Patent Application
20190389088
The present invention relates to a method of manufacture of fiberboard, and more particularly to a method of manufacture of medium and high density fiberboard which is moisture resistant, water resistant, mildew resistant and has low formaldehyde emission.
In the process of manufacture of wood-based panels, a large quantity of adhesive is used and the adhesive will introduce ‘unstable’ factors. When the pH is low or when the humidity level is high, the chains of the adhesive will break down and decompose to emit free formaldehyde. Under the action of electrolytes in the heating and pressing process, free formaldehyde will also be emitted.
At present, the manufacture of high density fiberboard mainly includes the steps of: preparing materials (by chipping or purchasing wood chips), selecting and cleaning of wood chips, pre-steaming, steaming, milling and heating, adjusting and applying glue, drying, mat forming, pre-pressing, slab heating, hot pressing, cutting, cooling, sanding, sawing and quality inspection. The medium and high density fiberboards manufactured by the above conventional process, which includes conventional technology and process of materials preparation, steaming, hot-pressing and glue adjustment and preparation, can only meet the standard of ordinary fiberboard. In recent years, a clear market segmentation phenomenon gradually occurred with the rapid development of fiberboard industry. In particular, users have an increasingly higher product quality standard requirements and environmental awareness. The market has an urgent need of a new type of high quality and environmental friendly fiberboard materials which is convenience for color match, water resistant, mildew resistant, fireproof and has low formaldehyde emission to suit the need of market development in fashion and design industries.
In response to the above market requirements, many manufacturers in this industry added paraffin or waterproofing agent to solve the moisture problem. Though this method may work well to prevent water moisture, this method has the problem of great variation of raw material quality, and does not provide the function of mildew resistant, fireproof, high level waterproof and bacteria inhibition. In view of the problem of formaldehyde emission, the formulation of the adhesive is adjusted. Urea-formaldehyde based resin is replaced by other resins of much high manufacturing cost.
The use of methylene diphenyl isocyanate (MDI) resins or soybean bio-glue provides satisfactory effect but the production cost is very high and the price is very expensive, which is not affordable by general users.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacture of medium and high density fiberboard which is moisture resistant, mildew resistant and has low formaldehyde emission. According to this method, the cost of manufacture is low, the function of moisture resistant, mildew resistant and low formaldehyde emission is enhanced, the time requirement for hot-pressing of the mat is reduced, the work efficiency is increased and the product quality is enhanced.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacture of medium to ultra-high density fiberboard which is moisture resistant, mildew resistant, fireproof and has low formaldehyde emission and that the product variety, quality and performance are further improved significantly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacture of medium to ultra-high density fiberboard which is moisture resistant, mildew resistant, fireproof and has low formaldehyde emission. The fiberboard product can be used for furniture, flooring, decoration, high-end bathroom partitions, wall-mount, and thermoset laminate.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacture of medium to ultra-high density fiberboard which is moisture resistant, mildew resistant, fireproof and has low formaldehyde emission such that the fiberboard produced has a good product strength, its density is greater than or equal to water density, and has high level of water resistance.
Additional advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the description which follows, and may be realized by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particular point out in the appended claims.
According to the present invention, the foregoing and other objects and advantages are attained by a method of manufacture of medium and high density fiberboard, comprising the following steps:
(1) chipping step: chipping harvesting residual materials from brushwood and twigs in forestry industry by chipper machine into wood chips of uniform size;
(2) screening step: removing wood chips of unqualified chips and impurities from the wood chips in the step (1) through vibrating screen and air separator;
(3) pre-steaming step: feeding the wood chips from step (2) to a pre-steaming bin and then to a mill machine; the wood chips are pre-steamed by low-pressure steam with a steam temperature of 110-130° C. After softening, the wood chips are torn by roller type corkscrew with high compression ratio before conveying to the mill machine. The function of tearing is to prepare the wood chips for the subsequent steps. In the subsequent steaming process, steaming is facilitated and softness is uniform. The resulting fibers being produced are good in fiber morphology, uniform and soft. In the hot-pressing step, the time required for the deformation process through elastic deformation and plastic deformation is shortened, and therefore the control of water absorption of the product is facilitated and good physical properties are resulted.
(4) heating and milling step: breaking down the wood chips from the step (3) into fibers through the milling machine where the wood chips is processed by steaming under high temperature of 165-175° C. and high pressure of 0.8-0.9 MPa;
(5) drying step: feeding the fibers from the step (4) to a blow line and mixing activated carbon to the fibers in the blow line;
(6) fiber separation step: removing heavy fiber bundle, glue blocks and other impurities from the fibers obtained from the step (5) through air separator;
(7) mat formation step: under the mechanical pavement conditions, the dried fiber from the step (6) is fed to a feeding tank and laid onto an entire width of a mat formation platform uniformly through swinging action of the feeding tank and then forms a mat by pre-pressing;
(8) mat heating step: before moving the mat after pre-pressing from the step (7) to a pressing machine, pre-heating the fiber through a pre-heating system;
(9) heating and pressing: through the sandwiching action of steel belts of a double belt continuous press machine, moving the mat from the step (8) to the press machine, the mat is compressed between the moving upper and lower belts, the pressure is transmitted to the mat from press plates, rollers and steel strips through action of a hydraulic cylinder; based on the manufacturing requirements, the temperature of the press plates is adjusted precisely. The temperature is transmitted to the mat through the press plate, the roller and the steel strips. The mat is pressed continuously under high temperature and high pressure to complete the adhesive curing process and the deformation process through elastic deformation and plastic deformation;
(10) cutting step: cutting the board after continuous pressing from the step (9) through double diagonal saws into standard board of a particular size based on a particular requirement; moving the board after cutting through a roller conveyor to thickness and bubble detection; eliminating unqualified products and moving to the next step;
(11) cooling step: cooling the semi-finished product of fiberboard from the step (10) by a flip cooling machine to attain a core temperature below 60° C. and maintaining for 48 hours after flip cooling. For the semi-finished product of fiberboard just being produced, the urea-formaldehyde resin is not fully cured, the moisture distribution of the fiberboard is not uniform, the temperature difference between the core and the surface is great and the physical properties of the fiberboard is affected. Therefore, cooling is required.
