There are an incalculable number of words in the world, and their number continues to grow every day. Some words have been familiar to us since childhood, we realized the meaning of others during the period of study or work, and the meaning of the third is incomprehensible to us to this day. As a rule, these are specific names or terms corresponding to one or another profile of activity. We come across some objects almost every day, but we have no idea what they are called, and do not even think about it.
For example, not everyone knows what chipboard is, although this material is the basis of 80% of cabinet furniture. What lies behind the mysterious combination of four consonants?
What is chipboard: material characteristics and scope
LDSP is a large-dispersion wood chip, which is given a sheet form by hot pressing. Auxiliary substance in the board production mechanism are formaldehyde resins, which perform a binding function for wood fibers.
The body of almost all cabinet furniture is made of laminated board, "rough" panels are used for interior decoration or to createtemporary barriers. The frame of upholstered furniture in most cases is also made of chipboard.
History of occurrence
For the first time, chipboard saw the light of day in the post-war period. Many buildings were destroyed, and much more resources were needed to restore them than were available. An acute shortage of materials for interior decoration and their high cost forced manufacturers to look for alternative solutions. So, after long experiments, a material was invented, which consisted of 90% of waste components. Wood chips, which were previously burned as garbage, have found a new purpose. For more than half a century, the technology and the end result of production have improved, and today the chipboard material is an integral part of furniture designs. So if you look at your kitchen or bedroom, you will surely find that their body is made of decorated particle board.
Material classification
At first glance, it may seem that all chipboard material has the same composition and quality, but it is not.
According to the type of cladding, the slabs are divided into:
- rough, without decorated coating;
- laminated, covered with sulphite and finishing paper;
- veneered, covered with a thin layer of natural wood veneer.
Chipboard according to quality characteristics are divided into 3 grades:
- 1 grade board is made from selected sawdust, usually from the same type of wood. Its surface is perfectly smooth, without chips. Withboth sides of the plate are decorated by applying a laminated film or veneer.
- 2 grade is characterized by minor defects on the surface in the form of chips and scratches. Can be both with lining and without.
- 3 grade - these are plates with significant surface defects. They do not require cladding and are used only for construction and auxiliary purposes.
According to the degree of resistance to external factors, a chipboard sheet can be:
- moisture resistant - undergoes a special treatment with a paraffin emulsion, and also incorporates wood fibers with a special impregnation that prevents the composition from swelling under the influence of moisture;
- flame retardant - contains flame retardants that act as a barrier to fire.
Technology and production stages
Before being delivered to construction warehouses, laminated chipboard sheet goes through a long production process, consisting of five mandatory stages.
- Receiving material. As the main component, wood chips are used, obtained from the waste of woodworking enterprises or crushed specifically for the production of chipboard. Illiquid trunks are cleaned of bark, after which they are sawn into segments 0.5-1 meter wide. The prepared raw material is placed in special mills, where it goes through the grinding stage.
- Drying and selection. The shavings are delivered to the drying chamber, where vortex drying is carried out with hot air flows. At the same time, the moisture content of raw materialsdecreases by 6-7%. The dried chips are placed in a cycling plant, where normal particles move on to the next stage, and oversized chips return to the grinding stage.
- Mixing components. The selected drying enters the mixer chamber, after which formaldehyde resin enters the same place.
- Creating forms. The chips mixed with glue enter the conveyor belt, where a mold consisting of several layers is created under the action of a cold press. A hot press connects the layers, creating a chipboard blank. After that, the plate is subjected to cooling and drying. At the same stage, chipboard is cut into standard sheets.
- The final stage of production is the application of decor coating. First, the chipboard surface is leveled and sanded, after which the sheet is placed on a forming press, only sulphate paper is placed on the back of the plate, which serves as the base, sheets of sulphite and finishing paper are added to it from the front side.
Manufacturers and sizes
Today, there are about two hundred domestic and foreign companies whose main activity is the production and sawing of chipboard.
One of the leaders in the sales market is the Kronospan holding, which produces more than 2.5 million square meters. laminated boards per month. Products have gained worldwide fame due to strict adherence to the technological process, selection of the best raw materials and focus on consumer needs. Compliance with these rules allows you to produce high-quality products with unique decors. At the same time, pricesare kept competitive.
Kronospan, like most other manufacturers, produces laminated chipboard sheets, the dimensions of which are 2750 x 1830 mm, the board thickness is 16 mm.
