Biodegradable sugarcane bagasse tableware:
With the release of the plastic ban order, plastic reduction action has long been quietly launched in the catering giant. McDonald’s, Starbucks, and other chains have previously promoted environmental protection by replacing paper bags and reducing the use of plastic straws. At the same time, with the rapid development of the food delivery business, the takeaway platform also launched plastic reduction actions, including the implementation of the takeaway “no tableware” option.
Nationwide catering industry banned the use of non-biodegradable disposable plastic straws; The use of non-degradable disposable plastic tableware shall be prohibited in the catering and dining services in built-up areas and scenic spots of cities above prefecture-level level. At this point, biodegradable tableware followed in our lives quietly emerged.
So what is biodegradable tableware? What is biodegradable sugarcane bagasse tableware? Degradable tableware refers to the tableware that can produce biochemical reactions under the action of microorganisms (bacteria, molds, algae) and enzymes in the natural environment, causing the appearance of mildew to the internal quality changes, and finally forming carbon dioxide and water.
Making food containers is very challenging. Biodegradability is not the only indicator. On the one hand, we need to ensure food safety, on the other hand, materials also need to have good wet mechanical strength and cleanliness. Meet this series of conditions, it can be used to contain hot drinks, hot food. Conventional plastics (or biodegradable polymers) can degrade over 450 years (or require high temperatures), and this biodegradable sugarcane bagasse tableware Non-toxic, environmentally friendly materials can be degraded in just 60 days.
Biodegradable sugarcane bagasse tableware, it’s an eco-friendly product that is good for our health and environment. But not all manufacturers take social responsibility as the first policy. As a buyer of biodegradable dinnerware, whether buy from China or elsewhere, one of the most important things is to make sure you are working with the right supplier, do your due diligence, and verify suppliers before working with them.
Tips on R&D team of pulp molding products mould design
A strong supplier of biodegradable sugarcane bagasse tableware is not only proven by being able to provide qualified samples. The technical strength of the team and whether it has the ability to design and develop molds is also important. Because, pulp (plant fiber) molding is the use of mold in the state of pulp molding into products, therefore, the mold is the key to pulp (plant fiber) molding technology. At the same time, with the improvement of people’s quality of life, the appearance of tableware aesthetics, practicality requirements are increasingly high. For some emerging markets, suppliers are needed to have the ability to help distributors make qualified products that meet market demand in the first place.
Mold design must meet the structural requirements of pulp molded products, and the structure of pulp molded products must meet the requirements of mold design and manufacturing while meeting the conditions of use and forming process. Therefore, before designing a pulp molding mold, the structure of pulp molding products must be fully analyzed and studied so that the economic rationality and technical feasibility of both product design and mold design can be coordinated and unified.
1、Some basic requirements
In addition to the general physical strength of paper products and other requirements, but also according to the different uses of the product, from the process and structural design, pay attention to the following properties to meet the specific requirements of use.
(1) adsorption: the liquid-repellent properties of pulp molding products, including the absorption of water, oil, ink and other liquids, which is particularly important for paper tableware.
(2) Product appearance quality: defects in the appearance of the products can be observed with the naked eye, these defects include dust, holes, folds, ribs, screen marks, spots, pulp lumps, fish scale spots, cracks, rolled edges, dents, inconsistent color, and other unattractive appearance.
(3) Product accuracy: It refers to the error between the size, shape, and position of the product and the design requirements.
2、Types of pulp molding molds
(1) Adsorption forming mold: Adsorption forming mold, the structure is composed of convex mold, concave mold, net mold, mold seat, mold back cavity, and air chamber. The net mold is the main body of the mold because the net mold is made of 0.15mm diameter wire (metal or plastic) woven into, itself which can not be formed independently must be attached to the surface of the mold to work. The back cavity of the mold is a cavity composed of the back part of the mold relative to the mold seat that keeps a certain thickness and shape in full synchronization with the working surface of the mold, i.e. the convex and concave mold is a shell with a certain wall thickness. The working surface of the mold and the back cavity is connected by evenly distributed small holes.
The mold is mounted on the template of the forming machine through the mold base, and the other side of the template is mounted with an air chamber, which is connected to the back cavity and has two channels for compressed air and vacuum.
Allowance for adsorption molding mold: The allowance for adsorption molding mold is the key to mold design.
Pulp molding products from wet paper blank to finished products, due to the precipitation of water and shrinkage. The shrinkage rate of different positions of the same product is not the same and there is no rule, resulting in multi-directional and variable shrinkage changes in the molding process, causing difficulties in determining the amount of reservation for the mold design.
(2) pulp (plant fiber) molding shaping mold: shaping mold is directly after the wet paper blank forming into a mold with heating, pressure, and dehydration function.
The shaping mold is used to make the wet blank dry and set in the mold. The products made with the shaping mold have a smooth surface, accurate size, solidity, and good rigidity. Disposable fast tableware is made by this kind of mold.
(3) pulp molding plastic mold: wet paper blanks after drying to deformation, some parts of the deformation are serious, or the products require high precision in appearance shape, the products to go through a shaping process, the use of the mold called plastic mold. This mold also needs to have heating elements, but no net mold can also be. The products to be shaped should retain 25-30% water content when drying to facilitate shaping.
(4) die-cutting die: die-cutting die is used to trim the product burrs, also known as cutting edge die.
Tips from location of biodegradable sugarcane bagasse tableware:
Normally, the factories of biodegradable sugarcane bagasse tableware in China’s northern and western provinces have lower manufacturing costs, because of the lower salary cost, and abundant raw materials of sugarcane bagasse pulp, but the quality is often lower also. Those located along the coast and in the southern region have higher production outlay but the quality is generally better. Note as well that the farther inland you go, the more expensive your logistics costs will be. So, where factories are based should also play a role in supplier evaluation.
Tips on production equipment of sugarcane bagasse tableware
Whether you are purchasing through distributors or purchasing compostable bagasse tableware directly from the factory, I recommend you to know about the equipment of tableware production because the degree of automation of the equipment has a great impact on the quality of the tableware, please read other related articles in UV BLOG, or contact us directly.
Tips to ensure you are transacting with a legitimate manufacturer:
Focus on factories that can clearly show manufacturing experience with biodegradable sugarcane tableware, they should have samples and quality documents readily available if they are a real factory. Look for clear information about operation size, equipment, and staffing. Ensure the company is in compliance with local labor laws and their factories comply with ISO9001 and ISO18001 standards. Evaluate the factory’s quality system, and request samples to test if necessary.
Plastic ban policies are becoming more widespread, some biodegradable tableware factories come out due to social responsibility, but some only smell the “profit taste”, built non-standard factories, and earn “fast money” only. They may have no ideas on legitimate business running. From the surface of the finished tableware, that’s difficult to find out the difference between a small factory and a legitimate factory, but the disposable tableware will touch food directly, in another word, it will touch our month. If the disposable dinnerware is produced by non-standard factories, it is inevitable that there will be bacterial residue on the tableware, and it does great harm to our health. So, it’s important to work with a legitimate manufacturer.
For more details, please contact UV Tableware for an in-depth discussion, thank you.
