Areca Leaf Plates are made of naturally fallen leaves of Areca tress. These fallen leaves are further made into plates that are biodegradable, 100% natural, and environment friendly. The manufacturing process of the Areca Leaf Plates is totally organic and natural.
At the time of more environmental awareness and wake of organic products, Areca Leaf Plates take the highest place. People around the world are shifting and moving towards these biodegradable plates. In the urge to save the environment, the Areca leaf plates are playing a very important role. These plates are available in shapes like round plates, square plates, rectangular plates, bowls, and many more.
Just as the products, the manufacturing process of these Areca Leaf Plates is entirely organic and natural. The manufacturing process of these plates includes 7 steps. These steps are :
- Collecting Raw Material
- Drying the Areca Sheath
- Cleaning the Areca Sheath
- The Areca Leaf Plate Making Machine
- Pressing the Plates
- Waste Sheathes
- Grading the Areca Leaf Plates
Manufacturing Process of Areca Leaf Plates
For your better understanding, we have given a brief description of these steps. This will help you know more about the manufacturing process of Areca Leaf Plates.
Collecting Raw Material
The first and most important step of the manufacturing process is the collection of raw material. The Areca Leaf Plates are made from the fallen sheaths of the Areca tress. India is the leading producer of the Areca nuts. Other countries like Vietnam, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia also produces Areca nuts.
In India, Karnataka has the largest number of Areca palm tree cultivation. Farmers collect the sheaths and separate them from the leaf. After the separation, the farmers send the sheaths to Areca leaf merchants.
Drying the Areca Sheath
The next step in the process is drying of the Areca Sheath. When the merchants collect the sheaths from the farmers, they further dry them. This process is done to remove the moisture from the sheath.
The moisture in the sheath can hamper the leaf plates. This is the only reason why there is a shortage of raw materials in the rainy season. After drying, the sheaths are tied into bundles of 25. Then, finally, these bundles are sent to the Areca leaf plate manufacturer.
Cleaning the Areca Sheath
After coming into the factory, the manufacturers soak the sheath in freshwater for 20 minutes. Further, the sheaths are scrubbed using a soft brush to remove the sand particles and dust.
After draining the water, the sheaths are pressed in the Areca leaf plate making machine.
The Areca Leaf Plate Making Machine
The Areca leaf plate making machine is also known as the Pakku Mattai Machine in Tamil. It is one of the most important equipments that you would need in the making of these plates. The Areca leaf plate making machine has two pressing heads: the upper pressing head and a lower pressing head.
The upper head is fixed to a channel and the lower head of the machine moves up and down. The up and down movement of the machine helps in pressing the areca leaf sheaths.
Both the pressing heads have a heating coil. After turning on the machine, the pressing heads start heating. The heat of these heads is controlled by a thermostat.
You can easily set the temperature of these pressing heads according to the size of the Areca Leaf Plates. The smaller the plate, the lower the temperature, and the same is the case with comparatively larger plates.
However, the temperature settings still vary. It totally depends on the age of the heating coil and the die used in the Areca leaf or sheaths.
Pressing the Plates
After the heating of the sheaths with the Areca leaf plates making machine, the next step is the pressing of the plates. We place the sheath between the hot pressing heads and press them tightly. The heads are tightly pressed against each other to get the desired shape.
When the plates have the desired shape, the next step is to cut. The pressing heads also contain cutting blades in the edge.
With the help of these blades, you can easily cut the sheath into a proper shape. One of the most important things to note here is that no chemical is used in the whole process. Just with the help of a machine and proper heat the Areca leaf plates are manufactured. No other content is added in the manufacturing process of the Areca leaf plates.
This kind of organic manufacturing process of the plates makes them toxic-free.
Waste Sheaths
Now that the Areca leaf plates are ready, the next step is to manage the waste sheath. The waste collected after the pressing and cutting of the sheaths is not thrown away. Instead, all the waste is collected and is considered agro-waste. All the waste sheath is shredded into powder. This powder is further used as animal fodder.
Grading the Areca Leaf Plates
The last and the most important step is to grade the Acrea Leaf Plates. The step is done manually.
After the grading, the Areca leaf plate’s edges are smoothened with the help of sandpaper. This process gives the plates a beautiful finish and a clean surface. The process also helps in removing all the dust and dirt from the Areca leaf plates.
In the end, the leaf plates are left to dry. Before packaging, it is made sure that there is no moisture in the plates. The last step includes curing the plates using UV lights. This inhibits the mold and microbe growing on the surface of the areca leaf plates.
These are the 7 main steps involved in the manufacturing process of the Areca leaf plates. The process is totally organic and natural.