Plywood Manufacturing

By: Group V

Contents of the report

Introduction Brief History

Types of Plywood
Types of Adhesives Manufacturing Processes

Introduction
P LYWO O D : AN I MP RO VED WOOD

Brief History
In1500 B.C.,Egyptian craftsmen bonded thin pieces of dark ebony wood to the exterior of a cedar casket found in the tomb of King Tut-Ankh-Amon
. In the 1600s, the Greeks and Romans made the art of decorating furniture with thin pieces of wood became known as veneering, and the pieces themselves became known as veneers. Until the late 1700s, the pieces of veneer were cut entirely by hand

In 1797, Englishman Sir Samuel Bentham applied for patents covering several machines to produce veneers.

 . In about 1890, laminated woods were first used to build doors In 1928, the first standard-sized 4 ft by 8 ft (1.2 m by 2.4 m) plywood sheets were introduced in the United States for use as a general building material. . In the following decades, improved adhesives and new methods of production allowed plywood to be used for a wide variety of applications.

Today, plywood has replaced cut lumber for many construction purposes, and plywood manufacturing has become a multi-billion dollar, worldwide industry.

Plywood
It is a manufactured wood panel made from thin sheets of wood veneer It is a sandwich of thin layers of wood held together by glue, with the grain of each layer at right angles to that of the one next to it. Plywood is used instead of plain wood because of plywood's resistance to cracking, shrinkage, splitting, and twisting/warping, and because of its generally high strength.

Plywood
It is flexible, cheap, workable, re-usable, and can usually be locally manufactured. Plywood is also strong; since it consists of an odd number of firmly joined layers in which the grains are at right angles to one another, it has nearly equal strength in all directions.

Layers of Plywood
Plywood may consist of 3, 5, 7, 9 or even more plies or layers. The innermost layer or center is the core. On each side of the core are crossbands.

The two outside layers are the faces; these may be of decorative wood, if desired, thus supplying beauty as well as utility.

Types of Plywood
There are two types of plywood

A. Softwood Plywood
B. Hardwood Plywood

What Are Veneers?

In woodworking, veneer refers to thin slices of wood, usually thinner than 3 mm (1/8 inch), that typically are glued onto core panels (typically wood, particle board or medium-density fiber board) to produce flat panels such as doors, tops and panels for cabinets, parquet floors and parts of furniture. Veneer is obtained either by "peeling" the trunk of a tree or by slicing large rectangular blocks of wood known as flitches

Softwood Plywood

These are made of Douglas fir, hemlock, pine, and other evergreen woods. Softwood plywood is manufactured by gluing several layers of dry softwood veneers together with an adhesive. Softwood plywood is used for wall siding, sheathing, roof decking, concrete form boards, floors, and containers.

Softwood Plywood

The interior grade has casein or soybean glue as the bonding agent. Although this type of plywood resists moisture for a while, under prolonged or repeated wetting it loses its strength and is therefore more suitable for use inside buildings where moisture is not excessive The exterior grade is bonded with synthetic resin glues and is waterproof. .It is more expensive than the interior grade because the adhesive is more expensive and the processing more complicated.

Hardwood Plywood

Hardwoods generally correspond to deciduous species. Hardwood plywood commonly use wood species include oak, poplar, maple, cherry, and larch. Hardwood plywood in general is the material of the cabinetmakers, designer, and architect. Its range of colors and diversity of figures are unlimited.

Hardwood is graded according to its resistance to moisture. The moisture resistance of Type I is high, of Type II moderate, and of Type III low.

Types of Adhesives
The type of adhesives used affects the ability of plywood to resist moisture, bacteria and heat. The strength of glue joint depends upon the fact that glue, while liquid, flows into the cavities of wood structure and then solidifies.
The glues and adhesives used in woodwork and plywood includes animal, vegetable, casein, soybean, blood albumin, and synthetic resins.

