Furniture cabinet panels
Smooth rigid sheets that can be cut, drilled and laminated like wood panels.
BOARD EXTRUSION
How PVC Foam Board Is Made
From PVC compound and foaming agent to lightweight rigid sheet.
PVC foam board is a rigid sheet with a cellular core and smooth skin. It is used as furniture panel, construction formwork, signage board and interior cladding where low weight and easy machining matter.
What PVC foam board is used for
PVC foam board is also called Forex board, Celuka board or PVC free-foam sheet. The production method changes density, surface hardness and cost.
Construction formwork
Reusable boards for concrete formwork and temporary site panels.
Advertising & signage
White lightweight sheets for printing, display and exhibition structures.
Interior wall cladding
Flat decorative panels for indoor building finishes.
Raw material: PVC compound and foaming agent
PVC foam board uses PVC-U compound with stabiliser, lubricant, processing aid and foaming agent. The foam process exposes PVC to heat for longer than pipe extrusion, so stabiliser loading is usually higher. Filler must be controlled because too much calcium carbonate damages cell structure and surface smoothness. Chemical foaming agents such as ADC decompose around 200°C and release nitrogen gas. More advanced systems inject CO2 or nitrogen into the melt for finer, more uniform cells.
- Celuka foam forms a dense skin over a foam core using a cooled calibrator after the die.
- Free-foam sheet expands more freely after the die and is usually lower density and lower cost.
- Foaming agent is often 0.3-1.5 phr depending on target density and board thickness.
Production process
Foam board extrusion is sensitive to melt temperature. If the melt is too hot, cells collapse; if too cold, foaming is incomplete. The line must control die pressure, roll gap, cooling balance and sheet flatness.
Compound feeding
PVC dry blend and foaming agent are fed to the extruder. Stable feeding prevents density variation across the board.
Twin-screw extrusion
A counter-rotating twin screw with low-shear geometry melts the compound at about 170-185°C and prevents premature foaming in the barrel.
Wide flat die
A slot die, typically 900-2500mm wide, spreads the melt into sheet form. Die lip gap is critical for thickness control.
Foaming and calibration
In Celuka process, the melt immediately enters a cooled calibrator to form a hard skin. Free-foam sheet expands without direct calibrator contact.
3-roll calender
Polished chrome rolls set thickness, surface gloss and flatness. Roll temperature and gap decide the final skin quality.
Cooling conveyor
The board cools on a long roller conveyor, often 8-15m. Uneven top and bottom cooling causes warping.
Cutting and stacking
A travelling saw cuts standard sizes such as 1220x2440mm, then sheets are stacked for trimming or packaging.
Finished board requirements
Finished foam board is checked for width, thickness, density, flatness, surface hardness, cell uniformity and colour. Celuka board is denser, typically 0.55-0.65 g/cm3, with better surface hardness. Free-foam board can be 0.35-0.55 g/cm3 and lower cost, but surface quality is usually less smooth.
Machines required
These are the core machines for a PVC foam board line. Board width, thickness range and Celuka versus free-foam process determine the die, calender and cooling conveyor design.
Twin Screw Extruder
Processes PVC foam compound with controlled low-shear heating.
Foam Board Die
Forms the wide sheet and controls melt distribution.
3-Roll Calender
Sets thickness, surface gloss and flatness.
Cooling Conveyor
Removes heat evenly to prevent warping.
Cut-to-length Saw
Cuts sheets to commercial sizes before stacking.
Technical reference
Planning reference only. Final configuration depends on your target spec — share it with the engineering team for a matched proposal.
| Output rate | 200-800 kg/h |
|---|---|
| Board width | 1220-2440mm |
| Thickness | 3-25mm |
| Density | 0.4-0.7 g/cm3 |
| Processing temperature | 170-185°C |
| Material | PVC compound + foaming agent |
Ready to produce PVC foam board?
Tell us your target board width, thickness, density, Celuka or free-foam process and output rate. We will configure the extruder, die, calender, cooling and cutting layout.
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