Chipboard production: equipment and options for laminating technologies. Profitable business: chipboard production. chipboard laminating technology and equipment Chipboard press

Chipboard- Chipboard - sheet composite material produced by hot pressing of waste wood and woodworking, mainly shavings, sawdust, with a binder of non-mineral origin. If you need special properties for Chipboard or due to the peculiarities of the technological process, special additives can be introduced into the composition, in the amount of 6 - 8% of the mass of the main filler (chips).

In English, the concept of chipboard sounds like this: particle board, which literally means - Board of Particles.

The history of the creation of chipboard.

It is believed that the progenitor of chipboard was Ernst Hubbard, who proposed the idea of ​​creating a new material, previously unknown to science, from sawdust and casein glue. Back in 1887, Hubbard made his dreams come true and presented the first prototype of chipboard to the public. The inventions of the inventor were to the taste of his colleagues, and already in 1918 another experimental model was created - a veneer plate. Nowadays, chipboard laminated is available to everyone. But at the time of M. Beckman, who first dressed chipboard in veneer, only privileged persons could afford such products.

A landmark moment in the history of chipboard occurred in 1926. At this time, the German scientist Freudenberg derived the formula for the "ideal" chipboard and calculated the optimal ratio between the binder and sawdust. According to his calculations, the wood-shaving "semi-finished product" should have contained from 3 to 10% of a viscous substance. Later, the conclusions of the scientist were somewhat corrected, so today the composition of particle boards includes from 6 to 8% of formaldehyde resins. By the way, in the production of chipboard, resinous compounds began to be used only in 1933, 7 years after Freudenberg's fundamental calculations.

Our compatriots also worked, though not at home. In 1935, in France, an emigrant Alexei Samsonov made the first oriented particle boards (OSB - OSB), laying long strips of veneer crosswise. From the same year, in the state of Iowa, an experimental plant for the production of boards on a phenolic binder by Ernst Lötscher began its work.

Much later, a moisture-resistant chipboard was produced, which included paraffin compounds.

At present, particle boards are the most popular material. The main advantages of chipboard are low cost and ease of processing.

Chipboard is made from pressed large wood chips with the addition of a thermosetting synthetic resin as a binder.

A full-fledged raw material for chipboard is any low-value wood, both coniferous and hardwood. The use of roundwood is being reduced by the use of materials such as wood chips, sawdust and recycled wood. Often, all types of raw materials go into the production of chipboard at the same time, or in mixed forms. The presence of water-repellent, antiseptic and other additives determines the strength and durability of the material.

Chipboard production, technological process.


(photo from the site: elo.ru)

1. Processing of raw materials.

  • receiving or unloading chips, grinding large raw materials.
  • sorting chips by fractions.
  • cleaning chips from impurities.

At the exit - shavings. (photo from the site: pkko.ru)

For the preparation of raw materials, industrial grinders or crushers are used, for example, like this hammer crusher DMR-600-10-55 (link to manufacturer's website). This is a small crusher, in large industries they use more, but the principle is the same.

Crusher video.

Various vibrating screens are used for sorting.

The raw chips produced are stored in bunkers, where they are fed by a pneumatic transport system or mechanical conveyors. Raw shavings are fed from bunkers to dryers.

2. Drying of raw materials.

For drying chips, drying complexes are used, like this one.


(photo from website: www.equipnet.ru )

It is necessary to dry the chips to a moisture content of 4-6%, and for the inner layer - up to 2-4%. Therefore, chips of different layers are dried in separate dryers. In the production of chipboard, as a rule, convective drum-type dryers are used. In the furnace of the dryer, gas or fuel oil is burned, the temperature in it is 900 -1000 ° C. at the entrance to the drum. The temperature of the drying agent reaches 450-550°C, at the exit it is from 90 to 120°C. The drum has a diameter of 2.2 m and a length of 10 m, it is installed with a slope of 2-3° towards the entry of wet chips.

3.Resin.

The preparation of resinous chips takes place in continuous mixers, in which the binder is sprayed through a series of nozzles, each connected to a dosing pump. With the help of a screw shaft, the pitched chips are moved to another zone, where they are mixed with blades. Example: Mixer DSM-7. Manufacturer of the equipment shown: Vologda Machine Tool Plant ( www.vsz.ru).

This is the most complex and responsible one, since the production technology requires each chip to be coated with a binder. Unresined chips do not stick together, and excess resin on the chips leads to excessive use of the binder and poor board quality. The binder is fed into the mixer in the form of solutions. Their concentration in the flow of the outer layer is 53-55%, the inner layer is slightly higher (60-61%).

4. Forming the carpet.

The formation of the carpet is carried out with the help of forming machines. Machines place the resinous shavings into a mould. In this case, the formation can be one-two-and three-layer. Three-layer carpet formation is typical for enterprises using old equipment. When using such equipment, the inner layer is made of large chips, and the outer ones are made of very small chips. Three-layer chipboard on the cut has pronounced outer layers.

It is a continuous tape of a certain width and thickness. It is divided into packages, from which they are subsequently formed during hot pressing of the plate. Naturally, the uniformity of the carpet filling directly affects the quality of the slabs (equal density, equal thickness).

5. Pressing.

Pressing and gluing chipboards is carried out in thermal presses, which is carried out at 180°C and a specific pressure of 2.5-3.5 MPa. The duration of pressing is 0.3-0.35 min per 1 mm of plate thickness.

There are two types of pressing - flat and extrusion.

With flat pressing, the press force is directed perpendicular to the plate face. In this case, the chips are located parallel to the face, which somewhat increases the mechanical strength of chipboard (although there are also opposite opinions).


Multi-storey chipboard pressing line.
During extrusion pressing, the pressure of the press is directed to the edge of the plate, and the chips are located perpendicular to the direction of the plate. The mechanical bending strength of the plate is lower in this case. Most vertical extrusion presses are classified as obsolete, although there are modern vertical presses for the production of extrusion chipboard with internal channels. This chipboard is laminated and used to make furniture and some joinery (interior doors, etc.)

Single-storey or multi-storey pressing lines are used.

  • Single-storey compacting lines of small and medium capacity for chipboard, with electronic thickness control and built-in general control system.
  • Multi-storey lines for chipboard, medium and large capacity, with mechanical or electronic thickness control and integrated general control system.

Modern multi-storey presses have hot plate sizes up to 6x3 m, up to 22 working gaps (22 chipboards are pressed simultaneously). The height of the press reaches 8 m.

6. Cooling and trimming chipboard boards.

Pressed chipboard sheets are cut to fit a given trade format. The cutting of the sheet can take place hot, immediately from under the press or after it has cooled down. In this way, hot and cold cutting are separated. Most often, cold cut is used in the production line.

