Production and application of hollow particleboard

Hollow particleboard is made from wood shavings as the key raw material, refined through a high-temperature extrusion process. This type of particleboard features cleverly designed circular channels along its length, significantly reducing the weight of the board and giving it excellent impact resistance and stability.

I. Production Process and Equipment of Hollow Particleboard

1. Production Flow and Equipment The main equipment required for producing Hollow Core Particle Board includes a chipper, belt conveyor, wood chip storage silo, rectangular oscillating screen, ring chipper, bucket elevator, wet particle silo, moisture content meter, cyclone separator, rotor dryer, ring sander, electrical control system for the drying, sorting, and sanding section, glue mixer, negative pressure dust extraction and pneumatic conveying system, cross-cut saw for board blanks, cross-cut saw return system, extruder, and longitudinal edge saw, etc. Among these devices, the extruder is undoubtedly the core equipment in the production process; it is mainly divided into vertical and horizontal types. The extrusion method for producing hollow particleboard is a continuous process. In the production process, the preparation and gluing of wood shavings are similar to those of conventional flat-press particleboard. However, the core difference lies in the forming process. Here, an extruder is used instead of the traditional flat-press hot press, simplifying the process and eliminating the two steps of laying and pre-pressing.

2. Vertical and Horizontal Extrusion Methods The vertical extrusion process is simple and convenient to operate. It produces products with uniform density and lower gluing requirements, thus controlling production costs. However, this method has drawbacks: the hollow particleboard produced has weaker surface bond strength and longitudinal static bending strength. Therefore, this type of product is usually only used as a filler material. Furthermore, this type of product has a relatively high water absorption and thickness expansion rate, making it prone to structural breakage after prolonged contact with water. Vertical extrusion also limits the size of the product, making it difficult to produce large-sized products.

In contrast, horizontal extrusion overcomes the problem of tall equipment and eliminates the need for a wood shavings conveyor, thus saving power resources. Furthermore, during the horizontal extrusion process, the wood shavings fall naturally, with approximately 50% of them aligning parallel to the hole direction. When the finished board is subjected to longitudinal bending, these shavings can fully utilize their high longitudinal tensile strength, thus significantly improving the static bending strength of the board.

II. Applications and Markets of Hollow Particleboard

Applications of Tubular Core Particleboard in Construction and Furniture

Hollow particleboard, a product made by fully utilizing wood processing residues and small-diameter timber, is not only inexpensive but also possesses multiple advantages such as lightweight, thermal insulation, and environmental friendliness. Therefore, it exhibits enormous market potential and application prospects in many fields. Especially in the wooden door industry, hollow particleboard, with its lightweight and excellent thermal insulation properties, has become a primary choice for wooden door core panels. With the improvement of people’s living standards and the booming development of the real estate industry in my country, the annual demand for wooden doors in my country reaches 260 million square meters, providing a vast market space for hollow particleboard.

Hollow particleboard demonstrates superior performance in the construction field, particularly in wall materials. Its excellent thermal insulation and sound insulation properties, combined with its recyclable, reusable, and biodegradable characteristics, have made it highly sought after in the market. With the continuous growth of demand for wood-based building wall materials in my country, hollow particleboard has ushered in unprecedented development opportunities. Furthermore, hollow particleboard also plays an important role in furniture manufacturing. While its dimensional stability and impact resistance are slightly insufficient in longitudinal static bending strength, the use of veneer materials makes it perfectly capable of serving as furniture panels and tabletop cores with low load-bearing requirements, thus achieving the goal of lightweight furniture.

III. Market Potential and Raw Materials of Hollow Particleboard

Currently, wood is still the main raw material for hollow particleboard, but crop straw and waste wood show great potential in its production. Although hollow particleboard has initially occupied a share of the market, its market share is still relatively small, and the product types are relatively limited, mainly concentrated in the application of door core panels.