JIANGSU SHUOFAN INTELLIGENT EQUIPMENT CO., LTD.

Introduction

Jiangsu Shuofan Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd. (Chinese: 江苏烁范智能装备有限公司; brand: Shuofan Intelligent) is a Chinese manufacturer of specialized equipment for polymer-film production and new-energy materials processing. Founded in 2016, the company is headquartered in Changshu, Jiangsu Province, and concentrates on the research, design, manufacture, installation, commissioning, upgrading, and maintenance of biaxially oriented film lines and coating production lines.

Its principal technological focus is the equipment used to manufacture wet-process lithium-ion battery separators, together with systems for producing BOPP, BOPET, BOPA, BOPI, high-strength polyethylene fibers, and other advanced films. The company therefore occupies an equipment-manufacturing position within the plastics value chain rather than producing polymers or finished plastic products itself. Its activities connect polymer processing, battery materials, precision coating, automation, and industrial plant engineering.

Shuofan has participated in CHINAPLAS since 2016 and is listed on the exhibition platform as a plastics and rubber equipment supplier. The listing identifies the company as a “Shining Niche” enterprise, a designation associated with Chinese government-recognized specialization and operational performance. Its market significance is linked particularly to the expansion of lithium-ion battery manufacturing and the continuing demand for high-performance, wide-width, and energy-efficient film-processing equipment.

History and Development

Shuofan was established in 2016 through the integration of manufacturing capabilities from several intelligent-equipment enterprises and research capabilities associated with new-energy development. This founding structure positioned the company at the intersection of conventional polymer-film machinery and the rapidly expanding battery-materials sector.

Key development milestones include:

• 2016: Establishment of the company and commencement of its participation in CHINAPLAS.
• Early development phase: Formation of a product platform centered on wet-process lithium-ion battery-separator equipment and complete production-line engineering.
• Subsequent expansion: Extension of its technology portfolio to biaxially oriented film lines for BOPP, BOPET, BOPA, and BOPI films, together with coating systems and other high-performance-film applications.
• Current development direction: Integration of production-line supply with relocation, overhaul, chain-clip refurbishment, legacy-line modernization, technical training, and after-sales services.

This progression reflects a broader shift in the plastics-machinery industry from the sale of individual machines toward integrated production systems, process engineering, lifecycle support, and automation.

Business Operations and Segments

Shuofan’s activities can be organized into four principal operating areas:

The company’s service model extends beyond equipment delivery. Its planning services consider factory conditions, required production-line efficiency, annual capacity, yield, energy consumption, and future expansion requirements. Such an approach is characteristic of capital-intensive film production, where line integration, process stability, and commissioning quality can materially affect operating performance.

Products and Technologies

Wet-process lithium-ion battery-separator lines

The company’s most distinctive product category is the complete wet-process lithium-ion battery-separator production line. A typical line may include:

1. Polymer and additive mixing.
2. Material batching and feeding.
3. Extrusion and melt preparation.
4. Casting and sheet formation.
5. Longitudinal and transverse stretching.
6. Solvent or oil extraction.
7. Drying and heat setting.
8. Winding and slitting.
9. Surface coating and related finishing operations.

The wet process generally relies on dispersing polyethylene resin and a liquid diluent, followed by extrusion, sheet formation, controlled stretching, extraction of the diluent, and drying. The sequence is designed to produce a microporous separator structure with controlled thickness, permeability, mechanical strength, and dimensional stability. In practice, separator quality depends on the coordination of resin formulation, temperature control, draw ratios, extraction conditions, web handling, and coating uniformity.

Biaxially oriented film lines

Shuofan develops equipment for several classes of biaxially oriented films:

• BOPP: Used extensively in packaging, labels, electrical insulation, and industrial laminates.
• BOPET: Applied in packaging, electrical and electronic products, release films, and industrial materials.
• BOPA: Used where puncture resistance, toughness, and barrier performance are important, particularly in food and technical packaging.
• BOPI: Used in higher-temperature and specialty electrical or electronic applications.

Biaxial orientation stretches polymer film in both the machine direction and transverse direction. The process improves selected combinations of tensile strength, stiffness, optical properties, dimensional stability, and barrier performance. Equipment design must maintain precise temperature profiles, web tension, alignment, draw ratios, and edge control across the production width.