(12) sanding and cutting step: polishing the fiberboard surface of the fiberboard from the step (11) by a sanding machine and cutting the sides by a cutting saw.
Preferably, the method of manufacture comprises following steps:
In the step (4): heating and milling step, the following ingredients are added: 200-230 kg/m3 of urea-formaldehyde resin adhesive, 6-8 kg/m3 of refined paraffin, 1.5-2 kg/m3 of curing agent and nigrosine (acid black 2) solution. The nigrosine solution added is based on a quantity of nigrosine in solid form which amount to 1-1.2% of absolutely dried fiber: The melting and dissolving time for the nigrosine solution is 40-60 minutes and the standard is set at the time for the nigrosine to completely dissolve into a solution. Two tanks are preferred. One is for the ordinary addition and the other one is for dissolving the nigrosine. The two tanks are used alternately.
In the step (4): heating and milling step, water is added to nigrosine powder in a tank and then temperature is increased to 50-70° C., the mass ratio of water and nigrosine powder is 4:1 in the nigrosine solution, the nigrosine solution is passed through a screw pump to mix with the urea-formaldehyde resin adhesive to flow together and then added to the spraying pipe through a metering pump. The application amount to the spraying pipe is adjusted simultaneously based on the signal of fiber production amount from the heating and milling machine.
In the step (5) drying step, the fiber is dried and mixed with the activated carbon in the blow line under an airflow condition in which the inlet temperature is below 175° C., the outlet temperature is 50-70° C. and the flow rate is 30 m/s. The water content of the fiber after drying and mixing is controlled between 8-10%. The proportion of activated carbon in the absolutely dried fiber is 1%-10%.
In the step (5) drying step, the activated carbon is grinded into powder having a size of 100 mesh-200 mesh. The activated carbon powder undergoes spiral quantification and then is transported to the blow line through a fan to mix with the fiber completely. The application amount of the activated carbon is adjusted simultaneously based on the fiber production amount from the heating and milling machine. Based on the fiber production amount from the milling machine, the adjustment is realized through frequency conversion to adjust a rotation speed of the screw applicator.
In the step (3) pre-steaming step, the wood chips are pre-steamed by low-pressure steam with a steam temperature of 110-120° C. After softening, the wood chips are torn by roller type corkscrew with high compression ratio.
In the step (1) chipping step, the target chip size is: length: 16-30 mm, width: 15-25 mm, thickness: 3-5 mm.
In the step (6) fiber separation step, stabilizing the fiber temperature to 40° C.-60° C. and water content to 8%-10% through secondary heating. The qualified fiber is fed to a measuring silo. The unqualified fiber and impurities will sink by its gravity and transport to waste fiber silo through a slag spiral.
In the step (6) mat heating step, the pre-heating system employs steam for heating. The steam temperature for heating is 150° C.-170° C.
Compared to conventional method, the present invention has the following advantageous effect: The provision of well-mixed solution of nigrosine in the hot-pressing step and the addition of heated and activated carbon in the drying step has increased the product quality, enhanced the moisture resistance and mildew resistance and lowered the formaldehyde emission. The provision of pre-heating system in the mat heating process can preheat the fiber, increase the fiber temperature and soften the fiber. Therefore the time required in hot-pressing is shortened, the efficiency of hot-pressing is increased, the product quality is increased, the cost is lowered and the work efficiency is increased.
Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings.
These and other objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.
According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method of manufacture of fiberboard is provided. The fiberboard refers to medium density fiberboard and high density fiberboard. In general, the medium density fiberboard is suitable for furniture and the high density fiberboard is suitable for floor. The fiberboard manufactured by the method of manufacture of the present invention is moisture resistant, mildew resistant and has low formaldehyde emission.
Referring to
The unqualified products or intermediate products from different steps are supplied to a power plant for power generation to fuel the power generation process for the method of manufacture. The unqualified products includes the unqualified wood chips from screening step, unqualified fiber from filer separation of fiber and the sand powder from sanding and sawing steps.
The power plant is arranged to supply steam for pre-steaming, steaming, milling and heating processes; to supply smoke for the drying process; and to provide transmission oil for heating to the continuous pressing machine.
In the above method, refined paraffin, urea-formaldehyde resin adhesive, curing agent and nigrosine solution are added before the drying step.
