«Snow in the morning on St. Philip’s day means an upcoming cold winter», the folk weather lore says.
It was snowing in the morning on October 24 in Shelkovo, near Moscow, and already at lunchtime, the solemn symbolic button pressing marked the opening of the plant, manufacturing the energy-saving structural sandwich panels with polyurethane foam PUR and fire proof polyisocyanurate PIR heat insulation.
Polyurethane foam PUR and polyisocyanurate PIR – are two classes of related polymers – solid polyurethane foams. Polyurethane foam is a light and solid hydro- and thermo-insulating material, obtained as the result of several components’ reaction. Only 3 per cent of its volume is the solid material, which forms the rib-and-edge framework. This crystal structure stiffens the polyurethane foam. The remaining 97 per cent of the volume is occupied by cavities and pores filled with the foam-forming, exceptionally low heat conduction gas. Due to such a structure, polyurethane foam has the lowest heat conduction coefficient (0,022 W/m2*K) and the lowest water absorption in comparison with the other heat insulating materials.
Polyisocyanurate PIR is a new generation product. The PIR filler has a reduced combustibility, making it an indispensable material when the elevated safety properties are required at the industrial facility. When exposed to flame, the outer layer of polyisocyanurate PIR creates a porous carbon matrix crust. This matrix serves to protect the inner layers of the polymer, thus preventing the further fire spread. The PIR panels’ usage temperature is up to 140 °C, meanwhile the PUR panels can be used only at a temperature below 100 °C.
When manufacturing the sandwich panels, ProfHolod company uses the polyurethane foam PUR and polyisocyanurate PIR, the receipt of which was created under the exclusive order, by the world leading manufacturer of polyurethane foam systems – DowChemical company.
The grand opening of the new polyurethane foam (PUR, PIR) sandwich panels manufacturing site was attended by the shareholders and employees of LLC ProfHolod, representatives of the legislative and executive authorities of the Russian Federation, mass media, clients and suppliers, friends and partners of ProfHolod company.
The main shareholder of the company ProfHolod Arthur Y. Alaverdyan in his welcome speech said: «the opening of the new ProfHolod’s plant is one of the most significant steps for the promotion of innovative technologies of thermal insulation in Russia. The launch of the plant, engaged in the continuous method manufacturing of polyurethane foam (PUR, PIR) sandwich panels, represents an extremely important stage in the development of ProfHolod company and of the whole construction market. The necessity to put into operation the new ProfHolod’s plant has been dictated by the rapid growth of the polyurethane foam sandwich panels market in Russia».
The increasing demand for energy saving polyurethane foam (PUR, PIR) sandwich panels in Russia was commented in the speech of the commercial director of LLC ProfHolod Sergey V. Tokmakov: «Once upon a time people used the clay for building, then the stones, bricks and concrete… And here we came to the product having essentially, the unique properties. The ProfHolod’s sandwich panel with the polyurethane foam filler, being only 10 centimeter thick, corresponds, as the heat insulating properties, to a 1,5 meter brick wall. The weight of a square meter of such a panel amounts to only 12 kilograms. Moreover, the polyurethane foam filler is environmentally friendly, compliant with all the requirements of fire safety, doesn’t absorb moisture, resistant to the damage caused by rodents and mildew, maintains its properties for more than 50 years. That’s the reason why the market of sandwich panels with the polyurethane foam filler develops so rapidly. The market volume growth in 2011 amounted to about 50%. The continuous line of the ProfHolod’s plant will produce 2 500 000 square meters of sandwich panels a year, and it is about 10% of the whole Russian market’s volume. And still, this is not the limit. I hope to see you all again soon in Shelkovo at the inauguration of our second continuous line».
The Head of Shelkovo municipal district, Alexandr M. Ganyaev, speaking at the opening ceremony, congratulated the guests and thanked the investing developer for the fact, that the most modern Russian manufacturing line would operate right here, on Shelkovo ground.
According to the statistical data of the Moscow region Ministry of economy, the industrial development growth in Shelkovo municipal district of Moscow region, in the period from January to August 2012 amounted to 136,3%. Such an index was achieved due to the development and launch of new manufacturing sites.
ProfHolod’s friends and partners made an excursion about the plant. During the tour, the company’s engineers showed the manufacturing line in operation, spoke in detail about every department and its importance for the whole technological chain of the manufacturing of such a high-tech product as the sandwich panel with the polyurethane foam (PUR, PIR) filler is.
The PuMa (Italy) manufacturing line is 180 meters long and consists of 15 sections of different duty. Each of them exercises its particular, strategic function, essential for the quality of the final product. Exclusively the newest technologies and equipment, providing the stable high quality and practically totally excluding the human factor, are engaged in the operation process. It is evidently proved by the fact that, despite such a big manufacturing site, the continuous production process is managed by the shift of only 6 persons. At the same time, the maximum line speed is 15 square meters of wall and roofing panels per minute.
Just in a half hour of the line operation, a pack of roofing sandwich panels with fire proof polyisocyanurate PIR insulator (Fire resistance limit RE30 according to the GOST 30247.0-94, 30247.1-94) was ready. The guests left their friendly wishes to ProfHolod company on the first panel which came out of the conveyor.