Another popular chipboard manufacturer is the Austrian holding Egger. This product belongs to the category of elite and has in its collection both plates with ordinary paper laminate and veneered chipboard. The dimensions of the sheets here are slightly larger - 2800 x 2070 mm with a thickness of 18 mm. If we consider the general dimensional grid of all manufacturers, then the thickness of chipboard can vary from 10 to 38 mm. In addition to the above sheet sizes, there are also 2440 x 1830 mm.
Variety of chipboard: colors and decors
Today, furniture manufacturers can create real masterpieces using only chipboard as a material.
The range of colors of laminated boards is very extensive and includes entire collections of chipboard decors. Colors are divided into several groups:
- smooth solid colors (white, yellow, blue);
- textural plain (white texture, aluminum);
- standard wood tones (beech, alder, cherry);
- imitation of rare wood species (chipboard "Oak Winchester", "Merano", "Cordoba");
- glossy decors;
- veneered decors;
- fantasy tones with drawings and patterns.
The last three categories are mainly used for production due to their high costfront part.
Benefits
What is chipboard is known to every furniture maker. It is this material that is the basis of all furniture designs and brings the largest part of the income. Why is wood chipboard so popular?
Firstly, the priority advantage is the relatively low cost of the material, which allows us to meet customer needs of various financial levels.
Secondly, the simplicity of processing attracts. Chipboard is a ready-made material that needs only to be cut in accordance with the cutting map and edged on the ends. Besides, wood-based panels are quite strong and durable, they do not dry out or twist like natural wood.
The final item on the list of advantages is a wide range of chipboard decors. The colors are so diverse that they will perfectly fit into a discreet office interior and a bright children's room.
Flaws
Like any other material, laminated chipboard has several drawbacks. The main negative characteristic of chipboard is the presence of formaldehyde resins in the composition, which, at high concentrations, have a negative impact on human he alth. That is why it is necessary to ensure that there are no unedged ends in the finished product.
Another significant disadvantage is the susceptibility of chipboard to swelling (with the exception of moisture resistant categories). This problem is eliminated in the same way asprevious - a melamine or PVC edge is applied to all visible ends, protecting the internal composition from moisture penetration.
The difference between chipboard and MDF
Often people who have no connection with the furniture world do not see the fundamental difference between MDF, chipboard and fiberboard. The difference isn't really that big, but it's there.
MDF is also made from wood chips, only it is crushed to a finer fraction than chipboard, and not formaldehyde resins, but paraffin, are used as a binder. This composition allows you to give the material more environmental friendliness, density and flexibility. The surface of MDF is smoother than that of chipboard and is easily deformed. This characteristic is very important, since it allows you to create not only even, but also bent shapes with different milling. Due to the paraffin impregnation of MDF, the board has water-repellent properties, which allows expanding the scope of its application. In most cases, the fine fraction is used in the production of the facade part.
Fibreboard is a composite material made from wood chips, wood dust and chips, with the addition of synthetic resins, paraffin and rosin. The composition is pressed and covered with a laminate. The thickness of fiberboard boards, as a rule, does not exceed 4 mm. Used as back side and back walls.
Compatibility with other materials
Among all furniture materials, chipboard is the most versatile. The photo below confirms that chipboard goes well with any solidsubstances.
The classic furniture set is considered to be a case made of chipboard, the back wall is made of fiberboard and the front part is made of MDF.
In addition to the above materials, furniture production uses natural wood, glass, aluminum, which also get along well with the base material.
Tips for choosing chipboard
So we figured out what chipboard is and in what areas it is used. It remains only to decide on the criteria for assessing quality.
Not all manufacturers adhere to norms and standards, so it is possible that illiquid assets can be disguised under the usual outer shell, which may be completely unsuitable for use in the furniture industry. When choosing chipboard, pay attention to price. If the cost of the chosen model is significantly lower than analogues, look for the reason. Perhaps the manufacturer decided to run a promotional campaign to attract consumer demand for the product. Or maybe they decided to sell you a product with a defect. It is possible that defective material for a low price (for example, for construction work) will suit you, but you should be notified of all the pros and cons.
Inspect the material for integrity. On the surface of the plate there should be no cracks and chips, the decorative coating should be smooth, without scratches. Be sure to inspect the edges of the sheet. Their thickness should not be greater than the thickness of the main surface, otherwise this fact will indicate swelling of the material. Swollen chipboard is completely unsuitable forfurniture production, as its filling becomes loose, making it difficult to use fasteners.