In particular, the urea-formaldehyde resin adhesive and nigrosine solution are first mixed together before applying to the spraying pipe. The nigrosine solution is prepared by adding water to nigrosine powder under 50-70° C. to dissolve the nigrosine powder completely.
The fiber, is first passed through the spraying pipe in which the refined paraffin, the curing agent, the urea-formaldehyde resin adhesive and the nigrosine solution are added, and then is conveyed to a blow line for the drying step.
In the drying step, activated carbon is added by the following steps:
(a) Grinding the activated carbon into powder having a size of 100 mesh-200 mesh and remove impurities.
(b) Processing spiral quantification for the activated carbon and feeding the activated carbon through a fan to mix with the fiber in the blow line.
(c) Simultaneously adjusting the application amount of activated carbon based on the output of fiber from the milling machine. Based on the fiber production amount from the milling machine, the adjustment is realized through frequency conversion to adjust a rotation speed of the screw applicator.
The application amount of activated carbon is based on the mass percentage of activated carbon in absolutely dried fiber equals to 1-20%.
In particular, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method of manufacture of fiberboard comprises the following steps:
(a) chipping: chipping harvesting residual materials from brushwood and twigs from forestry industry by a chipper machine into wood chips of uniform size, wherein a standard size refers to the wood chip having a length of 16-30 mm, a width of 15-25 mm and a thickness of 3-5 mm;
(b) screening: screening wood chips to remove wood chips not having the standard size and impurities by vibrating screen and air separator;
(c) pre-steaming: transporting the wood chips to a steam-pressurized digester through which the wood chips are pre-steamed by low-pressure steam with a steam temperature of 110-130° C. Preferably, the pressure is 0.80-0.85 MPa and the pre-steaming time is 3-5 minutes. The softened wood chips are then torn by roller type corkscrew with high compression ratio and transported to a pressurized refiner chamber;
(d) Refining: breaking down the wood chips into fibers through a pressurized refiner chamber of a milling machine in which the wood chips are steamed under high temperature and high pressure of 165-175° C. and 0.8-0.9 MPa respectively. Before the fibers are transported to the blow line for drying, the fibers passes through a spraying pipe, where urea-formaldehyde resin adhesive, nigrosine solution, refined paraffin and curing agent are added. The amount of urea-formaldehyde resin adhesive added is 200-230 kg/m3, the amount of refined paraffin is 6-8 kg/m3, the amount of curing agent is 1.5-2 kg/m3 and the amount of nigrosine solution added is based on the mass percentage of nigrosine powder in absolutely dried fiber equals to 1-1.2%.
(e) Drying: feeding the activated carbon to the blow line to mix with the fiber in the blow line, wherein the application amount is based on the mass percentage of activated carbon in absolutely dried fiber equals to 1-20%. The fiber is dried and mixed with the activated carbon in the blow line under an airflow effect in which the inlet temperature is below 175° C., the outlet temperature is 70° C. and the flow rate is 30 m/s such that the water content of the fiber after drying and mixing is controlled between 8-10%.
(f) Air separation: removing heavy fiber bundle, glue blocks and other impurities from the fibers and stabilizing the fiber temperature to 40° C.-60° C. and water content to 8%-10% through secondary heating and then conveyed the fiber to a measuring silo. The unqualified fiber and impurities will sink by its gravity and transport to waste fiber silo through a slag spiral.
(g) Mat forming: under the mechanical pavement conditions, the dried fiber is fed to a feeding tank and laid onto an entire width of a mat formation platform uniformly through swinging action of the feeding tank and then forms a mat by pre-pressing. The mat scale detects the weight of the mat continuously and automatically to ensure an even distribution of weight on the mat formation platform. The sweeping roll adjusts the mat thickness through rolling action on the mat surface. The mat density is monitored automatically through real-time detection of density variation along a transverse direction by scanner and adjusted automatically through keying. Therefore, a mat of even distribution of density and flat surface is obtained. The mat formed is processed by pre-pressing machine. The density of the mat is increased by pre-pressing, the excess water from the resin application process is removed by the exhausted air, the interleaving force between fibers is increased and the thickness of the mat is decreased.
(h) mat pre-heating: the mat after pre-pressing but before processing by the continuous pressing machine, is arranged to pass through a steaming system for pre-heating the fiber such that the fiber temperature is increased, the fiber is softened and hence the hot-pressing time is reduced and the hot-pressing efficiency is increased. The fiber is heated continuously by superheated steam at 150-170° C. in this pre-heating step.
(i) hot-pressing: through the sandwiching action of steel belts of a double belt continuous press machine, moving the mat to the press machine through which the mat is compressed between the moving upper and lower belts while the pressure is transmitted to the mat from press plates, rollers and steel strips through action of a hydraulic cylinder. The press machine is heated continuously through a plurality units of hot oil heating system, each unit of the hot oil heating can be controlled separately and independently for temperature control. Accordingly the temperature of the press plates can be controlled precisely. The temperature is transmitted through the press plates, rollers and steel strips to the mat. The mat is processed continuously under high temperature and high pressure to complete the adhesive curing process and the deformation process through elastic deformation and plastic deformation to form a raw board.
(j) cross-section cutting: cutting the raw board after continuous pressing through double diagonal saws into standard board of a particular size based on particular requirements; then moving the board after cutting through a roller conveyor for thickness and bubble detection; eliminating unqualified products and moving to the next step.
