What is a continuous PU sandwich panel line
A continuous PU sandwich panel line is a coordinated production system that unrolls two steel coils, profiles their edges, pours high-pressure PU foam between them, cures the sandwich in a heated double-belt press, and cross-cuts finished panels at line speed. The line runs 6-14 m/min continuously, the press is typically 25-35 m long, panel width is fixed at 1.0 or 1.2 m matching coil width, and panel thickness ranges 40-200 mm. Because the skins are coils and the panels are cut on the fly, the line makes the same panel spec thousands of square metres per shift — this is the correct line choice for chain cold-storage, poultry-shed and roofing panel manufacturers.
Line scope of supply
Our turnkey continuous line includes: coil decoiler pair (upper + lower skin), edge profiling roll set for one edge design (tongue-and-groove or camlock or hidden-fix), high-pressure PU foaming machine with mixing head and day tanks (30-55 kg/min metered output), 25-35 m double-belt heated press with thermal fluid heating, flying-saw cross-cutter with programmable panel length 2-20 m, panel stacker with film wrapping, control cabinet with Siemens or Mitsubishi PLC and HMI, installation and commissioning, factory acceptance test (FAT) at supplier factory + site acceptance test at your plant, one-year mechanical warranty and two-year controls warranty. Optional: second edge-profile tool set, ATEX-rated equipment for cyclopentane blowing agent, thermal oil boiler package, cooling tower and compressed-air utilities.
Two line tiers — small vs large continuous
Small continuous (USD 850K-1.4M): 25 m press, 1.0-1.2 m width, 6-8 m/min line speed, high-pressure PU foaming machine 30-36 kg/min, flying saw, single-profile edge tooling. Annual output 240,000-480,000 m² at 2-shift utilisation. Fits regional cold-storage panel manufacturers with a confirmed order book above 240,000 m²/year.
Large continuous (USD 1.5M-2.4M): 30-35 m press, dual profile tooling (tongue-and-groove + camlock in same line), higher-throughput foaming machine 40-55 kg/min, 10-14 m/min line speed, side-cutter for stainless coil trim, automatic panel stacker with turnover. Annual output 480,000-1,200,000 m². Fits chain cold-storage suppliers, industrial roofing panel manufacturers, pre-fab building panel operations where one panel spec runs the full book.
Panel specification range
Width fixed at line commissioning: 1.0 m or 1.2 m (per steel coil width). Length 2-20 m programmable on flying saw. Thickness 40-200 mm at economic throughput. Core density 38-45 kg/m³ (standard cold room), higher densities available for structural or high-temperature applications. K-factor 0.020-0.024 W/m·K measured per ASTM C518 / ISO 8301. Closed-cell content ≥ 93%. Skin materials: pre-painted galvanised steel (PPGI) 0.4-0.8 mm, aluzinc, stainless coil, aluminium foil. Edge profiles: tongue-and-groove, camlock, hidden-fix, custom.
Certification support
Panels produced on our continuous lines certify to EN 14509 (European self-supporting double-skin metal-faced insulating panels for building applications), FM 4880 (US and Canadian insured-property fire assemblies), ASTM E84 (surface burning characteristics), EN 13501-1 (European fire class, with PIR foam formulation reaching B-s2,d0). Fire class is a foam-formulation + panel-design test — we supply reference panels certified in your destination market and can arrange type-test lab support at TÜV, SGS, Intertek or Bureau Veritas.
Line footprint and utilities
A 30 m continuous line sits in a production hall 60-120 m long × 20 m wide, including 5 m of decoiler, 30 m press, 20 m of cutting and stacking, plus coil storage and raw-material tank farm. Electrical: 250-400 kW installed. Thermal oil heater: 8-15 kW/m of press length, so a 30 m press needs 240-450 kW thermal input. Compressed air 6-8 bar for pneumatic controls. Cooling water for foaming machine and hydraulic system. Site foundation includes a reinforced press pit typically 1.2 m deep × press length.
Timeline from PO to first commissioned panel
7-10 months for a 30-35 m large continuous line, 5-7 months for a 25 m small continuous line. Timeline includes: press manufacture and factory assembly (12-16 weeks), edge-profile roll set cutting (6-10 weeks in parallel), foaming machine build and integration (10-12 weeks), sea freight (4-8 weeks depending on destination), on-site installation and mechanical commissioning (4-6 weeks), FAT at supplier factory before container loading (1-2 weeks), site acceptance test at your plant (2-4 weeks to hit throughput).
Related engineering references
For the line-type decision (continuous vs discontinuous), read our Continuous vs Discontinuous PU Sandwich Panel Line comparison. For the 12-point supplier evaluation framework, read How to Choose a PU Sandwich Panel Production Line. For CAPEX and OPEX by tier, read Cold Room Panel Production Line Cost 2026. For the mechanical process step by step, read Cold Room Panel Production Process.