The Historical Process Of Rotational Molding Industry
1. Origin and early development
Origin: The rotational molding process originated in the United Kingdom in 1934.
Early applications: Since the 1940s, Europe has begun to use polyvinyl chloride paste to produce toys and other products such as plastic balls through rotational molding. In the 1950s, a polyethylene rotational molding process using low-density polyethylene powdered resin as raw material was developed to produce industrial products such as polyethylene storage tanks and large pipes, which greatly promoted the development of the rotational molding process.
2. Technology development and popularization
Technological improvements: In the 1960s, due to the continuous improvement of resin properties and rotational molding equipment, the rotational molding process developed rapidly. Many special plastics for rotational molding have been developed abroad, such as PE P-320 developed by Union Carbide Company, Raychems Flamolin 771 and other polyethylene resins.
Market expansion: The rotational molding process has gradually expanded to the molding of various plastics such as nylon, polycarbonate, and ABS. By 1970, more than half of the rotational molding machines on the market had a rotation diameter exceeding 1.75m.
3. Global application and maturity
Industrial system formation: Rotational molding experienced three major developments in the 1950s, 1970s, and the late 1980s and early 1990s. It has become quite developed in Western Europe and North America, and has formed a professional company for the production and preparation of rotational molding raw materials, rotational molding machinery and equipment An independent industrial system composed of professional company manufacturing and sales, professional scientific research and education in rotational molding technology, and a large number of factories for rotational molding products.
Product diversification: Rotational molding has become a large-scale plastic molding and processing industry, capable of producing products as small as table tennis balls and as large as 85 cubic meters in volume, in various shapes, seamless as a whole, and formed in one go.
4. Development of China’s Rotational Molding Industry
Initial stage: The development and research of China's rotational molding process began in the 1960s, when it was mainly used to produce some simple plastic products. In the mid-1970s, rotational molding technology began to be used to manufacture profiles for various cement concrete building materials, known as "plate rolling machines."
Rapid development: In the 1980s, the first batch of rotational molding machines appeared in mainland China, creating the history of the domestic rotational molding market. With the advancement of technology, China's rotational molding industry has achieved rapid growth and emerged rapidly. Especially in the 1990s, a large number of intelligent or mechanized high-speed production equipment appeared, and low-carbon and environmentally friendly high-end roll molding machines also made great progress.
Current situation: In recent years, China's rotational molding industry has developed rapidly and has become one of the important production bases of rotational molding products in the world. Rotational molding technology is relying on its unique advantages to cover more areas of the national economy, and market demand continues to grow. According to statistics, in 2023, my country's rotational molding product output will reach 1.525 million tons, demand will reach 1.249 million tons, and the market size will reach 27.352 billion yuan.
5. Future Outlook
With further improvements in technology and changing market demands, China's rotational molding industry is expected to usher in greater development opportunities. At the same time, the increasing demand for environmentally friendly products will also push the rotational molding industry to develop in a greener and more sustainable direction.