Production line for

Chef Base & Refrigerated Counter PU Foaming Line Manufacturer

We manufacture chef base and refrigerated counter PU foaming lines — vacuum-forming moulds, high-pressure PU foaming, 1.2 – 2.6 m cabinets, 200 – 2,000 units/day.

Investment Range

USD 500K – 2M · 100 to 800 units/shift

Who Buys This Line

Foodservice OEMs supplying restaurants, hotels, cloud kitchens

Certification Ready

NSF · CE · UL 471 · ETL Sanitation ready

In one line

Low-profile cabinet foaming with ±1mm dimensional tolerance — the HoReCa-grade cosmetic standard your buyers demand.

Who We Supply. Commercial kitchen equipment OEMs, HoReCa (hotel/restaurant/catering) private-label manufacturers, and country-champion foodservice equipment brands. Confirmed installations across USA, Mexico, Turkey, Brazil, UAE and Vietnam producing chef bases, sandwich prep counters, pizza prep tables and refrigerated worktables for chain restaurants (McDonald's, Subway), quick-service brands and independent kitchen equipment distributors. Production line volumes 200 – 2,000 units/day.

What we deliver. Vacuum-forming moulds for ABS/HIPS inner liners, foaming moulds for stainless-steel worktop cabinet body (extra-strong for 25 – 50 kg point-load resistance), high-pressure PU foaming machine with reduced-density formulation (30 – 34 kg/m³ suitable for shorter cabinet duty cycle), drawer or door subassembly foaming jigs, ground-rail assembly line with cabinet inversion tooling, refrigerant charging station, leak-test and running-load QA station.

Cabinet spec range. Length 1.2 – 2.6 m (2, 3, 4-drawer or door configurations). Height 800 – 900 mm (chef base standard, seat-level top surface). Depth 700 – 850 mm. Temperature +2 to +8°C standard, +2 to −18°C combi variant. Wall thickness 50 – 65 mm. Foam density 32 – 38 kg/m³. Stainless top thickness 1.0 – 1.5 mm, 304 or 430 grade. Refrigerant R290 (mainstream), R600a (legacy), R404A (US market legacy). NSF-2 or NSF-7 certification for US food-service market.

Certification support. Reference cabinets certified to NSF-2 / NSF-7 (US food service sanitation), UL-471 (US commercial refrigeration safety), CE (Europe), CB Scheme. IEC 60335-2-89 for commercial refrigeration appliances. Reference project index available for cabinet size and destination market.

Deep-dive engineering references — Chef Base PU Foaming Deep Dive, Refrigerator Production Line Setup, Capacity and Investment, and PU Foam Density & K-Factor.

What You Need

Hardware & Accessories

Hardware & Accessories — Bundled with Main Equipment Orders

Complementary hardware fabrication service — supplied alongside our main equipment orders (moulds / PU foaming / production line). Custom-fabricated per your drawings: 5 categories — hinges, brackets, rails & ladders, wire shelves & baskets, grid panels. Not a standalone product line. Consolidated into your main shipment.

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PU Foaming Machines

Cyclopentane High-Pressure PU Foaming Machine

Our flagship — purpose-built for refrigerator factories chasing A+++ energy class. Cyclopentane-ready out of the box with full ATEX Zone 1 safety package. Three sizes covering 500 to 8,000 cabinets a day.

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Production Lines

Linear Cabinet PU Foaming Line — 6 / 8 / 11 Stations Configurable

Linear in-line PU foaming for refrigerator cabinet body. Scalable from 6-station motor-driven (~800–2,500 cabinets/shift, small-medium factories) to 11-station hydraulic (~4,000–6,000 cabinets/shift, mainstream OEM). Multi-spec mixed-line production. Cabinet size 800–2,000 mm L × 450–2,000 mm W × 450–900 mm H. Water-heated, PID-controlled.

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Refrigerator Mould (Mold) — Vacuum-Forming, Foaming, Door & Liner Moulds

Mold for Refrigerated Workbench (Chef Base)

Refrigerator mould (mold) for chef base workbench cabinets — cast aluminium PU foaming mould for chef base / sandwich prep / pizza prep / salad prep workbenches. Supports 2-door, 3-door, 4-door variants up to 2,600 × 1,100 × 1,100 mm. Curing 6–20 min adjustable.

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PU Raw Materials

PU Raw Materials System

We make refrigerator-grade PU systems — polyol blend, MDI, blowing agent, all formulated in our own plant. k-factor down to 0.018, density customizable, tuned to your cabinet and your line.

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Cabinet models you can produce on this line

Every row below is a real cabinet SKU that customers already produce using the moulds in this line — temperature class, capacity, compressor, refrigerant and overall dimensions are field-tested. Use the matrix to match your target cabinet to the right mould configuration.

