WOOD-PLASTIC COMPOSITES (WPC’S)

WPC’s are composite materials made of wood fiber / flour and plastics.  In addition to wood fiber and plastic, WPC’s can also contain other inorganic filler materials.  WPCs can also be referred to as natural fiber plastic composites or natural fiber reinforced plastics.  100% Use of Waste Plastics (Dry & Cleaned) can be used to make WPC’s.

USES :
The most widespread use of WPC’s is in outdoor deck floors, but it is also used for railings fences, landscaping timbers, cladding and siding, park benches, molding and trim, window and door frames, and indoor furniture.  Manufacturers claim that wood-plastic composite is more environmentally friendly and requires less maintenance than the alternatives of solid wood treated with preservatives or solid wood of rot-resistant species.  These materials can be moulded with or without simulated wood grain details.

Wood-plastic composite is still a very new material relative to the long history of natural lumber as a building material, but can be substituted in most non-structural instances.  Although being highly resistant to rotting, WPC’s add a stage of upstream use to materials previously considered waste lumber.  WPC Lumber can be nailed, painted, varnished, cut and finished similar to wood products.

A major advantage over wood is the ability of the material to be molded to meet almost any desired spatial conditions.  It can also be bent and fixed to form strong arching curves.  With up to 70 percent cellulose content (although 50/50 is more common), wood-plastic composites behave like wood and can be shaped using conventional wood working tools.  At the same time, they are moisture-resistant and resistant to decay, although they are not as rigid as wood and may slightly deform in extremely hot weather.  A major selling point of these materials is their lack of need for paint as they are manufactured in a variety of colours, though they one mainly available in grays and earth tones.  These colours last for the lifetime of the product.

MANUFACTURING PROCESS :

Wood-plastic composite lumber is composed of wood from recovered saw dust and other cellulose-based fiber fillers such as pulp fibers, rice husk, peanut hulls, bamboo, straw, digestate, other husks, etc. and virgin or mix waste plastics including PE, PP, ABS, PS, alike.  The powder or fibers are mixed to dough-like consistency and then extruded or moulded to the desired shape.  Additives such as colorants, coupling agents stabilizers, blowing agents, reinforcing agents, foaming agents, lubricants help tailor the end product to the target area of application.  The material is formed into both solid and hollow profiles or into injection moulded parts and products.

Wood, resin, regrind and most of the additives are combined and processed in a pelletizing extruder.  The new material pellets are formed in mould and dried or extruded from a fix shaped profile die.

Plastic waste is first cleaned with a Dust Remover (Jatakia) Machine.  It is then cut into small pieces using a Grinder/Agglomerator.  During Grinding also, separated dust is removed from the regrind with the help of dust remover.  The grinded waste is then   pre-mixed in a slow/high speed mixer together with wood, husk or other fillers and other additives as required depending on end use of the profile.  The mix is then put through a Force Fed, Vented Extrusion System.  The melt passes through vacuum duly compressed and then extruded through the die or required shape to achieve the profile.  The profile then passes through a water bath to cool faster and then cut to the required length