The need for cooling chipboard boards is due to the fact that after unloading from the heat press, they, firstly, have a very high temperature, and secondly, they have a rather large difference in the same temperature and humidity. The humidity of the outer layers is about 2-4%, while the inner layers of chipboard contain about 10-13% moisture at this time. The difference in temperature can be about 80 degrees Celsius (105 outside and up to 180 inside). Such gradients are a source of internal stresses. During further processing of the hot plate, these stresses can lead to deformation of the plate. That is why the stove is allowed to cool in coolers.



Chipboard fan cooler. (photo from the site: kitexport.ru)
To cool chipboards, fan coolers are used, which are an installation with a large rotating drum, consisting of several tens of cells. When installing a new plate, the drum rotates by one cell: at the same time, on the other side of the cooler, a plate is removed that has already reached a temperature of about 50 degrees. The productivity of the coolers is about 200 sheets per hour: it takes about 12-15 minutes to cool one plate 19 mm thick to a temperature of 50 degrees. (quote from the site: fanera-bazar.ru)

Cutting sheets takes place on several special sizing machines .

Then the slabs are moved to an intermediate warehouse, stacked in piles, where they are kept for at least 5 days.

6.Finishing chipboard, surface and edge grinding.

Grinding machines in the production of chipboard are: four-head, six-head, eight-head. The advantage of more heads is the quality of the sanding. The more heads, the better the quality of grinding, but also the greater the consumption of electricity, the grinding belt.

Appearance of grinding equipment for chipboard.

After this stage, the slab is already ready and suitable for shipment to the consumer, as chipboard-polished or sent to the next site, for facing with various decorative coatings.

7. Packing chipboard boards on pallets.

In accordance with the requirements of the standard, the slabs are sorted, and then or cut into blanks for furniture panels, or sent to consumers in full-length.

Depending on the criteria for the appearance of the board (cracks, chips, staining, stains, protrusions and indentations), chipboard boards are divided into the following grades:

  • chipboard - 1 grade(defects are not acceptable except minimal),
  • chipboard - 2 grade(large surface defects are acceptable),
  • no grade(cardinal surface defects, used in construction).

General, transportation, conveyor.

The conveyor moves the packages, which, after passing through the pre-press, become dense, transport-resistant briquettes. Currently, two fundamentally different types of main conveyors are known in the particle board industry. They differ in that in one case the packages (and then the briquettes) are moved on metal pallets, in the other type of main conveyor - on belt conveyors when the pressing is palletless. Each main conveyor scheme has advantages and disadvantages. The pallet method is simpler and more reliable, but the plates are obtained with greater thickness variation, the consumption of thermal energy is greater. The palletless method provides some energy savings, improved board quality.

The technological process for the production of chipboard provides for strict control when using binder impregnations and therefore this material can be recognized as environmentally friendly . All types of chipboard are subject to mandatory testing for formaldehyde content.

How is formaldehyde content determined?

A chipboard sample with a surface area of ​​1 sq. m. is placed in a chamber with a volume of 1 cubic meters, and after a certain time, an air sample is taken from the chamber to determine formaldehyde in it. This sample is compared with the norms and a hygienic conclusion is given on the applicability of chipboard for furniture production. This method is called "chamber", it is considered the most effective and the bodies of the State Sanitary and Epidemiological Supervision issue their conclusions based on this test method.

Auxiliary information.

  • Laminating and laminating chipboard. Chipboard technology Chinese characters, meaning .

Can be copied with reference to the source and an active indexed hyperlink to the site

Over the past 10-15 years, particle boards have obviously become one of the most famous and widespread wood-based materials. They are the main structural material in furniture production, and recently they are gaining increasing recognition in construction, in particular in the production of low-rise buildings.

Raw materials for chipboards - various types of waste from sawmilling, logging, woodworking (slabs, slats, butts, branches, cuts, shavings, sawdust), as well as low-quality round timber. The significance of this production becomes clear: from waste and low-quality wood, a material is obtained from which high-quality, durable products are made.

All lumpy waste is crushed into chips on chippers. From chips, as well as from chips, waste and sawdust, chips are prepared on special rotary machines. Chips are made from round timber either directly from a log on machines with a knife shaft, or according to the chip-chip scheme, when chips are first made, and then chips are made from chips. Before feeding the logs to the chipper, they are cut into measured blanks (usually 1 m long).

The chips must have certain, predetermined dimensions (thickness 0.2-0.5 mm, width 1-10 mm, length 5-40 mm). The smallest chips are directed to the outer layers of the plate. In addition to observing the dimensions, it is also necessary to ensure that the chips are flat, of uniform thickness, with a flat surface. Chips for the outer layers after chippers undergo additional grinding in crushers (here the width is reduced) or in mills, where the thickness is changed. The last operation is of particular importance for boards that are finished by lamination, since in this case high demands are placed on the quality of their surface.

The raw chips produced are stored in bunkers, where they are fed by a pneumatic transport system or mechanical conveyors. Raw shavings are fed from bunkers to dryers. It is necessary to dry the chips to a moisture content of 4-6%, and for the inner layer - up to 2-4%. Therefore, chips of different layers are dried in separate dryers. In the production of particle boards, as a rule, convective dryers are used, in most cases drum type. Gas or fuel oil is burned in the furnace of the dryer; 10 m, it is installed with a slope of 2-3 ° towards the entrance of wet chips.

After drying, the chips are sorted either on mechanical (sieve) units or pneumatically. On these machines, the chips are divided into fractions for the outer and inner layers. This completes the production of chips. The author should note that this part of the technological process largely determines the success of subsequent operations, the productivity of the process, and especially the quality of the plates. Therefore, great attention is paid to the preparation of chips (the operation of equipment in this area, the qualifications of operators).

The chips are mixed with a binder in special units called mixers. This operation is complicated, since the production technology requires the coating of each chip with a binder. Unresined chips do not stick together, and excess resin on the chips leads to excessive use of the binder and poor board quality. The binder is fed into the mixer in the form of solutions. Their concentration in the flow of the outer layer is 53-55%, the inner layer is slightly higher (60-61%). At present, mixers are most common, in which the sprayed binder (particle size 30-100 microns) is directed by a torch onto a stream of chips suspended in air. These two flows are mixed, the binder is deposited on the surface of the chips. Mixers generally need fine control, which maintains strict quantitative ratios between chips, resin and hardener. After resinification, the chips are sent to forming machines by belt or scraper conveyors.

Forming machines take the resinous chips and pour them out in an even layer (carpet) on pallets or conveyor belts passing under them. The particle carpet is a continuous tape of a certain width and thickness. It is divided into packages, from which they are subsequently formed during hot pressing of the plate. Naturally, the uniformity of the carpet filling directly affects the quality of the slabs (equal density, equal thickness). In addition, forming machines must pour fine chips into the outer layers.

