The equipment listed in the following pages does not represent
the complete inventory or capability of the Engineered Composites Science
Research Work Unit. The intent of this list is to highlight our major process
capabilities. The Engineered Composites Science Research Work Unit works
closely with other work units at the Forest Products Laboratory and with the
University of Wisconsin Madison. As such, variations and equipment combinations
specific to a user’s needs can generally be assembled.
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Pallman 8” x 30”, 7.5 horsepower. Used in making non-grain
oriented flakes for flake board and oriented strand board. |
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CAE 30” disc, 20 horsepower. Used in making large
batches of grain oriented flakes for flakeboard and oriented strand
board. |
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15 horsepower. Used to reduce a variety of wood and nonwood materials. |
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12” x 9”, 5 horsepower. Used to reduce a variety of wood
and nonwood materials. |
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Serrated roll type. 10 horsepower. Twin horizontal serrated rolls,
one coarse and one fine, are oriented in a vertical stack. Used to crush
wood to make splinter particles of wood and other lignocellulosic materials. |
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Special Note: The Forest Products Laboratory
also has various pressurized and non-pressurized refiners to make pulp
and medium density fiberboard grade wood fiber. |
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Fiber and
Flake Processing
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48” Diameter x 36” Deep air spray equipped for applying
binders and other chemicals to wood fiber for composite manufacture. |
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48” x 18” air spray equipped for applying binders and other
chemicals to lignocellulosics for composite manufacture.
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12 cubic ft, paddle style blender for applying binders and other chemicals
to lignocellulosic fibers and flakes for the manufacture of lignocellulosic
composites. |
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Recirculating system using 10-inch diameter pipe, a 5 HP Paddle Fan,
diverters, and a cyclone, capable of applying resin and adding or removing
moisture. |
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Hobart Mixer |
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Mixer--38 Cubic Feet
38 cubic ft. pin mixer. For the mixing of lignocellulosic materials
and inorganic binders to make inorganic bonded composites. |
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Mixer--10 Cubic Feet
10 cubic ft. mortar type mixer. For the mixing of lignocellulosic and
inorganic binders to make inorganic bonded composites. |
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Oven--Under 50° C
Operating temperature: Under 50° C. Approved Use: Solid wood and
wood chips. |
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Oven--Under 150° C
Operating temperature: Up to 105 ° C. Approved Use: Solid wood,
wood chips, and wood fiber composites. |
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Oven--Under 150° C
Operating temperature: Up to 105°C. Approved Use: Solid wood, wood
chips, and wood composites. |
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5 ft. x 6 ft. Steam heated for drying large quantities of flakes and
fiber. |
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HEAT-PRO Industrial Oven. 115.5 cubic ft., 24 trays. Tray Capacity:
100lbs. Maximum Temperature: 250°F. For drying treated and untreated
flakes and fiber and Wood Plastic Composite Pellets. |
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Prater Industries, 26” x 60”. Capable of separating flakes
and fiber into five different fractions. |
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22” x 48”. Capable of separating flakes and fiber into
three different fractions. |
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Rando-Webber mat forming machine. Capable of 12” non-woven mats
of continuous length. The Rando-Webber can process a wide variety of
wood and non-wood materials and fibers. Originally designed for the
non-woven textile industry, the Rando-Webber method of web forming has
been adopted by many composite board and molded product producers. |
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Collects dust from vacuum assisted mat formers. |
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24” x 24” vacuum assisted. For the manual lay-up of fiberboard
and particleboard mats. |
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36” x 36” vacuum assisted. For the manual lay-up of fiberboard
and particleboard mats. |
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20” x 20” vacuum assisted. For the manual lay-up of fiberboard
and particleboard mats. |
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34” x 34” for the mechanized lay-up of flake board and
oriented strand board mats. |
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Williams-White & Co. Open height: 14”. Close rate: 48”/min.
Steam heated platens, 415°F. Hydraulic operation, 100 ton, 1760
psi. Computer operated programmable controls. |
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Nordberg. Open height: 14”. Close Rate: 28”/min. Electrically
heated oil plattens, 500°F. Computer operated programmable ramp
controller. Capable of steam and other chemical injection. Hydraulic
operation, 500 ton, 1950 psi. |
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Williams-White & Co. Open height: 12”. Close rate: 28”/min.
Steam heated plattens, 381°F. Hydraulic operation, 625 ton, 1950
psi. |
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Williams-White & Co. Open height: 24”. Close rate: 7.2”/min.
