MEDIUM DENSITY

FIBRERBOARD

Mohammed Sharafulla
140909830
 INTRODUCTION
Medium density fiberboard (MDF) is a generic term for a panel primarily composed of
lignocelluloses fibers combined with a synthetic resin. The panels are compressed to a
density of 0.50 to 0.80 specific gravity (31-50 lb. /ft.3) Additives may be introduced
during manufacturing to improve certain properties. Because fiberboard can be cut into
a wide range of sizes and shapes, applications are many, including industrial packing,
displays, exhibits, toys and games, furniture and cabinets.

The surface of MDF is flat, smooth, uniform, dense, and free of knots and grain patterns,
making finishing operations easier and consistent. The homogeneous edge of MDF
allows intricate and precise machining and finishing techniques.. Improved stability and
strength are important assets of MDF, with stability contributing to holding precise
tolerances in accurately cut parts. It is an excellent substitute for solid wood in many
interior applications. Furniture manufacturers are also embossing the surface with three-
dimensional designs, since MDF has such an even texture and consistent properties.
.
 HISTORY
• Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) was first developed in the United States during 1960s,
with production starting in Deposit, New York. A similar product, hardboard (compressed
fiberboard), was accidentally invented by William Mason in 1925, while he was trying to
find a use for the huge quantities of wood chips that were being discarded by lumber
mills.
• MDF is an engineered wood product made by breaking down hardwood and forming
panels by applying high temperature and Pressure. MDF is generally denser than Play
wood. It is made up of separated fibers, but can be used as a building material similar in
application to plywood. It is stronger and much denser than Particle board.
• The name derives from the distinction in densities of fiber-board. Large-scale production
of MDF began in the 1980s, in both North America and Europe.
• The MDF market has grown rapidly in the United States over the past 10 years. Shipments
increased 62% and plant capacity grew by 60%. Today, over a billion square feet
(93million sq m) of MDF is consumed in America every year. World MDF capacity
increased 30% in 1996 to over 12 billion square feet (1.1billion sq m), and there are now
over 100 plants in operation
 MANUFACTURING PROCESS

• MDF is a kind of excellent substitute for natural wood panel with wide application.
Materials such as wood and other plant fiber after being added suitable urea
formaldehyde resin or other adhesives forms 450-880 kg/m3 panels on hot press. The
panels are characterized with tight and smooth surface, uniform core layer and good
wood working performance.
• MDF is a wood based composite. The primary constituent is a softwood that has been
broken down into wood fibers; that is the very cells (tracheid's, vessels, fibers and fiber
tracheid's), which are far smaller entities than those used in particleboard. In Australia
the main species used in the production of MDF is plantation grown radiate pine, but a
wide variety of softwood species will constitute a suitable base for MDF production,
though if too many species are used too great a variation in the properties of the finished
MDF will result. Other materials successfully used have been waste paper, randomly
collected waste wood and bamboo.
 DEBARKING
• Once the MDF plant with the bark, as could any fibrous material, but for
optimization of the final product the bark is removed to; decrease equipment
damaging grit, allow faster drainage of water during mat formation, decrease
organic waste load by 10-15 has obtained suitable logs, the first process is
debarking. The logs could be used %, stabilize pH levels ( reduces corrosion of
tools ) and increase surface finish. The most popular debarked used in MDF
manufacture is a ring debarked (shown above), though roster head and drum
debunkers can be used. In some manufacturing plants the debarking process is
not important as the plant obtains chips rather than logs. The chips can come
from the waste of another operation or from logs chipped in the forest. A Cambia
ring debarked can operate at feeds of up to one ton per minute, the logs being
typically 2 to 2.5 m in length. The tool heads, held in place pneumatically or by
springs, rotate about the logs and rip off nearly all the bark, and do little damage
to the log. The waste bark can be sold, for landscaping or to power on-site
furnaces (Environmental Considerations).
 CHIPPING