The conveyor moves the packages, which, after passing through the pre-press, become dense, transport-resistant briquettes. Currently, two fundamentally different types of main conveyors are known in the particle board industry. They differ in that in one case the packages (and then the briquettes) are moved on metal pallets, in the other type of main conveyor - on belt conveyors when the pressing is palletless. Each main conveyor scheme has advantages and disadvantages. The pallet method is simpler and more reliable, but the plates are obtained with greater thickness variation, the consumption of thermal energy is greater. The palletless method provides some energy savings, improved board quality. The designs of the main conveyors are described in sufficient detail in the specialized literature, and if necessary, the reader can use it to study in more detail this main technological line of chipboard factories.

The author has already mentioned that the main conveyor includes a prepress press. Prepressing is necessary to reduce the thickness of the package and increase its transportability. The thickness of the package is reduced by 2.5-4 times (more with bottomless pressing). The pressure in this case is 1-1.5 MPa when pressing on pallets and 3-4 MPa when pressing without pallets. Prepressing is usually carried out in single-deck presses, sometimes it is a mobile press, more often a stationary one.

After pre-pressing, the briquettes on pallets enter the multi-storey hydraulic press for hot pressing. In case of palletless pressing, the briquettes are laid out with a tape directly on the hot plates of the press; During pressing, the briquette is subjected to heat and pressure. The reader will obviously understand that the duration of hot pressing determines the duration of the cycle of the press and thus the productivity of the entire plant. Therefore, great attention is paid to the reduction of the pressing cycle. The cost of a hot press press, as in the production of fibreboard, is 20-25% of the cost of all plant equipment, and therefore the problem of its best use is a constant concern of plant workers, and the profession of a press operator is the most respected.

Pressing is carried out at 180°C and a specific pressure of 2.5-3.5 MPa. The duration of pressing is 0.3-0.35 min per 1 mm of plate thickness. Modern presses have hot plate sizes up to 6x3 m, up to 22 working gaps (22 chipboards are pressed simultaneously). The height of the press reaches 8 m.

Reducing the pressing cycle (increasing press productivity) is achieved by increasing the pressing temperature, using resins with a shorter curing time, and increasing the number of working gaps. These measures have been implemented at most plants, which made it possible to raise the productivity of presses from 35 to 80-85 thousand m 3 of plates per year.

The author considers it necessary to inform the reader that there are also single-storey presses. Their length of hot plates reaches 20 m, and the total length of the main conveyor is 60-70 m. When servicing it, the operator is forced to use a bicycle to move.

Finished press plates are unloaded to the receiving (unloading) rack, and from it to the line where they are cut from four sides (format cutting line). This line often includes a plate cooling unit. Then they are stacked in the foot, where they are kept for at least 5 days. Next, the plates are polished on the equipment and tools that were described above. In accordance with the requirements of the standard, the boards are sorted and then either cut into blanks for furniture boards or sent to consumers in full size.

In conclusion, we point out that 1.75-1.85 m 3 of wood, 70-80 kg of resin (in terms of dry matter), 1.4-1.5 tons of steam, 160-170 kW are consumed per 1 m 3 of chipboard -h of electricity. Labor costs are 2.5-4 man-hours per 1 m 3 .

It should be noted that the production of particle boards is constantly being improved: new types of boards, fundamentally new machines, more efficient binders appear. In particular, of interest are chipboards, the dimensions of which in length and width are tens of millimeters; the chips are located in the plane of the plate. This ensures high strength of the plates for static bending,
which is important for their application in construction. Such boards (from oriented large format chips) are successfully replacing plywood, which is becoming increasingly scarce.

In recent years, non-toxic fast-curing resins have been used, which increases the productivity of presses, and hence factories, eliminates gas contamination in workshops, and allows the use of plates inside residential premises. The volume of particle board production is constantly growing, and this trend will continue in the future. An industry equipped with modern equipment needs highly qualified workers, engineers and technicians who are well aware of the technology and mechanical and chemical processing of wood, electronics, hydraulics, and heat engineering.

Among the practical and multifunctional wood materials, a special place is occupied by chipboard or simply chipboard. Their manufacture can take place both at large wood processing plants and at home.

purpose

Chipboard is an environmentally friendly, easy to process, functional material, and a high-tech alternative to solid wood. It is used to sheathe walls, roofs, make wall panels, create flooring for carpet or linoleum, floor, various partitions, manufacture a wide variety of furniture, packaging, build enclosing arrays, interior decor. What is the production technology of chipboard? How is it made at home? We will consider these issues later in the article.

What is chipboard made of?

The basis of particle board production is a process in which sawdust is mixed with a special adhesive mass and the resulting mixture is pressed under high pressure and high temperature. A big advantage of the manufacture of chipboard is the use of sawmill waste.

Pressed boards have good strength, created by mixing the sawdust mixture with glue (resin) hardened to the state of stone. For the production of environmentally friendly types of material, an adhesive mass of minimal toxicity is used.

The manufacture of chipboard can take place on a small scale of production. In general, only the size of the boards produced is limited, which should be no more than 50 x 50 centimeters.

The production of chipboard at home is the same process as in the industrial scale, but in miniature. All stages where automation should be involved are replaced by manual work.

How to make chipboard at home

Consider the sequence of manufacturing chipboard:

  • first, the sawdust mass is mixed in a medium-sized container (from 10 to 15 l);
  • then an adhesive solution is added, it is necessary to ensure that the sawdust is completely saturated;
  • a tiled form is attached at high pressure;
  • then, with the help of high temperature, the workpieces are pressed, this process requires special equipment;
  • the manufactured plate is cooled in air, and its edges are cut off.

Surface lamination is carried out in the same baking press that is used in the production of untrimmed blanks. You can purchase a ready-made special laminate for chipboard, which can be “baked” to the surface in a certain way with an iron. Such coatings have a beneficial effect on the appearance of wood-based panels, but are not considered a full-fledged laminate layer.

Equipment

Before making chipboard, you need to prepare the equipment. The technology for creating this material is based on the use of elementary and practical equipment, which is connected into a common system. It is not necessary to use the most technologically advanced devices for the production of wood-based panels, but it is quite difficult to set up and maintain the working capacity of the entire production line.

Equipment list

The complete list of equipment for the production of chipboard includes:

  1. Mixers, which are needed in order to obtain a homogeneous mixture prepared from sawdust and adhesive (usually resin with special impurities to create a solid structure).
  2. Forming devices are needed to impart viscosity and shape to the mixture.
  3. High temperature pressing equipment and machine tools.
  4. Coolers are used to make hot chipboards cool faster.
  5. Edge cutters that remove edges from boards.
  6. Grinding machines make the formed surface smooth.

The operability of all equipment in large-scale production is ensured automatically. The quality of work is controlled while maintaining the settings of the mechanism at the desired level.

All of the wood-based panel manufacturing equipment listed above will be suitable for a job that requires ready-made raw materials.

If in the manufacture of chipboard the plans include the use of their own source material, then the equipment must be supplemented with additional auxiliary equipment, such as cutting machines, chippers, mills and planers.

