Development of Biodegradable Foaming Technology in Packaging Industry
Driven by global plastic restriction policies, regulations on plastic waste control have been rolled out worldwide, fueling booming market demand for biodegradable packaging. PLA foaming machine has gained wide attention from packaging manufacturers. Conventional EPS and EPE foam offer excellent cushioning at low cost, dominating logistics and product protection for decades. However, they take hundreds of years to degrade naturally and trigger severe soil & water pollution if discarded randomly, with high costs for recycling treatment.
Foamed products based on PLA bio-based resin fully degrade under compost conditions without persistent plastic residues, ideal for e-commerce cushion packaging, disposable tableware and fresh trays. During production line upgrading, many manufacturers face equipment selection dilemmas. Mature PET foam sheet extruders can process regular polymer foams; after adjusting screws, dies and temperature control systems, they also support partial biodegradable raw materials.
Still, PLA has unique material characteristics with strict requirements for processing temperature, screw speed and cooling forming. Direct PLA processing on outdated general extruders causes unstable foaming ratio, severe thickness deviation and brittle fragile foam, drastically lowering finished yield. Many factories reuse old parameters without considering PLA’s properties, generating massive defective products and raising overall production costs.
China’s biodegradable foam industry remains in its growth stage. High prices of bio-based raw materials restrict large-scale market penetration. Manufacturers can balance costs by optimizing full-process workflows (drying, extrusion, foaming) to improve raw material utilization and reduce scrap loss.
With continuous iteration of resin formulas, plastic foam extruders will gain broader compatibility with diverse feedstocks. In the future, biodegradable foam packaging will gradually replace traditional plastic alternatives and capture vast market space in food packaging and e-commerce logistics. Equipment manufacturers will keep upgrading machinery to adapt to evolving raw material demands.
