Soap Production

Abstract

In Germany the production of equipment for industrial soap factories looks back at a tradition of nearly one hundred years. In that period rich experience has been collected by steady development of the machinery. Trials for new modes of processing in addition to improved manufacturing methods guarantee the highstandard equipment today. . For the production of soaps several kinds of fats are required, mainly beef tallow and coconut oil, but also palm kernel oil as well as castor oil, olive oil, peanut oil and pore tallow in smaller quantities. The liquid fats are boiled with the aid of steam and saponified with caustic soda lye. Glycerine is recovered by washing with brine. For the production of laundry or toilet soap the neat soap has to be dried and cooled. The finishing of laundry soap is achieved by extrusion, imprinting and cutting of the solidified soap slug, whereas the procedure for the finishing of toilet soap is more expensive, requiring the steps of mixing, homogenizing, refining, extrusion, cutting, pressing and wrapping.