Among other things, additional equipment that will increase the manufacturability of the production of wood-based panels includes conveyors, tables equipped with lifting mechanisms, ventilation systems necessary to remove sanding dust, drying chambers and conveyors. Consider how chipboard is made.

Manufacturing technology

The composition of wood-based panels includes wood chips, which are formed as waste from the production of wood. During the standard cycle of work, the non-functional mass is converted into ready-to-use slabs.

Consider how do-it-yourself chipboard is made.

Manufacturing sequence

The manufacturing steps are as follows:

  • first you need to find raw materials, sawdust and wood chips in the warehouse;
  • then the raw material is prepared for work by grinding;
  • the materials are dried to obtain a suitable consistency for gluing;
  • wood chips are screened using automated sieves, sorted according to size;
  • larger and smaller chips are mixed with each other;
  • resin adhesive is added;
  • a mixture of viscous consistency is sent to a molding machine that forms wood boards;
  • Chipboard is pressed under high pressure and high temperature;
  • plates are cooled;
  • the edge is trimmed, and the resulting blanks are sawn into pieces of the required size.

So, we looked at how chipboard is made. Grinding this material is necessary as a final step in the manufacturing process. It is the level and quality of grinding that directly determines which grade the finished product will be assigned to. Chipboard of the first grade should not have scratches, spots, insufficient polishing, waves on the surface.

The required parameters of wood-based panels are controlled both during production and after the chipboard is ready. The manufactured sheets are stored in blocks, which are stacked on special wooden pallets - pallets.

Milling process

The creation of figured surfaces from the inside and the processing of corners from the outside is performed during the milling process. A cutter is a cutter equipped with teeth, it usually has any regular shape (for example, a cone or a trapezoid). Chipboards need to be machined all the way through the thickness, which is different from machining harder materials. This is necessary so that accidental chips do not appear.

Before you start milling, you need to prepare. To do this, you need to cut out the contours of the planned figures in advance using a jigsaw or saw. Processed usually by hand or with a stationary milling cutter. In this way, holes in the form of a cylinder and an oval of any size are obtained, which ensures the aesthetic appearance of the finished slab.

What is the process of laminating chipboard

Considering how chipboard is made, let's dwell in more detail on the lamination process. Any furniture, including cabinets, kitchen sets of any class, is made of wood-based panels, the surface of which has passed a special stage in processing, has been laminated with special materials necessary to protect the product, as well as to create a more aesthetic appearance. These products are called chipboard or expanded laminated chipboard.

To laminate the product, it is necessary to apply a stable coating to its surface, which improves the appearance, no additional processing is required.

The main stages of the process of laminating wood boards are as follows:

  1. First, the highest quality material is selected for the most durable and dense products, which have little moisture.
  2. Chipboard is coated with a primer to ensure the best adhesion of the laminate;
  3. Now several layers of paper are applied (no more than three), which are impregnated with a mixture of resin. With the help of paper, the product will be more durable, and the coloring of the outer part creates an aesthetically attractive appearance of the plate. The process of creating layers accompanies pressing at high temperature.
  4. Further, the product is quickly cooled, sometimes by watering.

The surface of the particle board must be carefully polished before it is laminated. If even small roughness and uneven places remain, this can lead to damage to the laminate layer and, accordingly, the product will be rejected. Do-it-yourself lamination process at home is very difficult to produce high-quality, therefore, already processed chipboard made in industrial conditions is often purchased for subsequent use.

Almost any construction business is profitable and, with a competent approach to business, regardless of seasonality, quickly pays off. And especially promising here is not even the provision of services to the population, but the direction of the production of high-tech materials that are in demand among consumers. Such business ideas include the manufacture of chipboard (chipboard). The production of laminated chipboard will be in demand among buyers if the process is thought through to the smallest detail and lucrative contracts are concluded with customers. Chipboard is a practical, relatively inexpensive, environmentally friendly material that has been a leader in the construction niche for many years. It is actively used in the manufacture of furniture, in the construction of roofs and floors, in the construction of interior and room partitions.

Our business valuation:

Starting investments - from 8,000,000 rubles.

Market saturation is average.

The complexity of starting a business is 7/10.

The production and sale of chipboard, despite the simplicity of the technology and the availability of equipment, will be associated with many problems, the main of which is high competition. Surely, in every region there is a woodworking enterprise engaged in the production of particle boards. And therefore, in order not to waste money on launching production, it does not hurt to first analyze a specific sales market. There are a lot of potential customers, and a couple of wholesale consumers will be enough for a small enterprise to stay afloat.

So, how to open a chipboard production in Russia that is competitive and profitable?

What assortment to offer consumers?

Chipboard production as a business will only make a profit when any client who contacts the company finds what he was looking for. Given this, it is important to establish the production of products of various types, properties and price categories.

Experts distinguish many classifications of chipboard. The main one is gradation by the number of layers:

  • single layer
  • three-layer,
  • multilayer.

According to the appearance and quality of the raw materials used, chipboards are divided into grades:

  • Grade 1. Material with even edges and a smooth surface.
  • Grade 2. Material with minor violations of the integrity of the structure - scratches, chips.
  • Grade 3. The material can be attributed to defective products.

In order to offer customers a material suitable for different types of work, it is important to think over the formulations of boards that differ in density:

  • low density - up to 550 kg / m 3,
  • medium density - 550-750 kg / m 3,
  • high density - over 750 kg / m 3.

It’s great if the chipboard manufacturing process involves finishing the material with polymer films, veneer, plastic or paper.

It is important to think over the assortment at the initial stages of starting a business, since many subsequent steps will depend on this - the purchase of raw materials, the purchase of equipment.

Description of the chipboard manufacturing process

Technological scheme for the production of chipboard

Even if a small do-it-yourself chipboard production is planned, it is important to study in detail the material production technology. The quality of the finished product will also depend on the quality of the technological stages.

The main advantage of this direction is the simplicity of the technology. All stages of the production chain are interconnected, and it will not be difficult to understand them even for a person far from the industrial sphere.

The main raw materials that will be supplied to the workshop are sawdust, small wood waste. The components used are widely available and inexpensive. And to make chipboard production less expensive, it would be nice to arrange direct supplies of raw materials from local woodworking enterprises. It is quite natural that the closer the supplier, the cheaper the cost of raw materials.

It is a common practice when furniture factories rent out production waste at a lower cost (or even completely free of charge), and in return receive high-quality chipboard from an entrepreneur at an attractive price. Here is such a barter turns out.

Chipboard production technology is hot pressing. The scheme is this:

  • The raw material is dosed and mixed with a binder - a thermosetting resin.
  • The mixture is poured into special molds.
  • Forms with a mixture are subjected to high pressure and elevated temperature.
  • The resulting plates are taken out of the molds, if necessary, they are additionally processed - they are cut, polished, pasted over with decorative materials.

