Islamic University of Gaza

Faculty of Engineering
Mechanical Engineering Department

Wood-Plastic Manufacturing and Production Line

Requirements.

Prepared by:
Faisal F. Al-Safadi

120101964

Mahmoud N. Murad
Maisara A. Habeil

120102509
120101035

Wood-Plastic Composites (WPCs) are composite materials made

of wood fiber/wood flour and thermoplastic(s) (includes Polyethylene
(PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) etc.).
Chemical additives seem practically "invisible" (except mineral fillers and
pigments, if added) in the composite structure. They provide for integration
of polymer and wood flour (powder) while facilitating optimal processing
conditions.
In addition to wood fiber and plastic, WPCs can also contain other lignocellulosic and/or inorganic filler materials. WPCs are a subset of a larger
category of materials called natural fiber plastic composites (NFPCs), which
may
contain
no cellulose-based
fiber
fillers
such
as
pulp
fibers, peanut hulls, bamboo, straw, digestate, etc.

Production
Wood Plastic Composites (WPCs) are produced by thoroughly mixing ground
wood particles and heated thermoplastic resin. The most common method of
production is to extrude the material into the desired shape, though injection
molding is also used. WPCs may be produced from either virgin or recycled
thermoplastics including PVC, PP. Polyethylene (PE) based WPCs are by far
the most common. Additives such as colorants, coupling agents, UV
stabilizers, blowing agents, foaming agents, and lubricants help tailor the
end product to the target area of application. Extruded WPCs are formed into
both solid and hollow profiles. A large variety of injection molded parts are
also produced, from automotive door panels to cell phone covers.
In some manufacturing facilities, the constituents are combined and
processed in a pelletizing extruder, which produces pellets of the new
material. The pellets are then re-melted and formed into the final shape.
Other manufacturers complete the finished part in a single step of mixing
and extrusion.

1. Prepare and Mix Ingredients

The wood flour used in WPCs has to contain far less moisture than one
would find in nature, so before going into the hopper, it gets heated and
dried until it's almost free of water. At the same time, the plasticwhich

looks like soap flakesis heated to a liquid state. (That's why it's typically
called "resin.") Those ingredients are mixed along with additives until the
plastic is considered to have thoroughly covered (or "encapsulated") the
wood flour. If you're making PVC products, there's no wood flour used, so
only plastics and additives get mixed. Ingredients for a top coat, or
capstock, on WPCs are mixed separately.
Capstocks don't have wood flour, but
exactly what each company puts in is a
closely guarded secret. Basically, it's a
plastic with additives like colorants.

2. Extrude the Mixture

The heated mix is pushed through a die
that typically contains a series of four to eight computer-cut metal plates.
These progressively shape the product into the desired configuration: a
deck, a piece of trim, a railing component. The capstock mixture gets
introduced into the die near the final plates, after the core's shape has
been formed. WPCs and PVCs get bigger as they leave the die. This
expansion is known as free foaming. At this point, some manufacturers
move the extruded product immediately into a vacuum chamber. That
process keeps the free foam expansion from taking place and instead
yields a hard crust on the surface and softer material inside. This Celuka
process is often used to produce products that have to meet tight
standards on size variations.

3. Cool What's Produced

The extruded product has the right shape but is
still so hot it's barely stiffer than a licorice whip.
Stiffness comes as the product cools. Most
manufacturers do this by spraying water on the
product as it's pulled down the line, but it's a
fine

art;

misdirected

spray

can

cause

unreached sections to bulge. At least one

manufacturer cools its decking with air alone, sending the product on a
circuitous trip up and down several
adjacent lanes, like going through an
airport security line. Another applies
giant cooling wheels to each side of
the

product.

By

this

point,

manufacturers have a good idea of

how the end product will look. Often
they're unhappy; it's not unusual to
reject as much as one-eighth of the
output. The discards are set aside to be reground and put back into the
mix.
4. Imprint, Treat, Cut, Stack
By now, the product has cooled to the point where its surface can get
imprinted with a faux-wood finish. Typically this is applied with a big wheel
that contains a grain pattern. Depending on the manufacturer, this
pattern can be set up to repeat after so many feet orby moving the
board left or right under a wide wheelcan make the grain on one board in
a pallet nearly unique from others. Here also is where manufacturers
apply

more

additives,

particularly

those

designed to keep the product from fading

when it is put out in the sun. After that, the
product is reinspected, cut to desired length,
and stacked. Often it's still warm. Problems
have been known to crop up if it hasn't been
given time to completely cool before it's put
on a truck and heads out the door to you.

PE/PP WPC Profile Extrusion Line

Product Details
Price: $25000.0 - $300000.0 / Set

 Extruders
The extruder is the heart of the wpc lumber processing system, and the
primary purpose of the extruder is to melt the polymer and mix the
polymer, wood and additives in a process referred to as compounding. In
addition, the extruder conveys the compounded wood-polymer mixture
through the die. There are four primary types of extrusion systems used
to process wpc lumber. These are the 1) single screw, 2) corotating twin
screw, 3) counter -rotating twin screw, and 4) Woodtruder . Cost for an
extruder can vary from $150,000 for a simple single screw extruder to
over $1 million for a complete wood plastic composite lumber extrusion
system

Wood Plastic Composite Profile Extruding Machine

Specification:

Finished Products: