density is only 0.35-0.8g/cm³.High strength: The specially designed rib structure provides excellent compression and bending resistance, and the longitudinal strength can reach 80% of the solid board of the same thickness.Buffering performance: The honeycomb structure can effectively absorb impact energy, and the energy absorption capacity is more than 30% higher than that of the solid board.Chemical properties.Corrosion resistance: It has good resistance to acids, alkalis, salts and most organic solvents, and the applicable pH range can reach 2-12.Waterproof and moisture-proof: Water absorption rate <0.01%, completely unaffected by humid environment.Non-toxic: FDA-certified, can directly contact food.Environmental protection characteristics.Recyclability: 100% recyclable and reused, and the recycled material can maintain more than 85% of the original performance.Low carbon emissions: production energy consumption is 40% lower than PVC board and 75% lower than metal board.Long life: outdoor service life can reach 5-8 years, which is 20-30 times that of ordinary corrugated boar.Production process and technological progress.Modern PP Hollow Sheet production line adopts advanced co-extrusion technology, and the main process flow includes:Raw material pretreatment: accurately mix PP resin with additives such as masterbatch and UV inhibitor.

Melt extrusion: melt plasticization at 180-220℃ through twin-screw extruder.Mold forming: hollow structure is formed by specially designed flat die head.Cooling and shaping: three-roll calender accurately controls thickness and flatness.Traction cutting: cut into different specifications according to customer needs.Technological breakthroughs in recent years include:Multi-layer co-extrusion technology: can produce 5-7 layers of composite structure, with both rigidity, toughness and surface finish.Online printing technology: pattern printing is completed directly on the production line to reduce secondary processing.Intelligent control system: Through PLC and MES system, the thickness tolerance is controlled within ±0.05mm.Application areas.Packaging industry (accounting for about 45%).Exhibition display: Easy processing supports complex shape design, and the construction efficiency is increased by 40%.Market status and development trends.The global PP Hollow Sheet market size will reach US$4.8 billion in 2022, and the compound annual growth rate is expected to be 6.8% from 2023 to 2030. The Asia-Pacific region accounts for 55% of the global production, of which China is the largest producer and consumer.Future development trends include:Functionalization: Develop special models such as antibacterial, antistatic, and flame retardant.Intelligentization: Integrate intelligent components such as RFID tags and temperature sensors.Greenization: The proportion of bio-based PP raw materials will increase to more than 30%.Customization: Provide overall solutions from raw material formulation to surface treatment according to customer needs.Purchase and use recommendations.Key points for selection:Products with a UV stabilizer content of ≥3% should be selected for outdoor use.Food contact requires confirmation of FDA or EU 10/2011 certification.Load-bearing applications should pay attention to the bending modulus (needed to be ≥1500MPa).

As a representative of new environmentally friendly materials, the application boundaries of PP Hollow Sheet are still expanding. With the deepening of the trend of “plastic replacing steel” and “plastic replacing wood”, and the promotion of circular economy policies, this material with both performance and sustainability will surely show its value in more fields. In the future, through the integration of nano-modification, intelligent response and other technologies, PP Hollow Sheet is expected to achieve a leapfrog development from structural materials to functional materials.