Despite the fact that the production of furniture chipboard is very simple, when organizing a full-fledged workshop, you should hire a qualified technologist who will strictly control the quality of input raw materials and all technological modes. It is impossible to do without control over the production process, because here, as in many other areas, the rule applies - the better the product, the more profit it will bring.

Technical equipment of the workshop

Production line for the production of chipboard

After the assortment has been thought out and the technology has been studied, you can proceed to the next stage of organizing a business - to buy equipment for the production of chipboard. And this stage is one of the most important, because it is the most expensive.

It will be difficult to organize a home business for the production of chipboards, because the financial investments here are quite large - not every aspiring entrepreneur will be able to start a workshop without attracting outside investment.

The "middle" line for the production of chipboard includes the following machines and devices:

  • Mixers with dispensers.
  • Forming machines.
  • Thermopresses.
  • Coolers.
  • Machine for trimming finished boards.
  • Grinding machine.

The designated equipment implies the use of ready-made components for the production of chipboard - sawdust and shavings. But if it is planned to organize a full-cycle plant (that is, with grinding boards and logs), then additional component lines will have to be provided - crushers and a sieve.

The price of equipment for the production of chipboard is quite high, and the final cost of the devices will depend on their capacity, degree of automation and configuration. For example, a fully automated line, where all production steps are carried out without human intervention, and with a capacity of up to 150 sheets per shift, will cost at least 17,000,000 rubles. But even lines of lower productivity (up to 50 sheets per day) will be too expensive for many entrepreneurs - at least 8,000,000 rubles.

Given the considerable cost of equipment, it makes sense to think about some savings options:

  • Used equipment costs 2 or even 3 times cheaper than new.
  • By leasing the line, you can avoid the huge initial investment.
  • Chinese machines can cost significantly less than equipment from European brands.

Profitability of the chipboard production business

Many entrepreneurs have already proven in practice that a mini-plant for the production of chipboard, with well-established distribution channels, brings consistently high incomes to its owner.

The sooner you manage to establish sales to wholesale customers, the sooner all costs will pay off. At first, it will be difficult for a young enterprise to enlist the support of large wholesalers. But even here it is quite possible to achieve success, for example, by slightly lowering the prices for the supplied products.

Before starting to calculate the profitability of the enterprise in the business plan, it is necessary to present those capital expenditure items that will have to be incurred to open the enterprise. According to minimal estimates, the launch of a small workshop will require costs in the amount of ≈8,000,000 rubles.

This includes the following items of expenditure:

  • Purchase and installation of equipment on site.
  • Purchase of raw materials.
  • Preparation and rental of premises.
  • Company registration.

And these costs will increase significantly if you buy a machine for the production of chipboard of greater power. But for starters, a line of low productivity will suffice.

Speaking about the profitability of a mini-factory, it is hardly possible to give exact figures, because everything here is strictly individual, given the prices for finished products in each region and sales volumes. On average, chipboard is sold at a price of 6500-10000 rubles / m 3. The cost of the same material varies between 4000-6000 rubles.

In the absence of problems with sales, the company can go to zero after 2 years. And these are excellent indicators of profitability.

Particle boards are incredibly popular, despite their non-functionality and fragile characteristics. What is the secret of popularity? At a low price, in a wide range of applications, in variety and a large selection. After all, chipboard can be called a bad material for a door, for a wall. But what could be better than chipboard for decorating and decorating an old door? How can you visually delimit space if the laws and layout of an apartment or house do not allow you to expel a full-fledged brick wall? With the help of the material, is it easiest to restore the appearance of a chest of drawers, buffet or ottoman? The answer to all these questions is one - chipboard.

Raw materials for chipboard

Raw materials for the production of chipboard are inexpensive and the reason is very simple. Chipboards are made from sawdust, woodworking and logging waste. Rotten or dry branches, low-quality wood, from which it is simply unacceptable to make furniture, are used. This has a special meaning. Thanks to the production of chipboard, not a single tree in the forests is simply cut down and thrown into a landfill - any forest product is used.

The production process for the manufacture of chipboard

The first stage in the production of chipboard is the grinding of all wood waste on special chippers. During grinding, a product is obtained, which is called wood chips. Chippers make all wood waste uniform, of the same consistency, they all become chips. Then the chips are delivered to rotary machines, where chips are obtained from it. This scheme is called raw materials - chips - chips. There is also a slightly different scheme - for example, with logs: log - shavings. There, the logs are stacked on special machines with a knife shaft, which immediately cuts the logs into shavings.

Chipboard production technology (chipboard) sets the exact dimensions that are required for any factory chip - its thickness should be 0.5 mm, width - 8 mm, length - from 5 to 40 mm. It is clear that it is difficult to observe such parameters with an accuracy of 1 mm even on modern equipment, therefore small deviations and fluctuations in size are permissible. Each chipboard plant has its own tolerances. They are calculated based on the capabilities of a particular equipment.

Requirements are also imposed on the shape and structure of the chips. It must be absolutely flat (so that it can be easily glued to the slab) and of uniform thickness. Its surface should also be flat and smooth. By the way, chip thickness is measured in special devices, as this is a very important point, especially for those boards that will be finished with lamination. Raw shavings are transported to bunkers, where they are stored all the time prior to drying. It is delivered to the bunkers using a pneumatic transport system. Then the chips are transferred for drying. Drying chambers dry wood shavings to a degree of 5% moisture content. The inner layers of the chips should have a moisture content of no more than 25%, so the chips for different layers are dried in separate dryers. Convective drum type dryers burn liquefied gas or fuel oil and have an average temperature of about +1000 0 С.

Chips for the outer layer are heated and cooled faster. Chips for the inner layers are heated more slowly, kept in the dryer longer, it cools gradually. Pneumatic units sort chips for outer and inner layers. Pneumatics distinguishes them just by the degree of humidity. Next, the chips are mixed with binders, which are synthetic resins. These resins turn disparate chips into a single mass. Binder resins are fed to the chips in the state of liquid solutions.

Next, the tarred chips are sent to the molding units. They pour the tarred chips onto conveyor belts. Sometimes, instead of conveyors, pallets are used as part of the line, but this is already an obsolete part of the lines - there a chip carpet is formed from the chips. The carpet is divided into packages, which are then subjected to hot pressing. After pressing, the chip packs become very dense, hard, and can be transported. By the way, it is only in recent years that chipboard is made exclusively from chips, which are glued together with resins and pressed with a hot press, after which the finished board is obtained. Previously, when there were no such powerful hot presses and synthetic resins, the chips were glued together with special glue, they waited for a long time until they harden, and the barely holding chip structure was glued onto a thin wooden slab.