(k) cooling: for the product of fiberboard just being produced, the urea-formaldehyde resin is not fully cured, the moisture distribution of the fiberboard is not uniform, the temperature difference between the core and the surface is great and the physical properties of the fiberboard is affected. Therefore, cooling is required. Cooling the product of fiberboard by a flip cooling machine to a core temperature below 60° C. and maintaining for 48 hours after flip cooling before sanding and cutting.
(l) sanding and cutting: after maintaining for 48 hours, the product of fiberboard is processed by sanding and cutting. Polishing the fiberboard surface of the fiberboard by a sanding machine and sawing the sides by a cutting saw to meet a particular size requirement.
(m) inspecting and storing: process inspection and grading by inspectors for the final product of fiberboard and then move to storage for sale.
The final product being produced by the above method is black in color. The method is suitable for use to manufacture medium and high density fiberboard. The nigrosine provides the water-resistant and mild-resistant function to the fiberboard. The activated carbon can adsorb the urea-formaldehyde and lower the emission of urea-formaldehyde from the fiberboard. Compared to the use of methylene diphenyl isocyanate (MDI) resins or soybean bio-glue, the cost of manufacture is reduced dramatically. Instead of switching to other resins to lower the formaldehyde emission, the use of activated carbon can effectively lower the urea-formaldehyde emission.
The final product being produced has good strength properties and low formaldehyde emission while the cost is low.
According to this embodiment of the present invention, a method of manufacture of fiberboard comprises the following steps:
(1) chipping step: chipping harvesting residual materials from brushwood and twigs in forestry industry by chipper machine into wood chips of uniform size;
(2) screening step: removing wood chips of unsuitable size and impurities from the wood chips in the step (1) through vibrating screen and air separator;
(3) pre-steaming step: feeding the wood chips from step (2) to a steam-pressurized digester and then transporting to a pressurized refiner chamber;
(4) heating and milling step: breaking down the wood chips from the step (3) into fibers by the pressurized refiner chamber of the milling machine through which the wood chips is pulp through steaming at high temperature and high pressure of 165-175° C. and 0.8-0.9 MPa respectively;
(5) drying step: feeding the fibers from the step (4) to a blow line and mixing activated carbon to the fibers in the blow line;
(6) fiber separation step: removing heavy fiber bundle, glue blocks and other impurities from the fibers obtained from the step (5);
(7) mat formation step: under the mechanical pavement conditions, the dried fiber from the step (6) is fed to a feeding tank and laid onto an entire width of a mat formation platform uniformly through swinging action of the feeding tank and then forms a mat by pre-pressing;
(8) mat heating step: before moving the mat after pre-pressing from the step (7) to a pressing machine, pre-heating the fiber through a pre-heating system;
(9) heating and pressing: through the sandwiching action of steel belts of a double belt continuous press machine, moving the mat from the step (8) to the press machine, the mat is compressed between the moving upper and lower belts, the pressure is transmitted to the mat from press plates, rollers and steel strips through action of a hydraulic cylinder; based on the manufacturing requirements, the temperature of the press plates is adjusted precisely. The temperature is transmitted to the mat through the press plate, the roller and the steel strips. The mat is pressed continuously under high temperature and high pressure to complete the adhesive curing process and the deformation process through elastic deformation and plastic deformation;
(10) cutting step: cutting the board after continuous pressing from the step (9) through double diagonal saws into standard board of a particular size based on a particular requirement; moving the board after cutting through a roller conveyor to thickness and bubble detection; eliminating unqualified products and moving to the next step;
(11) cooling step: cooling the semi-finished product of fiberboard from the step (10) by a flip cooling machine to a core temperature below 60° C. and maintaining for 48 hours after flip cooling. For the semi-finished product of fiberboard just being produced, the urea-formaldehyde resin is not fully cured, the moisture distribution of the fiberboard is not uniform, the temperature difference between the core and the surface is great and the physical properties of the fiberboard is affected. Therefore, cooling is required.
(12) sanding and cutting step: polishing the fiberboard surface of the fiberboard from the step (11) by a sanding machine and cutting the sides by a cutting saw;
(13) inspection and storage: process inspection and grading by inspectors for the final product of fiberboard from the step (12) and then move to storage.
In the heating and milling step, the following ingredients are added to the fibers: 200 kg/m3 of urea-formaldehyde resin adhesive, 6 kg/m3 of refined paraffin, 2 kg/m3 of curing agent, nigrosine (acid black 2) solution accounting to 1.2% proportion of absolutely dried fiber: water is added to nigrosine powder in a tank and then temperature is increased to 50° C., the mass ratio of water and nigrosine powder is 4:1 in the nigrosine solution, the nigrosine solution is passed through a screw pump to the urea-formaldehyde resin adhesive to flow together and then added to the spraying pipe through an adhesive application pump.
In the drying step, the following ingredients are added: 100 mesh activated carbon powder after spiral quantification is added to the blow line through a fan to well mix with the fiber. The fiber is dried and mixed with the activated carbon in the blow line under an airflow effect in which the inlet temperature is below 175° C., the outlet temperature is 70° C. and the flow rate is 30 m/s. The water content of the fiber after drying and mixing is controlled between 8-10%. The proportion of activated carbon in the absolutely dried fiber is 10%.
