Plastic sheets

	This decking series from Taiwan's The Fine Environment is made of wood-plastic composite.

The latest releases come in strong composites and feature impact, fire, weather and sound resistance.

Suppliers of plastic sheets and panels in mainland China and Taiwan are boosting product durability as a means of expanding applications. Value add-ons are also being incorporated to enhance functionality.

The use of better materials is the main thrust behind efforts to prolong service life. Most makers are employing tough compounds such as wood-plastic composite or WPC, which is made of recycled HDPE and natural fiber from wood, oryza or hemp.

Besides their sturdiness, WPC sheets and panels are gaining popularity as decking and railing materials in Europe, Australia and the US because they are biodegradable and resemble natural wood.

Companies are also adopting fiberglass-reinforced plastic or FRP, a mixture of fiberglass, polyester resin and pigment. This is being used extensively as roofing material, replacing PE sheets. FRP models are lighter, stronger and provide up to 20 years of service life.

The common PE, PP or PVC designs, meanwhile, are being upgraded by increasing the density to 300gsm. This boosts tensile strength, making them suitable for heavy-duty applications in the construction, advertising and agriculture industries.

Moreover, reinforced versions are employed in nontraditional applications. For instance, improved PE sheets are used as building materials for tents in camps sheltering people whose residences have been ravaged by floods, hurricanes and other natural disasters.

The latest releases can also withstand corrosion, extreme temperatures, fire, weather and impact, enhancing durability further.

Sound-resistant designs are offered as well. These are often used as acoustic screens in highways to prevent traffic noise from reaching houses, businesses and schools.

Taiwan suppliers offer sound-resistant FRP corrugated roofing sheets that emit 70 percent less noise than prepainted steel versions during rain.

	These solid and embossed sheets from mainland China's Zhongshan Good Life Sun have high insulation.

The company is one of the largest PC sheet makers in the mainland, releasing about 12,000 tons annually. Materials are sourced overseas, mainly from Germany and the US.

Haining Gensin Plastic Sheet Co. Ltd offers hollow PC sheets equipped with UV and weather resistance. Products can be used as building panels, billboards, highway acoustic screens and materials for home decoration.

Haining Gensin dedicates 90 percent of output to PC sheets and panels. The company procures PC from Bayer and GE.

Jinan Huadong Plastic Co. Ltd specializes in PVC foam boards, which are suitable for advertising applications. Designs are lighter compared with solid, rigid PVC sheets, and absorb vibration and oscillation. They also have low thermal conductivity and good insulation.

The RYG-2-1 model from Zhejiang Sanfeng Industry Co. Ltd is a PC sheet with 900J/m impact strength and 88 percent transmittance.

The product measures 2,100mm wide, 6,000mm long and 4 to 10mm thick. Blue, transparent, green, opaque or brown are the color options.

Versions from Huilong Enterprise come mostly in PVC. Their impact- and weather-resistant features make them suitable for packaging and transportation of consumer products such as food and medicine.

Mainland-made plastic sheets and panels are priced between $3,000 and $5,000 per ton. The material and grade are the key price determinants. Exports go to the EU, the US, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

In Taiwan, more makers are releasing composite sheets and panels because they yield higher profit margins.

Consisting of a PVC foam board sandwiched between coated steel sheets, composite models from Prowang Plastic Co. Ltd prevent spontaneous combustion. Products can be used in the body construction of cars, buses and yachts, and the interior/exterior panels of buildings, skyways and road tunnels.

One of The Fine Environment Technologies Co. Ltd's decking and railing products is the AK35150S model made of WPC. Its color lightens eight to 12 weeks after installation, simulating natural wood.

The company creates WPC designs either through pressing or injection molding.

Peridot International Corp. offers recycled PE sheets for the construction segment. Employing Sulzer weaving machines in production, the supplier can turn out versions with up to 300gsm density.

To ensure quality, most suppliers in Taiwan perform QC inspection and testing according to the ISO 9001:2000 standard. Products comply with ASTM, UL and RoHS requirements.