The Asian market in particular sees the U-flaker concept as revolutionary as it is a great response to the high value placed on hybrid board production. These special boards combine a core layer that consists of long and particularly thin flakes with a fine particleboard surface layer.
The U-flaker, developed by Siempelkamp’s subsidiary Pallmann, sets new standards for this type of board both in terms of product quality and resource efficiency. Knife shafts using the one-step flaking process yield a superior flake quality with a good bending strength, which means that boards made from this type of flakes are also characterised by a good bending strength. The flakes are cut in parallel to the grain to produce longer average lengths and thinner flakes that are of a greater quality. Board weight is reduced by 10-15%. Glue consumption along with the electrical installed power are significantly reduced when compared with the classic two-stage process – which also means lower investments and operating costs for plant operators.
This process allows the use of smaller log diameters of less than 80mm and other wood assortments that would otherwise not be suitable for other direct flaking processes. Thanks to flaking by knife shafts, an excellent wood finish can be produced from almost any starting material. The U-flaker in Shuyang may therefore be used with almost any type of raw material, such as logs, slabs and cores from the veneer peeling process.