The technology for the production of chipboard (chipboard) has changed over time, improving more and more. Now, after pressing, the plates are delivered to the unloading line, where they are cut to the desired size, then they are cooled, then polished and coated with special fixatives and resins. After that, they are packed in packaging from the manufacturer and delivered to stores. Previously, the technology for the production of chipboard (chipboard) also meant manual packaging of finished products.

Video of the technological process of the automatic line for the production of chipboard:

Published: May 19, 2012

§ 9. Wood raw materials

General information.

As a wood technological raw material for the production of particle boards, the following are used:

non-commercial wood - timber, which, in terms of their quality characteristics, do not meet the approved standards and specifications for commercial timber, firewood;

wood waste from sawmilling (slabs, slats, cuttings of boards and other large-sized waste, as well as sawdust), plywood production (pencils, veneer-flaw, plywood trimmings), lumpy waste and shavings - waste from furniture production and other woodworking enterprises;

technological chips from waste of sawmilling and logging (branches, branches, tops, lumps) of coniferous and hardwoods, with the exception of especially hard hardwoods.

According to its intended purpose, wood technological raw materials are used as follows.

Single-layer slabs and outer layers of three-layer slabs are made from all types of raw materials mentioned above, with the exception of veneer-flaw, shavings-waste of woodworking machines, sawdust and technological chips. The following types of wood are recommended: pine, spruce, cedar, fir, birch.

For the manufacture of multilayer boards and the inner layers of three-layer boards, all types of raw materials mentioned above are used. At the same time, in addition to coniferous wood, hardwood wood can also be used: birch, alder, linden, beech, etc.

For the manufacture of extrusion pressing plates, all types of raw materials mentioned above are used. The best quality extrusion boards are obtained when using softwood. When hardwoods are used, resin consumption increases and press productivity decreases by 30-40%. The strength of such boards made from hardwood is 25-30% lower than boards made from softwood. In this regard, hardwood is recommended to be used only as an additive (up to 30%) to softwood.

Weekly wood. Firewood for the production of particle boards must meet the specifications of TU 13-01-06-66.

The diameter of raw materials in a round form is set from 4 cm and above. Raw materials are supplied both separately by species, and in mixed form in various ratios in debarked and unbarked form. At the same time, unbarked chopped firewood and waste from sawmilling and woodworking should not have a bark of more than 12-14% - On barked raw materials, bark or bast residues should not exceed 3% of the surface of the raw material.

Firewood is supplied both in the form of logs with a length of 1 m and more, and in the form of longitude. The length of the longitude should be a multiple of the length of the logs plus the cutting allowance.

In firewood for the production of chipboard, such defects as knots (healthy and tobacco), wormholes, curvature, cracks are allowed. Internal rot (sieve and rotten) is allowed up to Vg of the corresponding end diameter with access to the second end up to 7z of its diameter. External rotten rot is not allowed.

Thin wood. Thin wood is obtained mainly during thinning. It is a round, unrooted timber with chopped branches.

The diameter in the upper cut of small-sized coniferous wood is 2-6 cm, hardwood 2-8 cm, length 1-3 m with a gradation of 0.5 m.

Small-sized wood has greater plasticity and lower elasticity and density compared to mature wood, and there is almost no rot in it. The bark of thin wood consists mainly of bast, the cortical layer is almost absent or in its infancy. Therefore, in the manufacture of chips, the formation of dust is sharply reduced, the chips are obtained with a given size.

Work experience has shown that chipboards made from small-sized wood have higher physical and mechanical properties and a better appearance than firewood boards.

Sawmill waste. The sawmill industry is the main supplier of wood waste. Sawmill waste accounts for about 3/4, or 75%, of all wood waste generated in the woodworking industry and suitable for use in the production of particle boards. Lump sawmill waste is mainly processed into technological chips, which serve as an excellent raw material for the production of chipboard.

Technological chips (GOST 15815-70), intended for the production of chipboard, must meet the following requirements. Chip sizes for flat pressed boards (in mm): length 20-60 (optimal - 40), thickness - no more than 30; for extrusion pressing boards: length 5-40 (optimal - 20), thickness - no more than 30. In technological chips, the content of bark is allowed no more than 12%, rot - no more than 5%; mineral impurities (coal, stone, lime, etc.) are not allowed. For the production of high-quality boards, the content of bark in wood chips should not exceed 3%. One batch may contain coniferous or hardwood chips. A mixture of hardwood and softwood is not allowed.

Sawdust. In the sawmill industry, sawdust makes up 10-12% of the volume of processed raw materials. However, sawdust is little used for the production of slabs, since their dimensions are almost the same in all directions and slabs from them are of low strength. It is recommended to use sawdust from hard hardwood as an additive to cut chips in the inner layer of three-layer boards in an amount of 10-20%, and sawdust from softwood and soft hardwood - up to 50%. Comparatively good results have been obtained with the use of sawdust for the manufacture of extrusion boards, which. usually veneered on both sides.

The use of sawdust instead of firewood gives a significant economic effect. Calculations show that when replacing 1 m 3 firewood with sawdust, the savings are about

7 rubles, and when replacing lumpy waste from woodworking industries - about 3 rubles.

The organization of the production of particle boards with a fine-grained surface will significantly expand the use of various wood wastes, including sawdust, not only for the inner, but also for the outer layers by grinding them into fine wood particles using special grinding equipment. Therefore, sawmill wood waste will be used even more.

Plywood production waste. Waste from plywood production accounts for only about 5% in the balance of all waste from the woodworking industry, however, it is also one of the main sources of raw materials for the production of particle boards, since this waste (especially pencils) is best prepared for processing into special cut chips. At the same time, pencils can be used to make chips for both the inner and outer layers, the veneer-flaw is processed into chips only for the inner layer. When using veneer-flaw, the bark content in it should not exceed 12%.

Chips - waste from planing machines. Almost all woodworking enterprises generate a significant amount of woodworking machine chips. It has been established that the tensile strength in static bending of plates, the inner layer of which consists of waste chips, is approximately equal to the strength of plates, in which the inner layer consists entirely of special cut chips. In terms of tensile strength perpendicular to the plate face, water absorption, swelling, the indicators of the former are even somewhat higher. Therefore, for the inner layer of three-layer slabs, it is recommended to use waste softwood chips without restrictions, and hardwood chips in an amount of up to 30% as an additive to special cut chips.

Waste chips from machine tools are suitable for the manufacture of extrusion pressing boards. In terms of physical and mechanical properties, such boards are not inferior to boards made from special cut chips, and even surpass them in appearance and surface quality.

Waste chips from woodworking machines are also expediently crushed into thin wood particles to form outer layers in the manufacture of boards with a fine-grained surface. At the same time, the surface of the plates is obtained with a high class of roughness.

For many successful businessmen, it is no secret that the production of chipboard in modern times is a very profitable business. The starting material for the manufacture of chipboard is waste from the woodworking industry - sawdust, chips and other finely divided wood residues. The use of such material in many sectors of construction and furniture production allows you to save forests from additional felling. Thus, a green zone is preserved over large areas, and this is pure oxygen for all mankind.