In the pre-steaming step, the wood chips are pre-steamed by low-pressure steam with a steam temperature of 120° C. After softening, the wood chips are torn by roller type corkscrew with high compression ratio.
In the chipping step, the target chip size is: length: 16-30 mm, width: 15-25 mm, thickness: 3-5 mm.
In the fiber separation step, stabilizing the fiber temperature to 50° C. and water content to 8%-10% through secondary heating. The qualified fiber is fed to measuring silo. The unqualified fiber and impurities will sink by gravity and transport to waste fiber silo through a slag spiral.
In the mat heating step, the pre-heating system employs steaming heating, and the steam temperature for heating is 160° C.
The followings are the differences between this preferred embodiment 2 and the preferred embodiment 1:
In the heating and milling step, the following ingredients are added: 230 kg/m3 of urea-formaldehyde resin adhesive, 8 kg/m3 of refined paraffin, 1.5 kg/m3 of curing agent, nigrosine (acid black 2) solution accounting to 1% proportion of absolutely dried fiber: water is added to nigrosine powder in a tank and then temperature is increased to 60° C., the mass ratio of water and nigrosine powder is 4:1 in the nigrosine solution, the nigrosine solution is passed through a screw pump to the urea-formaldehyde resin adhesive to flow together and then added to the spraying pipe through an adhesive application pump.
In the drying step, the following ingredients are added: 150 mesh activated carbon powder after spiral quantification is added to the blow line through a fan to well mix with the fiber. The fiber is dried and mixed with the activated carbon in the blow line under an airflow effect in which the inlet temperature is below 175° C., the outlet temperature is 60° C. and the flow rate is 30 m/s. The water content of the fiber after drying and mixing is controlled between 8-10%. The proportion of activated carbon in the absolutely dried fiber is 15%.
In the mat heating step, the pre-heating system employs steaming heating, and the steam temperature for heating is 150° C.
The followings are the differences between this preferred embodiment 3 and the preferred embodiments 1 and 2:
In the heating and milling step, the following ingredients are added: 210 kg/m3 of urea-formaldehyde resin adhesive, 7 kg/m3 of refined paraffin, 1.6 kg/m3 of curing agent, nigrosine (acid black 2) solution accounting to 1.1% proportion of absolutely dried fiber: water is added to nigrosine powder in a tank and then temperature is increased to 55° C., the mass ratio of water and nigrosine powder is 4:1 in the nigrosine solution, the nigrosine solution is passed through a screw pump to the urea-formaldehyde resin adhesive to flow together and then added to the spraying pipe through an adhesive application pump.
In the drying step, the following ingredients are added: 170 mesh activated carbon powder after spiral quantification is added to the blow line through a fan to well mix with the fiber. The fiber is dried and mixed with the activated carbon in the blow line under an airflow effect in which the inlet temperature is below 175° C., the outlet temperature is 50° C. and the flow rate is 30 m/s. The water content of the fiber after drying and mixing is controlled between 8-10%. The proportion of activated carbon in the absolutely dried fiber is 17%.
In the mat heating step, the pre-heating system employs steaming heating, and the steam temperature for heating is 155° C.
The followings are the differences between this preferred embodiment 3 and the preferred embodiments 1, 2 and 3:
In the heating and milling step, the following ingredients are added: 220 kg/m3 of urea-formaldehyde resin adhesive, 7.5 kg/m3 of refined paraffin, 1.8 kg/m3 of curing agent, nigrosine (acid black 2) solution accounting to 1.15% proportion of absolutely dried fiber: water is added to nigrosine powder in a tank and then temperature is increased to 70° C., the mass ratio of water and nigrosine powder is 4:1 in the nigrosine solution, the nigrosine solution is passed through a screw pump to the urea-formaldehyde resin adhesive to flow together and then added to the spraying pipe through an adhesive application pump.
In the drying step, the following ingredients are added: 200 mesh activated carbon powder after spiral quantification is added to the blow line through a fan to well mix with the fiber. The fiber is dried and mixed with the activated carbon in the blow line under an airflow effect in which the inlet temperature is below 175° C., the outlet temperature is 65° C. and the flow rate is 30 m/s. The water content of the fiber after drying and mixing is controlled between 8-10%. The proportion of activated carbon in the absolutely dried fiber is 20%.
In the mat heating step, the pre-heating system employs steaming heating, and the steam temperature for heating is 170° C.
Testing:
The final product of fiberboard based on the manufacture method according to the present invention has been tested for formaldehyde emission rate.
Type of sample: MDF (medium density fiberboard)
Wood Material: Poplar
Quantity and size: 50.8×152.4×12 mm (3 pieces)
Sample thickness: 12 mm
Test standard: ASTM D6007-14: Standard test method for determining formaldehyde concentrations in air from wood products using a small-scale chamber
Test method: The samples are remained sealed and stored in a room maintained at 50±5% RH, 24±3° C. (75±5° F.) prior to testing. The formaldehyde background concentration in the air where the specimens were conditioned was documented at <0.01 ppm. The sample are then put into the chamber (850 mm×440 mm×520 mm, volume=6.92 cubic feet) and are maintained at 0.5 ACH for 150 minutes. The formaldehyde concentration of make-up air and the chamber are both measured at <0.01 ppm. After 120 minutes, air samples are drawn at a rate of 1 L/minute for 30 minutes. Emission values are determined with spectrophotometer analysis 7230G. The formaldehyde emissions are corrected to an emission level at standard condition (50% RH and 77° F.).
