How MDF sheets are made?

How MDF sheets are made? 26 Aug 2021

Here, we are going to discuss all the steps involves in the manufacturing of MDF sheets:

Debarking and chipping: Although softwood bark of eucalyptus can be used, the bark is removed from the logs to obtain a better quality. The log is stripped after removing the bark. The chipper drum reduces the logs to similarly-sized chips. As a result, extra-large chips are re-chipped and undersized chips are used for some other purpose.

Chip washer: Chips are washed to check for defects and in this process, the bits of bark, dirt, dust, etc. are also removed.

Defibrator: The chips are now coated with molten paraffin wax and this glues the chips together. The chipped chips are dried by moving them through a hot air dryer. Now, the chips are fed into the defibrator under the high temperature for some time. The pulp enters a blowline from the defibrator, where it is mixed with the resin.

Mat formation: Now, the dry fibers are dropped on the belt and turned into an even mat with the help of distribution arms. To give them the desired thickness, the mat is rolled through a series of heavy rollers. The edge trimming trims the edges of the mat to give the board the desired length. Fibers sticking to the edges are vacuumed and recycled. Now, the mat is passed through a hot press to form strong ties to the fiber mats. The hot press allows pressing the specified thickness up to 10 mats at a time. The boards are weighed on a weighing platform and then cooled to room temperature in a star cooler. Now, it is stacked on a platform and trimmed with saws to the required size.