Unfortunately, man has not yet come up with a full-fledged substitute for wood for various industries, so they cut down the forest, and the chips fly. In terms of available source material, the chipboard production business is certainly profitable - cheap waste from the woodworking industry, sawmills and a large scope of manufactured products. The process of selling manufactured products will be 100% guaranteed by demand.

In the production of chipboard, you can organize a business with various directions: it is possible to form a large-scale production process, or break it down into components by separate types:

  • At first, it is possible to suggest automating the preparatory process.
  • Wood chip production waste must be delivered to the preparation shop. In this workshop there is a well-established continuous line of chippers and chippers.
  • At the end of such a line, technological chips come out.
  • The pre-production cycle is completed, and the chips can be sent to the chipboard production workshop.

The preparation shop itself is environmentally friendly and can be separated by a separate business structure.

Chipboard production equipment

The next stage of the waste path will be a chipboard plant.

  • The manufacturing technology of the board consists in mixing technological chips and thermosetting resin - a thickener.
  • Further, the mixture enters special forms of various types and, under the influence of temperature and high pressure, the plate is pressed, where it is glued into a single and durable package.
  • After cooling the product, it is taken out of the mold and the edges are cut off.
  • The plate is ready for use.
  • It is sanded, sorted and, if necessary, laminated.


At all stages, technological equipment for the production of chipboard is needed, which is used in the pre-production workshop, in the main workshop and in the grinding workshop.

  • A crushing plant and a chipper are installed in the pre-production workshop.
  • In the main workshop - thermal presses, fan coolers and machines for automatic cutting of sheet edges in width and length.
  • Grinding machines are installed to perform grinding operations.

The calculation of the power and processing width is calculated for each batch separately or a standard is introduced according to these indicators, on which the grade of the produced sheet depends - this equipment belongs to the main one.


Additional equipment includes vibrating screens and conveyors - belt, roller, spiral and chain. Lifting tables are used for stacking sheets in packs. A ventilation system is installed in all workshops to collect and remove process dust. The production of laminated chipboard is, one might say, the final stage. A laminated sheet is made from the first grade of a polished plate or covered with a dowel. Laminated sheet at a price an order of magnitude higher than polished. Therefore, it is economically advantageous for production to manufacture a laminated sheet. It is widely used by finishers for the installation of various floorings.

The furniture industry is the main consumer of laminate for the manufacture of doors and facades; in the carriage industry, it is used as a finishing material for partitions; blanks for modular furniture are prepared from it.

Laminated chipboard is made on the basis of the starting material, which is much cheaper than other materials, technologically advantageous, and, moreover, requires less labor and costs. The prepared and tarred chips are put into molds, hardeners and additives necessary in the technological process are added, and then they are fed into a machine for the production of chipboard - thermal presses. Under high pressure and high temperature, the mixture is pressed and glued into a homogeneous plate. When laying materials in mixers, the weight fractions of resin and wood chips are strictly regulated. When changing the weight fractions of the input materials, the physical and mechanical properties of the resulting sheet change dramatically. This leads to a change in the quality and strength of the plate. In order for the quality of the manufactured board to meet the standards, thermal presses must be selected with automatic adjustment, those that provide higher technological characteristics of the produced sheets.

Approximate costs for organizing the production of chipboard

A number of enterprises are engaged in the production of lines for the production of chipboard, for example, in Ukraine - PE "SMS" (a line with a capacity of 1000 sheets per day - will cost 500,000 Euros), or a Chinese manufacturer of the Harbin plant LUNIVEI. In terms of cost, the Chinese chipboard production line is 2 times cheaper, but it can be assumed that the quality of the Chinese-made installation will be somewhat lower. When choosing a mini-line for the manufacture of chipboard, it is necessary to take into account all the characteristics of the supplied equipment, including technical and economic indicators of speed parameters.

To purchase such a line, install, adjust and receive a monthly supply of raw materials, it is necessary to invest more than 17 million rubles.

The total costs for the purchase of a line with a capacity of 10,000 m3 of chipboard per year and the organization of production can be:

  • automated line - from 300 000 Euro
  • auxiliary equipment - from $45,000
  • the cost of delivery, installation and configuration of equipment - from $ 15,000
  • rent and preparation of the workshop for work - from $15,000
  • purchase of raw materials (calculated for a calendar month) - from $30,000

Planned profit:

As the practice of operating enterprises shows, with a selling price of 1 m3 of chipboard of 8,000 rubles and an average market profitability of 18 - 20%, gross revenue per month is about $ 200,000 - 210,000. In such conditions and in the absence of problems with sales, the full return on investment will be from 18 to 24 months.

Using modern chipboard manufacturing technologies, the manufacturer receives high quality indicators of the products produced, because it is possible to make chipboard with increased moisture resistance, fire resistance and high mechanical strength only by mixing the necessary additives in a strictly defined amount into the adhesive composition. Manufactured products from chipboard are much cheaper than other analogues and are intended for a wide range of customers.

The production of chipboard is usually considered to be one that uses purely waste from the woodworking industry. In addition, few entrepreneurs are interested in this simple production process as a business. This attitude is completely wrong. This building material is still in demand in commercial real estate and for domestic purposes among the population. Chipboard production equipment is not only the main machines for pressing and forming products. The technological line includes chipping and chipping installations. They allow you to prepare raw materials yourself, from any wood blanks. Due to this, binding to industrial processing facilities is completely optional.

  • Chipboard production technology

Another area of ​​​​application of chipboard is furniture production. Not a single factory can do without it today. No matter how expensive the furniture is, its hidden elements are still made mainly from chipboard. Another type of chipboard is chipboard. This material is similar to conventional blanks, but its surface is well polished and covered with a film. The top layer is made of paper or resin of a special composition.

Chipboard production technology

Manufacturers of modern chipboard use the technology that we will describe below. The raw material is shavings. Wood can be used inexpensive: deciduous and coniferous. A binder is also used as a material. Water-repellent additives in it increase the strength of the future product.

Processing of raw materials At this stage, it is unloaded, grinding large billets. Next, the chips go through a sorting stage depending on the fractions. The feedstock must be cleaned of unnecessary impurities and contaminants.
Drying Occurs up to humidity not higher than 6%. For the inner layer, this parameter should not exceed 4%. The process temperature reaches 1000 degrees, and at the outlet the chips have a temperature of 120 degrees.
Resin As a result of this operation, each chip is covered with a binder. The durability and strength of the material depends on the quality of its execution.
Carpet shaping At this stage, the product itself is formed from a semi-liquid chip mixture. Previously, it was made in several stages, performing two or three layers. This technology made the material brittle and unstable in bending.
Pressing It is of two types: horizontal and extrusion. The production of modern chipboard and chipboard usually chooses the first method, as it makes it possible to obtain a more durable product.
Trimming and cooling Cutting into finished slabs occurs either hot or after the workpiece has completely cooled. The latter method minimizes the possibility of deformation when using the material.
Grinding The last stage, at which the product is leveled, edges and surfaces are processed to the specified roughness parameters.