Test results: The formaldehyde emissions is 0.05 ppm under the following conditions: chamber Q/L ratio: 0.43, temperature: 77.4° F., relative humidity (RH): 50.3, Atmospheric pressure (Atm): 962.4 hpa.
Compared to the California standard, which is the strictest standard in the world with the limitation at 0.11 ppm for MDF, the MDF manufactured by the method of the present invention has a much lower formaldehyde emission rate than the required standard.
The final product of fiberboard based on the manufacture method according to the present invention has further been tested for the followings:
Surface binding strength: average: 2.4 MPa, minimum: 1.98 MPa
Internal binding strength: average: 1.9 MPa, minimum: 1.86 MPa
Static bending strength: average: 35 MPa, minimum: 34 MPa
Expansion rate of absorption thickness: average: 6%, maximum: 7%
Water content (%): 6%
Density: 0.88 g/cm3
Board density deviation (%): −1.1-+1.1
In summary, the medium density fiberboard manufactured by the method of the present invention has achieved good strength properties, good moisture-resistant properties and a very low emission rate of formaldehyde.
Referring to
According to the present invention, the ultra-high density fiberboard has a density of 1000 kg/m3-1350 kg/m3.
The final product being produced by the above method is black in color. The nigrosine provides the water-resistant and mild-resistant function to the fiberboard. The activated carbon can adsorb the urea-formaldehyde and lower the emission of urea-formaldehyde from the fiberboard. The use of activated carbon can effectively lower the urea-formaldehyde emission. The ultra-high density fiberboard has good physical properties in all aspects, high level water resistance, and extremely low water swelling effect.
The present invention utilizes wood materials from residual materials from brushwood and twigs from forestry industry. In the manufacturing process, activated carbon, urea-formaldehyde resin adhesive (triamine modification, mildew modification), refined paraffin, nigrosine and fireproof boding agent are added. The final product is a fiberboard of medium to ultra-high density, which is moisture resistant, mildew resistant, fireproof and has low formaldehyde emission. Its wide range of applications include high-end decoration, flooring, wall-mount, thermoset laminate, bathroom partitions, and etc.
In particular, according to this improved method of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method of manufacture of fiberboard comprises the following steps:
(1) chipping step: chipping harvesting residual materials from brushwood and twigs in forestry industry by chipper machine into wood chips of uniform size, wherein a standard size refers to the wood chip having a length of 16-30 mm, a width of 15-25 mm and a thickness of 3-5 mm;
(2) screening step: removing wood chips of unsuitable size and impurities from the wood chips in the step (1) through vibrating screen and air separator;
(3) further crushing and cracking the wood chips from step (2) by a rolling equipment;
(4) pre-steaming step: feeding the wood chips from step (3) to a pre-steam-pressurized digester through which the wood chips are pre-steamed by low pressure steam with a steam temperature of 110-130° C., then the softened wood chips are then torn by roller type corkscrew with high compression ratio and transported to a pressurized refiner chamber;
(5) heating and milling step: breaking down the wood chips from the step (3) into fibers by the pressurized refiner chamber of the milling machine through which the wood chips is pulp through steaming at high temperature and high pressure of 165-175° C. and 0.8-0.9 MPa respectively; before the fibers are transported to the blow line for drying, the fibers passes through a spraying pipe, where urea-formaldehyde resin adhesive, mildew inhibiting agent, nigrosine solution, fireproof bonding agent, refined paraffin and curing agent are added. The amount of urea-formaldehyde resin adhesive added is 250-800 kg/m3, the amount of mildew inhibiting agent is 3% of the adhesive, the amount of fireproof bonding agent is 150-250 kg/m3, the amount of refined paraffin is 6-8 kg/m3, the amount of curing agent is 1.5-2 kg/m3 and the amount of nigrosine solution added is based on the mass percentage of nigrosine powder in absolutely dried fiber equals to 1-1.2%.
(6) drying step: feeding the fibers from the step (5) to a blow line and mixing activated carbon to the fibers in the blow line, wherein the adding amount of activated carbon is based on a percentage of the mass percentage of activated carbon in absolutely dried fiber equals to 1-20%. The fiber is dried and mixed with the activated carbon in the blow line under an airflow effect in which the inlet temperature is below 175° C., the outlet temperature is 50-70° C. and the flow rate is 30 m/s such that the water content of the fiber after drying and mixing is controlled between 8-10%.
(7) fiber separation step: removing heavy fiber bundle, glue blocks and other impurities from the fibers obtained from the step (6), and stabilizing the fiber temperature to 40° C.-60° C. and the water content to 8%-10% through secondary heating and then conveyed the qualified fiber to a measuring silo. The unqualified fiber and impurities will sink by its gravity and transport to waste fiber silo through a slag spiral.
