Timber supplier's improved process saves half their lamination cycle time

A recent success case shows our our technical support enabled a Timber supplier to save half their lamination cycle time

Key Infomation

Lamination cycle time halved

Client’s output doubled

BACKGROUND

The client is a specialist joinery manufacturer. It works with a range of timbers including accoya, a durable hardwood modified for use in joinery construction.

OPPORTUNITY

They had won a lucrative contract to deliver laminated accoya for a luxury joinery construction project.

CHALLENGE

The speciaslist joinery's client was seeking to sit laminated timber within and over water for a beachfront hotel. This required laminated accoya - a highly durable product which would need to withstand the elements and loading. Added to this, their client was working to a tight timeframe to deliver the build.

As a natural product, timber experiences dimensional movement; expanding and contracting as temperatures and humidity rise or drop. This means accoya requires an adhesive able to resist dimensional movement and constant immersion in water

Having worked with accoya for 13+ years, we knew which adhesive typically delivers optimum results for lamination - Prefere 4050 - a Phenol Resorcinol Formaldehyde (PRF) Structural Weatherproof Adhesive. However, as they were working with structural pieces, these were too large to fit in a standard press, so would have to rely on ambient temperatures for the curing process. The length of time required for curing at ambient temperature was longer than Oaktree could allow.

Successful bonding – 'whether as veneering or laminating - requires four key elements: the right adhesive, correct application and consistent coverage, optimum press cycle pressure and time to cure the adhesive'

FINDINGS:

DISCOVER

We reviewed the specification and sizes of structural pieces to be produced, the space available for production processes, and the timeframes required (two press loads of product each day).

RECOMMEND

We recommended an alternative adhesive - Prefere 4040 (PRF) - to deliver the required results for a faster curing time at ambient temperatures. We also recommended use of a cramping system to ensure even pressure during the cure cycle.

SOLUTION:

TRIAL

Trials were established to identify the optimum pressure and cycle time for the curing process, finding that the accoya could, typically, be laminated in a 5-6-hour cycle – half the time required for the Prefere 4050 PRF

As they were tasked with producing a wide range of sections, including laminations made up of two, three or four layers of timber, we also advised on exact amounts of adhesive for each size and depth.

IMPLEMENT

We delivered further technical support around recommended processes, identifying that semi-automatic mixing of the adhesive would ensure efficient project management and resource usage.

Once the project got underway, our client saw further benefits from Prefere 4040 PRF. As this long-running project began in the summer months, the adhesive demonstrated immediate results and advantages at warmer ambient temperatures. When ambient temperatures dropped through the winter, Oaktree could continue to deliver the same specification of timber in the same timeframes.