Sonae Arauco launches 3D fibreboard
16 May 2019International wood-based panels manufacturer Sonae Arauco has launched a 3D fibreboard to challenge bendable plywood products.
The product, called 3DF, has already been trialled with customers in Germany and Portugal and is being entered for an Interzum Award.
The thermoformable board can be shaped into a large number of formats with temperature and pressure (compression moulding process), allowing deep structures and high radius capabilities in a “very fast and productive way”, according to the company.
Sonae Arauco says the technology allows the replacement of historical processes such as plywood bending and CNC (computer assisted cutting process), bringing improvements in terms of productivity, quality, design possibilities and environmental impact.
Applications include furniture fronts, doors, seats, wall panelling or in other applications such as construction or even in the automotive sector. The company says the product surface is suitable for lacquering and powder coating and can also be surfaced with 3D foil or CPL directly at the moulding process.
“The 3DF breakthrough technology is a perfect fit to our strategy by bringing new innovative solutions to the market through strategic industrial partnerships and by taking wood further,” said Adelaide Alves, product development director at Sonae Arauco.
“Additionally, 3DF also responds to the new requirements of the furniture industry, bringing an improved environmental impact.”
The product has already being successfully tested and used by some of Sonae Arauco industrial partners like Light Weight Solutions Gmbh, Kreutzfeldt Gmbh and Jetclass Group. 3DF is industrially produced on Sonae Arauco MDF lines.