Coating production lines

The company also supplies high-speed and wide-width coating systems. Coating lines can apply functional layers to separator films or other polymer substrates, with process requirements varying according to coating chemistry, wet-film thickness, drying conditions, surface treatment, and final adhesion.

For battery separators, ceramic or polymer coatings may be used to improve thermal stability, wettability, puncture resistance, or interfacial performance. Uniform coating deposition requires coordinated metering, web handling, drying, and winding systems. The company’s product portfolio places these coating operations alongside upstream film production, allowing integrated line configurations.

High-strength polyethylene-fiber equipment

Shuofan identifies high-strength, high-modulus polyethylene-fiber production lines among its equipment offerings. Such lines require controlled polymer handling, extrusion or gel-processing steps, drawing, thermal treatment, and winding. The resulting fibers are associated with applications requiring low density and high specific strength, although the exact configuration depends on the polymer grade and production technology.

Applications and End Markets

The company’s equipment serves several interconnected end markets:

• Lithium-ion batteries: Separators are essential internal components in rechargeable cells, where they electrically isolate the electrodes while permitting ionic transport.
• Flexible and rigid packaging: BOPP, BOPET, and BOPA films support packaging structures, labels, overwraps, and laminates.
• Electrical and electronic materials: Oriented polyester and polyimide-related films can be used in insulation, capacitors, displays, and other electronic applications.
• Industrial films: Applications include release films, protective films, insulation materials, and engineered laminates.
• High-performance fibers: High-strength polyethylene fibers serve technical and protective-material markets.
• Film-converting operations: Coating, slitting, winding, and line-upgrade services support converters seeking higher output, improved yield, or adaptation to new products.

The company’s customer base is consequently exposed to several major industry trends: battery electrification, lightweight packaging, advanced electronics, specialty films, and the modernization of installed manufacturing assets.

Global Presence and Market Position

Shuofan is based in Changshu Economic and Technological Development Zone, Jiangsu, at an important manufacturing center within China’s Yangtze River Delta industrial region. The region provides access to machinery suppliers, automation specialists, polymer processors, electrical-equipment manufacturers, logistics infrastructure, and a substantial technical labor pool.

The company’s international visibility is supported by its participation in CHINAPLAS, where it has been listed since 2016. Its market position is best understood as that of a specialized film-line and battery-separator-equipment supplier. It competes in a machinery market that includes large international line builders, established Chinese equipment manufacturers, and specialist engineering firms serving particular film technologies or geographic markets.

Competitive differentiation in this sector commonly depends on:

• Ability to supply complete lines rather than isolated machines.
• Process stability at high production speeds and widths.
• Integration of mechanical, electrical, control, and drying systems.
• Energy consumption and solvent-management performance.
• Yield, thickness uniformity, and coating consistency.
• Commissioning, operator training, and long-term technical support.
• Capacity to retrofit and modernize existing lines.

The available company information emphasizes complete domestic equipment capability for wet lithium-ion battery-separator production, including the major process stages from mixing through coating.

Research and Development

Research and development is centered on adapting biaxial-stretching and coating technologies to changing film specifications and new-energy applications. The company describes its equipment platform as having originated with synchronous-stretching lithium-battery-separator technology and subsequently expanded into additional high-performance-film fields.

Relevant development priorities include:

• Process control for simultaneous or sequential stretching.
• Improved dimensional stability and thickness uniformity.
• Wider and faster film webs.
• More consistent extraction and drying.
• Lower energy use in heating and drying sections.
• Improved coating uniformity and adhesion.
• Compatibility with new polymer grades and functional coatings.
• Modernization of older lines through controls, mechanical refurbishment, and process upgrades.

The technical demands of battery separators make research particularly sensitive to small variations in pore structure, shutdown behavior, thermal response, mechanical strength, and defect rates. For film machinery suppliers, research therefore encompasses not only individual components but also the interaction of materials, process conditions, web transport, automation, and quality-control systems.

Sustainability and Environmental Considerations

Shuofan’s sustainability relevance arises mainly through the environmental performance of the manufacturing lines it supplies. Film production can involve substantial thermal energy, cooling demand, solvent or diluent handling, compressed air, and material losses. Equipment design consequently affects the operating footprint of downstream film manufacturers.

Potential sustainability-related engineering priorities include:

• Heat recovery and improved thermal insulation.
• Efficient drying and solvent-extraction systems.
• Reduced start-up scrap and edge trim.
• Accurate dosing and mixing of polymer materials.
• Improved yield through defect detection and process control.
• Responsible management and recovery of extracted liquids.
• Longer equipment life through refurbishment and modernization.
• Adaptation of lines to recyclable or downgauged film structures.

