Things You Should Know About Wood Plastic Composite
- WoodAlt
- Mar 25, 2021
- 2 min read
Wood has long been used as a building material and is admired for its strength and natural aesthetics. But with forests cutting across the world to meet our unquenchable demands, the time to look for alternative solutions and a mix of wood may be the answer.
What is Wood Plastic Composite?
Wood Plastic Composites consist of a range of different derived wood products, all made by tying together wooden strands, fibers, or boards. It is also known as artificial wood as well as WPC when using wood fibers and thermoplastics. Similar blended products can also be made from vegetable fibers using lignin-containing materials such as hemp stalks, sugarcane residue, rye and wheat straw, with chemical additives, polymers and wood helping to facilitate optimal processing conditions Let's enable the integration of flour.
They are attached with adhesives and designed to certain specifications, resulting in a material that can have a variety of applications. But the best thing about Wood Plastic Composites is that they can be made using wood waste materials and small trees, reducing the need for old forests.
How Is Wood Mixed?
Wood compound is usually prepared from hardwood and softwood similar to wood, except using scraps and wood waste, and by mixing ground wood particles with hot thermoplastic resin. Some mix and process the material into pellets which are then melted and formed into the final shape, while others form the final product by a one-step mixing and extrusion process.
Both the most common and recycled thermoplastics are used with polyethylene-based products. UV stabilizers, colorants, coupling agents and lubricants can also be added to create a product specifically targeted for its application with both solid and hollow shapes.
Use of Wood Plastic Composite Products
Wood Plastic Composite Products can be used in a variety of ways, including both home and industrial construction, and are often used in construction projects to replace steel for joists and beams. However, their most extensive use is on exterior deck floors, but they are also popular for railings, fences, benches, window and door frames, siding, and landscaping work.
While WPC can be traditionally used in most applications that use solid wood, it is also a desired material for making flat pack furniture due to its low production cost and light weight properties.
Types of Wood Plastic Composite Products
If you are visiting your own hardware store, what mixed wood material can you find? Plywood is considered to be the original Wood Plastic Composite Products, manufactured from sheets of cross-laminated veneer, which are bonded with heat-resistant moisture-resistant adhesives. Fibreboard is made by combining wood fibers with wax and a resin binder at high temperature and pressure, while particleboard is made from synthetic resin from wood chips or sawmill bark.
Oriented strand board is made from wooden strands arranged in layers and bonded together using moisture resistant adhesives. These are then cross-oriented to give strength and rigidity to the panel.
Future of Wood Plastic Composites
The ability of Wood Plastic Composites is tailored to specific uses, together with their strength properties and affordability, making them a viable solution to reduce the need for solid wood. They have been successfully applied in all types of construction, from small home projects to industrial construction work, and as the technology around their construction only progresses with advances, the future looks bright.
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