 These are among the oldest known. They are made from hide and flesh trimmings or bones of the animals Animal glues are usually softened in water and melted. They should be kept hot to prevent decomposition by bacteria. For best results, the wood should be preheated before the glue is applied.

1. Animal Glues

Because of their high cost, animal glues are used only with high grade and highly figured veneers. They have little, if any, resistance to moisture and are attacked by bacteria.

 These are made from a starch base, usually the cassava root. They are inexpensive, make strong joints, can be used cold, and can be kept in good working condition for many days. Besides being difficult to apply with brush, however, they stain some pieces of veneer and lack resistance to water and bacteria. Their use in plywood is restricted to indoor paneling and places where humidity does not vary greatly.

2. Vegetable Glues

3. Blood Albumin Glues

The blood of cattle is usually the source of these glues. While their resistance to water is high, they are subject to attack by bacteria. Moreover, they stain veneer, have an odor, and require considerable labor in preparation for use. When used cold, these glues give joints of moderate strength; when hot pressed, joints that are very strong. In former years they were extensively used in the manufacture of high-grade plywood, but now they are used only to extend and fortify other glues.

 For moisture resistant plywood, casein glue obtained from dried milk is used. This type of glue is inexpensive and easily applied but tends to dull the edged tools of carpenters and cabinetmakers. Since it may decay, a preservative is usually added to prolong its life. Although casein glue retains its strength when wet only occasionally, it loses strength under continuous exposure to moisture. Plywood made with casein glue finds widest use inside buildings or in places where moisture changes are not severe.

4. Casein Glues

 This adhesive is made from the meal that remains after the soybean has been squeezed dry out of its oil. It is almost as water-resistant and strong as casein glue but also requires a preservative to retard decay.

5. Soybean Glues

It is less expensive that casein glue but produces weaker joints when used on dense hardwoods.

Serious staining occurs when it is used on thin veneers.

 Exterior walls, boats, and refrigerator cars linings require both that retain strength and durability under warm, moist conditions, even after repeated wetting.

6. Synthetic Resin Glues

For such purposes the synthetic resin glues, which are products of the chemical laboratory, are outstanding.

These resins also resist fire and decay.

 This adhesive is made from the meal that remains after the soybean has been squeezed dry out of its oil. It is almost as water-resistant and strong as casein glue but also requires a preservative to retard decay.

5. Soybean Glues

It is less expensive that casein glue but produces weaker joints when used on dense hardwoods.

Serious staining occurs when it is used on thin veneers.

The Plywood Manufacturing Processes

Step 1: Log Debarking and Cutting

The log emerges from the barker after having been stripped of its bark.
It is also cut into desired length to enable ease of processing

Step 2: Log Heating

The logs are conditioned using steam or hot water to improve peel quality.

Step 3: Lathing

At the lathe, a sharp blade peels the log, now called a block, into a continuous sheet of veneer.

Step 4: Veneer Drying

The dryer reduces the moisture content. Drying is done at a uniform temperature and also destroys microorganisms.

Step 5: Gluing and assembly

Wide cross core veneer and long panel veneer are layered and glued to give the plywood greater strength and dimensional stability.

Step 6: Pre-press or Cold Press

The Pre-press is unique as it expands and stabilizes the layer to give a warp-free product. It also ensures uniform spread of the specially formulated chemicals within the layers.

Step 7: Hot Press

Each board is put separately into hot-press for polymerization at a pre-set temperature. This ensures uniform density at all points in the plywood. After hotpressing the boards are cooled for 24 hours.

Step 8: Dimension Cutting /Trimming

The boards are trimmed horizontally and vertically. A unique technique of precutting is used before the final cutting to ensure dimensional accuracy.

Step 9: Sanding

Surface sanding is done in an automatic widebelt sanding machine. This gives a smooth surface to the plywood, which helps in a good surface finish required for interiors.

Step 10: Packaging and Shipping

The plywood is loaded and dispatched to the various destinations.

The Plywood Manufacturing Processes Video Presentation