Mold for Refrigerated Workbench

157 – 273

Cabinet model	Variant	Temperature (°C)	Volume (L)	Power (W)	Weight (kg)	Compressor	Refrigerant	Size (mm)	Source mould
PLR-12N2	Refrigeration (2-door)	5–10	157	195	48	DONPER / WANBAO	R290	1200 × 600 × 800	Mold for Refrigerated →
PLR-15N2	Refrigeration (3-door)	-5–10	220	195	55	DONPER / WANBAO	R290	1500 × 600 × 800	Mold for Refrigerated →
PLR-18N2	Refrigeration (4-door)	-5–10	284	204	62	DONPER / WANBAO	R290	1800 × 600 × 800	Mold for Refrigerated →
PLD-12N2	Freezing	≤-15	157	204	48	DONPER / WANBAO	R290	1200 × 600 × 800	Mold for Refrigerated →
PLD-15N2	Freezing	≤-15	220	204	55	DONPER / WANBAO	R290	1500 × 600 × 800	Mold for Refrigerated →
PLS-15N2	Dual-temperature	-5–10 \| ≤-15	209	204	55	DONPER / WANBAO	R290	1500 × 600 × 800	Mold for Refrigerated →
PLS-18N2	Dual-temperature	-5–10 \| ≤-15	273	223	62	DONPER / WANBAO	R290	1800 × 600 × 800	Mold for Refrigerated →

Source: UREXCEED catalog §07 OEM/ODM cabinet series, cross-referenced to the mould that produces each SKU. Custom cabinet sizes outside this range supported — send us your cabinet drawing for a 7-day quote.

From inquiry to first commercial unit — the 6-step delivery flow

From inquiry to first chef base off your line. ~10 months total for a standard 800 units/day chef base line.

1

Inquiry & Capacity Sizing

Week 1–2

You share target capacity, cabinet size mix (1.2 m / 1.8 m / 2.4 m), door variants (2/3/4-door), target export markets (US NSF vs EU CE). We send a 1-page proposal with line layout and price range within 5 working days.
2

Detailed Proposal & Variant Strategy

Week 2–4

Engineering team picks modular insert vs dedicated mould strategy based on your variant volume. Mould models picked from our chef base template library, PU machine sized, fixture configured. Final quote with 18-line BOM breakdown delivered in 14 days.
3

Contract & Cabinet Design Freeze

Week 4–7

30% down payment. Cabinet CAD review — you send your final cabinet drawings (DWG/STEP) including stainless top interface dimensions, we convert to mould design, you approve the mould CAD + stainless-top bolt pattern before machining starts.
4

Manufacturing & Pre-NSF Test Rig Build

Month 3–6

Moulds: 45–60 days CNC + heat treatment. PU machine: 45–60 days in parallel. Pre-NSF test rig (drop + pull-down + dielectric): 30 days. Each item tested in our QC lab. Monthly progress reports + video walkthroughs.
5

Sea Freight & On-Site Installation

Month 6–8

4–6 × 40' containers ship from Shanghai/Ningbo. On-site installation by 4–6-person engineer team, 2–3 weeks. Floor reinforcement for foaming station (~150 kN clamping load).
6

Commissioning, Cosmetic-Finish Training & NSF Pre-Test

Month 8–10

First 50 trial chef bases foamed + stainless-fitted + cosmetic-finished together with your operators. We run 5–10 units through the pre-NSF rig and hand over the NSF submission checklist. Acceptance signed when 30 consecutive units pass dimensional + flatness + cosmetic spec. 60% payment due here.

Why This Line Works — Backed by the Real Specifications

Chef base buyers (HoReCa supply chains, restaurant chain procurement) demand a different combination than household refrigerator OEMs — flatness, stainless-steel top integration, and a chef-base-specific cabinet geometry. Here's how our line is built for that.

Cabinet mould cavity geometry tuned for low-profile 600–900 mm height

Our Refrigerated Workbench mould (UMD-WB-2600) is engineered around real chef base / sandwich prep / pizza prep cabinet families — 2-door / 3-door / 4-door variants up to 2,600 × 1,100 × 1,100 mm. Cavity precision ±0.05 mm ensures the stainless top sits flush, doors close clean, and your customer never gets a "wobbly counter" complaint.

High-pressure PU foaming with quick-change mould carrier

Our cyclopentane high-pressure machine (UPM-HP-1500) handles the polyol+ISO+blowing-agent mix at ±0.5% metering accuracy. Paired with our refrigerator mold fixture (5-ton adjustable clamping), one fixture station handles your full 2/3/4-door variant range — changeover in 15–30 min, instead of buying separate fixtures per SKU.