The company’s service portfolio includes old-line upgrades, major overhauls, and chain-clip refurbishment. Extending the useful life of machinery can reduce the need for complete replacement, although the environmental benefit depends on the energy efficiency and remaining technical suitability of the equipment.

Battery-separator production also illustrates the complex relationship between plastics and decarbonization. Separators are important to rechargeable batteries, yet their manufacture involves polymer processing and energy-intensive thermal operations. Equipment suppliers therefore influence sustainability indirectly through process efficiency, reliability, waste reduction, and compatibility with evolving battery designs.

Financial Performance and Economic Impact

Shuofan’s publicly presented materials describe its products, services, and technical capabilities but do not establish a detailed set of financial indicators suitable for a full financial-performance analysis. Its economic role can nevertheless be identified through the capital equipment and supply chains it supports.

The company contributes to industrial activity by:

• Supplying production assets for battery-material and polymer-film manufacturers.
• Supporting domestic equipment capabilities in a strategically important new-energy segment.
• Creating demand for machinery components, automation systems, electrical controls, fabrication, installation, and engineering services.
• Supporting production-line employment and technical training.
• Extending the operating life of installed film equipment through upgrades and refurbishment.

Its commercial prospects are linked to investment cycles in lithium-ion batteries, packaging films, electronic materials, and specialty polymers. These markets are cyclical and affected by battery demand, film overcapacity, resin prices, equipment financing, energy costs, trade policy, and the pace of technological change.

Quality Management and Certifications

CHINAPLAS lists Jiangsu Shuofan Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd. as a “Shining Niche” company. The designation reflects a Chinese government-associated recognition framework focused on specialization, operational and economic indicators, and management quality.

The company’s own description also identifies it as a national high-tech enterprise. In the context of industrial equipment manufacturing, such recognition generally relates to technological capability, research activity, and intellectual-property or innovation performance.

For film-line customers, practical quality evaluation extends beyond formal designations. It typically includes:

• Mechanical precision and equipment durability.
• Control-system stability.
• Compliance with agreed production specifications.
• Factory acceptance and site acceptance testing.
• Demonstrated output, yield, and product uniformity.
• Safety and environmental controls.
• Availability of spare parts and technical support.

Innovations and Future Outlook

Shuofan’s future development is likely to remain closely associated with the convergence of plastics machinery and new-energy manufacturing. Several forces shape this outlook:

• Growth in demand for lithium-ion batteries and separator capacity.
• Increasing requirements for thinner, stronger, and more thermally stable separators.
• Expansion of ceramic and functional separator coatings.
• Demand for wider and faster film lines with improved yield.
• Greater use of digital monitoring and automated process control.
• Pressure to lower energy consumption and manufacturing waste.
• Continued modernization of existing film-production assets.
• Diversification into specialty films and high-performance fibers.

The company’s combination of complete-line engineering, equipment manufacturing, and lifecycle services gives it a platform for serving customers at different stages of investment: new plant construction, capacity expansion, process conversion, and refurbishment. Its longer-term position will depend on its ability to maintain process reliability while adapting to changing battery chemistries, film materials, coating technologies, environmental requirements, and international customer expectations.

Summary

Jiangsu Shuofan Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd. is a Changshu-based Chinese manufacturer of polymer-film and new-energy production equipment. Established in 2016, it focuses on wet-process lithium-ion battery-separator lines, biaxially oriented film equipment, coating systems, high-strength polyethylene-fiber lines, and associated engineering services.

The company’s importance within the plastics industry lies in its role as a process-technology and capital-equipment provider. Its systems support the manufacture of packaging films, electrical and electronic materials, specialty films, battery separators, and high-performance fibers. By combining complete-line integration with installation, commissioning, modernization, and maintenance services, Shuofan participates in the broader transition toward more specialized, automated, energy-conscious, and application-driven polymer processing.

References

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  CPS+ eMarketplace. (n.d.). JIANGSU SHUOFAN INTELLIGENT EQUIPMENT CO., LTD.JIANGSU SHUOFAN INTELLIGENT EQUIPMENT CO., LTD.. CPS+ eMarketplace. https://www.chinaplasonline.com/eMarketplace/ExhibitorInfo?CompId=1037985Link