(8) mat formation step: under the mechanical pavement conditions, the dried fiber from the step (7) is fed to a feeding tank and laid onto an entire width of a mat formation platform uniformly through swinging action of the feeding tank and then forms a mat by pre-pressing. The mat scale detects the weight of the mat continuously and automatically to ensure an even distribution of weight on the mat formation platform. The sweeping roll adjusts the mat thickness through rolling action on the mat surface. The mat density is monitored automatically through real-time detection of density variation along a transverse direction by scanner and adjusted automatically through keying.
Therefore, a mat of even distribution of density and flat surface is obtained. The mat formed is processed by pre-pressing machine. The density of the mat is increased by pre-pressing, the excess water from the resin application process is removed by the exhausted air, the interleaving force between fibers is increased and the thickness of the mat is decreased.
(9) mat heating step: the mat after pre-pressing but before processing by the continuous pressing machine, is arranged to pass through a steaming system for pre-heating the fiber such that the fiber temperature is increased, the fiber is softened and hence the hot-pressing time is reduced and the hot-pressing efficiency is increased; the fiber is heated continuously by superheated steam at 170-180° C. in this pre-heating step. This step is very important for providing a high level waterproof and increasing density to 1000 kg/m3-1200 kg/m3. The machine for mat heating in this step utilizes superheated steam to heat the fiber continuously so that the fiber is sufficiently softened. The fiber has an increase in yield strength and a decrease in rebound. The increase in yield strength is beneficial to the water swelling index of the sheet, and the decrease in rebound force can facilitate the density increase of the pressed sheet.
(10) heating and pressing: through the sandwiching action of steel belts of a double belt continuous press machine, moving the mat from the step (9) to the press machine, the mat is compressed between the moving upper and lower belts, the pressure is transmitted to the mat from press plates, rollers and steel strips through action of a hydraulic cylinder; based on the manufacturing requirements, the temperature of the press plates is adjusted precisely. The temperature is transmitted to the mat through the press plate, the roller and the steel strips. The mat is pressed continuously under high temperature and high pressure to complete the adhesive curing process and the deformation process through elastic deformation and plastic deformation so that a plain board is formed. In order to manufacture the ultra-high density fiberboard, the continuous press machine is upgraded to meet the pressure distribution requirements. Referring to
It is worth mentioning that the surface density of the extruded ultra-high density sheet cross-section structure is lower than the core layer density. This facilitates the secondary pressing and processing of the product.
(11) cutting step: cutting the board after continuous pressing from the step (10) through double diagonal saws into standard board of a particular size based on a particular requirement; moving the board after cutting through a roller conveyor to thickness and bubble detection; eliminating unqualified products and moving to the next step.
(12) cooling step: cooling the semi-finished product of fiberboard from the step (11) by a flip cooling machine to a core temperature below 60° C. and maintaining for 120 hours after flip cooling. For the semi-finished product of fiberboard just being produced, the urea-formaldehyde resin is not fully cured, the moisture distribution of the fiberboard is not uniform, the temperature difference between the core and the surface is great and the physical properties of the fiberboard is affected. Therefore, cooling is required.
(13) sanding and cutting step: polishing the fiberboard surface of the fiberboard from the step (12) by a sanding machine and cutting the sides by a cutting saw;
(14) inspection and storage: process inspection and grading by inspectors for the final product of fiberboard from the step (13) and then move to storage.
Testing 1:
The final product of fiberboard based on the manufacture method according to the present invention has been tested for #1: residual indentation; #2: wear resistance; #3: big ball impact resistance; #4: small ball impact resistance; #5: resistance to staining; #6: castor chair resistance; #7: thickness swelling; #8: locking strength.
Type of sample: high to ultra-high density fiberboard for flooring
Sample thickness: 8 mm-12 mm
Sample density: 900 kg/m3-1200 kg/m3.
formaldehyde emission grading: P2 grade
Sample specification: 1215*195*12 mm
The test for thickness swelling follows the rules of ISO 24336: 2005, and the test result is 6.0%.
Testing 2:
The final product of fiberboard based on the manufacture method according to the present invention has been tested for #1: residual indentation; #2: wear resistance; #3: big ball impact resistance; #4: small ball impact resistance; #5: resistance to staining; #6: castor chair resistance; #7: thickness swelling; #8: locking strength.
Type of sample: high to ultra-high density fiberboard for flooring
Sample thickness: 8 mm-12 mm
Sample density: 900 kg/m3-1200 kg/m3.
formaldehyde emission grading: P2 grade
Sample specification: 1217*195*8 mm
The test for thickness swelling follows the rules of ISO 24336: 2005, and the test result is 8.7%.
Testing 3:
The final product of fiberboard based on the manufacture method according to the present invention has further been tested for the followings:
Product information:
Sample name: Generation 2, 1200
Application: High end cabinet and bathroom partition
Sample thickness: 6 mm-25 mm
Sample density: 800 kg/m3-1350 kg/m3.
Water absorption index: 24 h middle 0.5%-6%, edge 1%-10%
Formaldehyde emission grading: E1 grade
Product properties: fireproof and mildew resistance
Model type: 1830 mm×1220 mm×8 mm
Test standard: LY/T 1611-2011, GB 18580-2017
Test results:
Internal binding strength: average: 1.4 MPa, minimum: 1.28 MPa
Static bending strength: average: 43 MPa, minimum: 41 MPa
Expansion rate of absorption thickness: average: 7%, maximum: 8%
Water content (%): 5%
Density: 1.2 g/cm3
Board density deviation (%): −0.7-+1.6
Formaldehyde Emission: 0.099 mg/m3
The product passes all the tests.