Though some plants accept chips directly from other operations, chipping is typically done at
the MDF plant. A disc chipper, containing anything from four to sixteen blades, is used. The
blades are arranged radially on a plate and the spinning plate is faced perpendicularly to the
log feed. The feed speed of the logs, the radial speed of the knife plate, the protrusion
distance of the knives and the angle of the knifes, control the chip size. The chips are then
screened and those that are oversized may be re chipped, and those that are undersized used
as fuel. Stockpiles of several hundred tones of chips are maintained. There may be a blending
of chips from different sources or timber species to enhance certain properties.
 PULPING

• MDF takes much of its characteristics from the fact that it uses wood cells,
(tracheid's, vessels, fibers and fiber- tracheid's), rather than particles. This can be
done by a Masonite gun Process, Atmospheric or Pressurized Disk refiner.. The
chips are compacted using a screw feeder into small plugs which are heated for
30 to 120 seconds (this softens the wood), then fed into the defiberator
circumference.
• The feeding devices at the entrance and exit to the defibrillator maintain suitably
high pressure and temperature (about 1500 C). The high temperatures lower the
energy required to the fiberated wood as there is a softening of lignin that
facilitates fiber separation along the middle lamella. The steam is then separated
from the pulp; the total time in the de fiberator is about one minute. They pulp
may pass through a secondary refiner to ensure the fibers meet pre-determined
levels of freeness. The resulting pulp is light, fine, fluffy and light in
 THE BLOW LINE

• After the fiberation fibers enter the blow line. The blow line is initially only 40mm
in diameter with the fibers passing through at high velocity. Wax, used to improve
the moisture resistance of the finished board, and resin are added in the blow
line while the fibers are still wet, as dry fibers would form bundles, due to hydro
bonding, and material consistency would be lost. The blow line now expands to
1500mm in diameter and fibers are dried by heating coils warming the blow line
to about 550 F. The air-fiber ratio is about 500 cubic ft/lb with air speed of 500
ft/min though the air is still humid and the resin does not yet cure. The agitation
of fibers in the blow line helps disperse resin consistently. Exit temperature is
about 180 F. The fibers may be stored in bins for an unspecified length of time
but the board making process is usually continuous from here on. The Moisture
Content of the fibers is 12%, and thus this is considered a dry process.
 MAT FORMATION

In order to form a continuous and consistent mat the following problems must be overcome: the fact
that considerable air velocities must be maintained to suspend fibers, fiber/air suspension does not
flow laterally on a horizontal support and fiber form lumps. One way of overcoming this is a Pendistor.
Impulses of air act on the fiber as it falls down the shaft to a vacuum box at the start of the conveyor
belt that carries the mat. The oscillatory action on the fibbers spreads them uniformly into a mat and
they begin their run on the conveyor belt at between 230-610 mm thick.
  PRESSING

The mat can either be laterally cut to size as it leaves the pendistor or it can be cut half way
through its run by a synchronized flying cut off saw. The density profile of the the panel is critical
to achieving satisfactory strength properties. Concentrating mass, and hence load bearing ability,
at the top and bottom of the board means that inertial properties are maximized and the greatest
strength can be obtained for minimal weight. The pressure may reach 3500 MPa and be heated to
over 200 C. Thicker boards may require up to 750 MPa and additional steam or radio frequency heating.
The MDF in some plants uses a hot press with seven daylight openings to accommodate reasonable
production rates.
 FINISHING

After pressing boards are cooled in a star dryer and final trimmed and sanded. They are
given a few days storage to allow complete curing of resins. The boards are commonly
given a colored melamine laminate, though natural wood veneers and raw MDF are
common.
 COMPARISON WITH NATURAL WOODS

• MDF does not contain knots or rings, making it more uniform than natural woods
during cutting and in service. However, MDF is not entirely isotropic, since the
fibres are pressed tightly together through the sheet. Typical MDF has a hard, flat,
smooth surface that makes it ideal for veneering, as there is no underlying grain
to telegraph through the thin veneer as with plywood. A so-called "Premium"
MDF is available that features more uniform density throughout the thickness of
the panel.
• MDF may be glued, doweled or laminated. Typical fasteners are T-nuts and pan-
head machine screws. Smooth-shank nails do not hold well, and neither do fine-
pitch screws, especially in the edge.
THE MDF PLANT PROCESS
PARTICLES:
1.Raw material properties influence many board properties, including board density,
strength and stiffness etc.
2.Can also influence the manufacturing process....