Steam heated platens, 381°F. Hydraulic Operation, 1272 tons, 2500
psi. |
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Williams-White & Co. Open height: 20”. Close rate: 111”/min.
Steam heated platens, 400°F. Hydraulic operation, 3250 tons, 2000
psi. |
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Melt Blend Wood Fiber/Plastic
Processing Equipment
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Synergistic Industries 1 liter capacity thermokinetic type mixer (fully
fluxing) with infra-red sensor for temperature controlled pneumatic
discharge. Variable Speed. Water cooled. 40 horsepower. |
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24” x 24”. Williams-White & Co. Open height: 12”.
Close rate: 8.9”/min. Hydraulic operation, 5 ton, 900 psi. Used
to press molten material from K-Mixer |
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Ball and Jewel BP-68-scs deluxe beside-the-press granulator. 6” x
8” cutting chamber with double scissors-cut open rotor (3 rotary
and 2 stationary heavy duty blades). Fully enclosed with interlocks.
3/16” and 5/16” screens. |
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30 ton reciprocating screw injection molder for thermoplastics; 2
oz. shot size; max. injection pressure of 25,000 psi. Microprocessor-based
control unit with CRT display and printer. Holding pressure. Molds include
ASTM standard mold, spiral mold, end-gated variable depth disc mold
(4" in diameter), 1/4" X 3" X 5" end-gated rectangular
plaque mold -- all with mold heating capacity. |
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Twin screw. For compounding and processing woodfiber/plastic composites.
Integrated gravimetric feed system with master controller. Downstream
equipment for small profiles and pelletizing. |
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3.5” barrier single screw with a 24:1 L/D. Converts solid thermoplastic
feed materials into a molten state and pumps the molten polymer through
heads or dies. 100-300 lbs/hr output typical. |
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Form extruded material into the desired end product. Decking die cross
sectional area: 5” x 1.25”. Small rectangular die cross
sectional area: 5” by 0.5”. |
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Decking Die |
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Small Rectangular Die
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MSBHI high intensity spray tank optimizes cooling of plastic profiles
through the use of high intensity spraying systems. Spray nozzles @
30-45psi. Integral water reservoir built into the bottom of the octagon
shaped tank. |
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Opti Temp chiller is a re-circulating system designed to provide a
continuous supply of heat transfer fluid (water) at a constant temperature
and flow rate. System consists of a refrigeration system, fluid pump,
fluid reservoir, and a Proportional Integral Derivative (P.I.D) controller.
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This Conair 3 hp belt puller is designed to consistently pull small
to medium-sized extruded products through the spray tank. Belt width
of 6 in. Traction length of 39 in. |
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Extrusion-travelling cut-off saws designed for the in-line cutting
of the profiles. Saws are suitable for a wide range of accurate cut-to-length
applications. |
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Special Note: The Forest Products Laboratory has close ties with UW-Madison.
Scientists in the Performance Designed Composites Research Work Unit have
full access to the University’s plastic processing laboratories. |
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Antaris Near-IR analyzer with RESULT software.Provides tools for analyzing
most liquid and solid samples, ranging from films, powders, and tablets
to free-flowing liquids, semi-solids, and pastes. |
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Universal test machine for tensile and compressive tests up to 1000
lbf. Typically used for ASTM D1037 Internal Bond testing
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Denver Instrument IR-200. Samples are heated using infrared heat to
liberate moisture and other volatiles while continuously weighing the
sample with an integral precision electronic balance until endpoint
conditions are met. |
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Capable of capturing thickness and mass of samples electronically into
spreadsheets or databases on a networked computer. |
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MTS servo hydraulic universal testing machine with 100 kN capacity
in static and dynamic loading; computer control of load, stroke and
strain, computer controlled data acquisition, and data processing; environmental
chamber for testing at conditions between 27°C and 160°C and
from dry to saturated moisture conditions. |
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Quintek Measurement Systems. Capable of performing both vertical density
profiles and Cross-board density profiles on ASTM D1037 standard bending
specimens. |
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Dynatup model 8250. Gravity driven, instrumented impact tester. Impact
velocities from 0.61 to 3.66 m/sec (2 to 12 ft/sec) Impactor weights
from 2.5 to 45.5 kg (5.5 to 100 lbs). Computer control and data acquisition
system; time, load, deflection, velocity, and energy determined over
entire impact event. |
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In addition to the testing capabilities, specimens can be
conditioned to almost any temperature and humidity in the Forest Products
Laboratory’s
many conditioning rooms. |
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