Buyer-perceived quality where it counts — flatness, door gap, top-edge weld

Chef base buyers (chefs, restaurant operators) judge quality in 3 seconds: is the top flat, do drawers slide, does the stainless edge feel smooth. Our line ships with a flatness gauge station (±0.5 mm across 2.4m), Bosch hinge fittings, and a top-edge polishing protocol. These details are why your sales rep gets repeat orders.

Volume economics: 800 chef bases/day with 18-month payback at typical USA pricing

A turnkey chef base line at 800 units/day sells the produced cabinets at USD 1,200–2,500 wholesale into US/EU foodservice supply chains. Line capex USD 1.2M–2M. Payback in 18–28 months at 65% capacity. The math gets better when you add HVAC + cigar cabinet variants on the same line — see our cross-sell to other Solutions.

Foodservice cabinet engineering

Stainless Worktop & Long-Cabinet Engineering

HoReCa buyers spec everything from cabinet width to top finish. Our line ships with 4 customization axes pre-built in.

Cabinet width & door config

1.2 m / 1.8 m / 2.4 m widths × 2-door / 3-door / 4-door variants on modular insert mould. Changeover 30–60 min.

Stainless top spec

304-grade stainless, 1.0–1.5 mm thick, #4 or #8 polish finish. Bolt jig for your sourced top (Tisco / POSCO / Jindal coil).

Refrigeration spec

+2 to +8°C standard; -2 to +4°C deli config; dual-temperature with shared compressor. Embraco / SECOP compressor choices.

Certification target

CE (EU) / NSF Standard 7 (US foodservice) / ETL / SASO (Saudi). Pre-NSF test rig included with line.

Shared engineering reference

PU foam quality, testing and acceptance

Closed-cell ratio, density uniformity and thermal testing are documented once in our quality center.

View quality standards →

Questions factory owners ask us

Why is chef base cabinet design different from a household refrigerator cabinet?

Three reasons. (1) Aspect ratio: chef bases are wide and shallow (typically 1,200–2,400 × 600–700 × 800–900 mm), not deep and tall. (2) Top integration: a stainless steel worktop bolts to the cabinet — flatness within ±0.5 mm across 2.4m is required. (3) Door pattern: 2-door / 3-door / 4-door horizontal layouts (not the single tall door of household). The mould cavity geometry and the fixture clamping pattern need to be designed for this — using a household mould for chef base gives you wavy tops and warped doors.

What is the typical line investment for 800 chef bases/day?

USD 1.2M – 2.0M total. Breakdown: foaming moulds (USD 250K–400K covering 2-door / 3-door / 4-door variants), high-pressure PU machine (USD 180K–280K), mold fixture (USD 120K–200K), assembly conveyor and stainless top integration (USD 250K–400K), quality stations + testing (USD 200K–350K), commissioning + training (USD 100K–150K). Building land and stainless steel sheet stock not included.

How do you handle 3-door vs 4-door variants without buying 4 separate moulds?

Two ways. (1) Modular mould inserts — same base mould with snap-in 2/3/4-door dividers (changeover 30–60 min). Lower capex but slightly more wear on the dividers. (2) 3 separate moulds in a family pricing bundle — more capex but zero changeover time, recommended once you cross 500 units/day. Most factories start with modular and upgrade.

What certifications does the line ship with — and what about US NSF certification for foodservice?

Our equipment ships with CE + ISO 9001. The finished chef base needs cabinet-level NSF (US foodservice certification, mandatory for restaurant sales) or its EU equivalent (CE for food contact + EN 14644 for clean kitchen). We supply the test fixtures (drop test, temperature retention test, ETL-recognized refrigerant loop) — you submit the finished cabinet to NSF/ETL for certification (8–14 weeks turnaround).

Stainless steel top — do you supply that, or do I source separately?

Top is sourced separately — stainless 304 grade, 1.0–1.5 mm thick, polished to #4 or #8 finish. We can recommend stainless coil mills in our network (China Tisco, Korea POSCO, India Jindal) and ship the bolt/weld jig that mates the top to the cabinet. Most chef base factories pre-buy stainless coil annually and roll-form their own tops in-house — that's where the real margin lives.

ROI · Cost Analysis

Investment Range & Payback

Indicative range based on 1,800+ delivered lines. Final pricing depends on automation level + add-ons + local labor cost. Request a quote for your spec.

Investment

USD 400K – 1.2M

Payback

14–22 months

Annual Throughput

15K–50K units/year

Configuration note: Mid-pressure foaming + 2-3 chef-base cabinet moulds + assembly station. ROI faster than refrigerator due to simpler product geometry.

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Service & Support