1.Wood:
Virgin wood, mainly softwood, but other species can be used

2 Non-wood:
Agricultural by products

ADDITIVES:
• Waxes(reduction in moisture uptake)
Emulsion
Molten was
• Fungicides
• Flame retardants
Basics steps in the process:
• Raw material prepared.
• Converted into particles.
• Particles dried.
• Particles classified.
• Blended with a resin and additives.
• Particle/resin/additive blend ("furnish") is formed into a mattress.
• Hot pressed to compact the particles together and curve the resin.
• Cooled and finished.

Properties
• Importance of properties depends on applications
• Range of different physical, mechanical and other properties, including:
• Strength
• Stiffness
• Density
• Surface hardness
• Screw holding
1.RAW MATERIAL PREPARATION
•Debarking undertaken to remove bark which can reduce the properties
of particle board if present in quantities more than a few percent.
Rotary debarked
Drum debarked
•Sorting classification of waste wood for further processing
•Removal of metallic and other contaminants

2. CONVERSION TO PARTICLES (CHIPPING)

Aim to manufacture a homogeneous product
Need therefore to produce chips of a suitable size and shape to form for the furnish for
the board
3.PARTICLE DRYING

• Typically final MC of chips in the region of 2.5% after dying ,but before resin
blending
• Drying is a Big consumer of energy Particle drying
• Optimization of MC Important : too much and this will cause problems with board
blows, too little will lead to poor heat transfer in the press and incomplete resin
cure, resulting in poor mechanical properties
• Driers work on the principle of passing the Particles through a stream of hot air
(180-200°C)
4.PARTICLE CLASSIFICATION
• Control Particle size distribution -important so as to optimize the position and size of the
Particles relative to their position in the board - small Particles on the surface, bigger
Particles in the core
• Need to ensure that the board is "balanced”, i.e. the same amount of surface Particles
on both faces of the board (c.f. Plywood). Otherwise may result in distortion of the
board.
5. A RESIN AND ADDITIVES
• Resins frequently manufactured on site, particularly UF and MUF, Storage
conditions and duration Important to prevent degradation (short shelf-life)
• Other additives ( e.g. Waxes, fungicides, flame retardants) may be blended in at
the same time typically ,wax is added at around 0.5-1.0% (solid on OD Wood)

6. PARTICLE/RESINBLEND ("FURNISH") IS FORMED INTO A

MATTRESS
PRE- PRESSING & HOT- PRESSING
Pre-pressing
• Pre- pressing of the furnish to reduce the bull and give some mechanical strength to the
mattress
• Hot-pressing, to finally consolidate the board and cure the adhesive. Density profile
generated during hot-pressing
• Various types of press, the most common being a continuous press.
• Pre-pressing may be cold or hot , Important not to pre- cure the resin, but can help in
getting heat energy into the mattress.

Hot-pressing

• Main mechanism for consolidation of the mattress, the development of the board
internals structure ( in combination with forming etc..) and curing the adhesive binding
the Particles together
• Pressing may be batch-wise in a single or multi opening press, or in a continuous press
COOLING AND FINISHING
• At exit from press, adhesive curved sufficiently to retain board integrity
• Some further "curing" may take place (used to be common to "hot stack" finished
panels to cure the resin further)
• Panels need to be cooled before finishing (e.g. Sanding) as if done too soon,
board properties may be affected and tools will become clogged.
• On exit boards trimmed before cooling
QUALITY CONTROL

• Most MDF plants use computerized process control to monitor each

manufacturing step and to maintain product quality .In combination with
continuous weight belts, basis weight gauges, density profile monitors, and
thickness gauges, product consistency is maintained. In addition, the American
National Standards Institute has established product specifications for each
application, as well as formaldehyde emission limits. As environmental
regulations and market conditions continue to change, these standards are
revised
• The most recent standard for MDF, ANSI standard A 208.2, is the third version of
this industry standard. This standard classifies MDF by density and use (interior or
exterior) and identifies four interior product grades. Specifications identified
include physical and mechanical properties, dimensional tolerances, and
formaldehyde emission limits
THANK YOU