Still little known in Spain, the wood-plastic compound (WPC) is on the rise in Europe and is one of Siepla’s bets for the future. The Barcelona-based company, which markets machines for processing thermoplastics, will focus some of its promotional activities next year on its extrusion lines for WPC.
We believe that the WPC has a long way in Europe. However, few companies have dared and that is why there are still no large-scale applications, says Juan Puig, director of Siepla.
WPC is a combination of sawdust (or other cellulose fibers, such as peanut shells, straw or bamboo) and virgin or recycled plastic (PVC, PE, ABS, PS and PLA can be used). The compound is obtained through two extrusion lines: one to prepare the granule of the wood-plastic mixture and the other to produce the final product (profiles, panels, etc.).
For the first phase of the process, there are already dozens of chemical companies selling the pellets but still at very high prices. What’s interesting here is to make the WPC.
For the first phase of the manufacturing process, Siepla provides a corotative twin-screw extruder to obtain these pellets and, in the second phase of the process, it is a conical extruder that is needed for best results in the process. final product design.
The problem today is the investment to follow all its steps in the manufacturing process, which remains very high. But we bet that the market will generate the WPC applications and that it will start to become popular, commented Puig.
In 2007, it is estimated that the volume of extruded WPC reached 66 000 tonnes in Europe and could double by 2010.
Among the most popular applications in countries such as Australia, China and the United States, there are pieces for street furniture (floors and benches, outdoor theaters, playgrounds, etc.), blankets for swimming pools and kitchen counters, etc. The good qualities for these types of applications, both indoors and outdoors, are the natural color of the wood, as well as the strength and durability of the plastic. In addition, the furniture made in WPC require little maintenance and have a nice finish.