Testing 4:
The final product of fiberboard based on the manufacture method according to the present invention has further been tested for the followings:
Product information:
Sample name: Generation 2, 1200
Application: High end cabinet and bathroom partition
Sample thickness: 6 mm-25 mm
Sample density: 800 kg/m3-1350 kg/m3.
Water absorption index: 24 h middle 0.5%-6%, edge 1%-10%
Formaldehyde emission grading: E1 grade
Product properties: fireproof and mildew resistance
Model type: 1830 mm×1220 mm×12 mm
Test standard: LY/T 1611-2011, GB 18580-2017
Test results:
Internal binding strength: average: 1.5 MPa, minimum: 1.39 MPa
Static bending strength: average: 40 MPa, minimum: 38 MPa
Expansion rate of absorption thickness: average: 6%, maximum: 7%
Water content (%): 6%
Density: 1.21 g/cm3
Board density deviation (%): −1.4-+1.4
Formaldehyde Emission: 0.090 mg/m3
The product passes all the tests.
Testing 5:
The final product of fiberboard based on the manufacture method according to the present invention has further been tested for the followings:
Product information:
Sample name: Wall mount
Application: Decorative wall-mount
Sample thickness: 6 mm-12 mm
Sample density: 1000 kg/m3-1200 kg/m3.
Water absorption index: 24 h middle 0.5%-3%, edge 1.5%-8%
Formaldehyde emission grading: E1 grade
Waterproof grading: B grade
Product properties: mildew resistance
Model type: 1830 mm×1220 mm×12 mm
Test standard: GB/T 11718-2009
Test results:
Density: 1.206 g/cm3
Board density deviation (%): −0.7-+0.9
Water content (%): 6.5%
Expansion rate of absorption thickness: middle: 0.3%, edge: 1.2%
Internal binding strength: 3.35 MPa
Static bending strength: average: 49.0 MPa
The product passes all the tests according to GB/T 11718-2009 standard.
Testing 6:
The final product of fiberboard based on the manufacture method according to the present invention has further been tested for the followings:
Product information:
Sample name: Laminate
Application: laboratory countertop, cabinet and medical cabinet
Sample thickness: 8 mm-18 mm
Sample density: 1000 kg/m3-1350 kg/m3.
Formaldehyde emission grading: E1 grade
Waterproof grading: B1 grade
Product properties: mildew resistance
Water absorption index: 24 h middle 0.5%-1.5%, edge 1%-3%
Model type: 1830 mm×1220 mm×12 mm
Test standard: GB/T 11718-2009
Test results:
Density: 1.201 g/cm3
Board density deviation (%): −0.2-+0.5
Water content (%): 5.7%
Expansion rate of absorption thickness: middle: 0.3%, edge: 1.5%
Internal binding strength: 4.12 MPa
Static bending strength: average: 55.2 MPa
The product passes all the tests according to GB/T 11718-2009 standard.
Testing 7:
The final product of fiberboard based on the manufacture method according to the present invention has further been tested for the followings:
Product information:
Sample name: Laminate
Application: laboratory countertop, cabinet and medical cabinet
Sample thickness: 8 mm-18 mm
Sample density: 1000 kg/m3-1350 kg/m3.
Formaldehyde emission grading: E1 grade
Waterproof grading: B1 grade
Product properties: mildew resistance
Water absorption index: 24 h middle 0.5%-1.5%, edge 1%-3%
Model type: 1830 mm×1220 mm×12 mm
Test standard: GB/T 11718-2009
Test results:
Density: 1.296 g/cm3
Board density deviation (%): −0.5-+0.2
Water content (%): 6.3%
Expansion rate of absorption thickness: middle: 0.6%, edge: 2.3%
Internal binding strength: 4.52 MPa
Static bending strength: average: 58.2 MPa
The product passes all the tests according to GB/T 11718-2009 standard.
Testing 8:
The final product of fiberboard based on the manufacture method according to the present invention has further been tested for fire and flame-retardant product quality:
Product information:
Waterproof grading: B1 grade
Model type: 1830 mm×1220 mm×12 mm
Test standard: GB 8624-2012
Test items: single burning item; ignitability test
Test results:
Single burning item test results:
FIGRA: 115 W/s
LFS is less than the sample edge
THR600s: 6.9
Ignitability test results:
Flame spread is less than 150 mm within 60 s
The filter paper below the specimen does not ignite due to flaming debris
The product passes all the tests according to GB 8624-2012 standard and meet the requirement of B1 (B) grade standard.
One skilled in the art will understand that the embodiment of the present invention as shown in the drawings and described above is exemplary only and not intended to be limiting.
It will thus be seen that the objects of the present invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. Its embodiments have been shown and described for the purposes of illustrating the functional and structural principles of the present invention and is subject to change without departure from such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201510848870.9 | Nov 2015 | CN | national |
This is a continuation-in-part patent application of a non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 15/347,634, filing date Nov. 9, 2016, which claimed priority of Chinese application number 201510848870.9, filing date Nov. 26, 2015. The contents of these specifications are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 15347634 | Nov 2016 | US |
| Child | 16554584 | US |