What equipment is required for the production of chipboard?

All this technology can be implemented using such a set of machines and installations. Most often they are supplied in one production line. If you choose the right machines for productivity, then you can assemble it separately.

Hammer crusher DMR-600-10-55 The performance of the model is 10-30 cubic meters. m. The cutting element consists of six disks mounted on a shaft. They are closed by the body. The crusher has a number of sieves for sifting raw materials.
Vibrating screens for sorting Used additionally for better selection of sawdust.
Drying complex Drum type dryer, running on gas or oil. The diameter of the working drum is 2.2 m, the length is 10 m. Usually the platform has a slight inclination to the side from which the raw material comes.
Continuous mixer (eg DSM-7) It is tarring. Raw materials and a binder are fed into the tank. It is added to the mixture through nozzles. The screw shaft with blades makes constant movements and mixes the mixture until it is homogeneous.
Presser This equipment is capable of forming a workpiece of the required thickness and width in one pass. The uniform density and thickness of the product depends on the operation of this equipment.
Thermopress Here the workpiece is hot pressed at a temperature of 180 degrees. The pressure exerted on the plate is 2.5-3.5 MPa. I work on 1 mm with a press for at least 0.35 minutes. For the production of laminated chipboard, extrusion-type presses with internal channels are used. This equipment can be single or multi-storey. The latter allows pressing up to 22 pieces of products simultaneously. The height of such equipment reaches 8 meters, so this must be taken into account when choosing a room.
Cooling chambers They are a large rotating drum with special cells. For an hour in such equipment, about 200 blanks can be cooled to a temperature of 50 degrees.
Sawing machines These include both edge grinding equipment and a crosscut saw.

How much money do you need to start a business?

The price of a line of such equipment is about 10 million rubles. About 1.5 million rubles more will need to be spent on additional and auxiliary mechanisms. There is equipment of domestic production on the market, and recently manufacturers have begun to import quite a lot of such lines from China. In production, both equipment for the production of chipboard are successfully operating. Its price depends on performance, power and a set of functions performed.

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Almost any construction business is profitable and, with a competent approach to business, regardless of seasonality, quickly pays off. And especially promising here is not even the provision of services to the population, but the direction of the production of high-tech materials that are in demand among consumers. Such business ideas include the manufacture of chipboard (chipboard). The production of laminated chipboard will be in demand among buyers if the process is thought through to the smallest detail and lucrative contracts are concluded with customers. Chipboard is a practical, relatively inexpensive, environmentally friendly material that has been a leader in the construction niche for many years. It is actively used in the manufacture of furniture, in the construction of roofs and floors, in the construction of interior and room partitions.

Our business valuation:

Starting investments - from 8,000,000 rubles.

Market saturation is average.

The complexity of starting a business is 7/10.

The production and sale of chipboard, despite the simplicity of the technology and the availability of equipment, will be associated with many problems, the main of which is high competition. Surely, in every region there is a woodworking enterprise engaged in the production of particle boards. And therefore, in order not to waste money on launching production, it does not hurt to first analyze a specific sales market. There are a lot of potential customers, and a couple of wholesale consumers will be enough for a small enterprise to stay afloat.

So, how to open a chipboard production in Russia that is competitive and profitable?

What assortment to offer consumers?

Chipboard production as a business will only make a profit when any client who contacts the company finds what he was looking for. Given this, it is important to establish the production of products of various types, properties and price categories.

Experts distinguish many classifications of chipboard. The main one is gradation by the number of layers:

  • single layer
  • three-layer,
  • multilayer.

According to the appearance and quality of the raw materials used, chipboards are divided into grades:

  • Grade 1. Material with even edges and a smooth surface.
  • Grade 2. Material with minor violations of the integrity of the structure - scratches, chips.
  • Grade 3. The material can be attributed to defective products.

In order to offer customers a material suitable for different types of work, it is important to think over the formulations of boards that differ in density:

  • low density - up to 550 kg / m 3,
  • medium density - 550-750 kg / m 3,
  • high density - over 750 kg / m 3.

It’s great if the chipboard manufacturing process involves finishing the material with polymer films, veneer, plastic or paper.

It is important to think over the assortment at the initial stages of starting a business, since many subsequent steps will depend on this - the purchase of raw materials, the purchase of equipment.

Description of the chipboard manufacturing process


Technological scheme for the production of chipboard

Even if a small do-it-yourself chipboard production is planned, it is important to study in detail the material production technology. The quality of the finished product will also depend on the quality of the technological stages.

The main advantage of this direction is the simplicity of the technology. All stages of the production chain are interconnected, and it will not be difficult to understand them even for a person far from the industrial sphere.

The main raw materials that will be supplied to the workshop are sawdust, small wood waste. The components used are widely available and inexpensive. And to make chipboard production less expensive, it would be nice to arrange direct supplies of raw materials from local woodworking enterprises. It is quite natural that the closer the supplier, the cheaper the cost of raw materials.

It is a common practice when furniture factories rent out production waste at a lower cost (or even completely free of charge), and in return receive high-quality chipboard from an entrepreneur at an attractive price. Here is such a barter turns out.

Chipboard production technology is hot pressing. The scheme is this:

  • The raw material is dosed and mixed with a binder - a thermosetting resin.
  • The mixture is poured into special molds.
  • Forms with a mixture are subjected to high pressure and elevated temperature.
  • The resulting plates are taken out of the molds, if necessary, they are additionally processed - they are cut, polished, pasted over with decorative materials.

Despite the fact that the production of furniture chipboard is very simple, when organizing a full-fledged workshop, you should hire a qualified technologist who will strictly control the quality of input raw materials and all technological modes. It is impossible to do without control over the production process, because here, as in many other areas, the rule applies - the better the product, the more profit it will bring.

Technical equipment of the workshop


Production line for the production of chipboard

After the assortment has been thought out and the technology has been studied, you can proceed to the next stage of organizing a business - to buy equipment for the production of chipboard. And this stage is one of the most important, because it is the most expensive.

It will be difficult to organize a home business for the production of chipboards, because the financial investments here are quite large - not every aspiring entrepreneur will be able to start a workshop without attracting outside investment.

The "middle" line for the production of chipboard includes the following machines and devices:

  • Mixers with dispensers.
  • Forming machines.
  • Thermopresses.
  • Coolers.
  • Machine for trimming finished boards.
  • Grinding machine.

The designated equipment implies the use of ready-made components for the production of chipboard - sawdust and shavings. But if it is planned to organize a full-cycle plant (that is, with grinding boards and logs), then additional component lines will have to be provided - crushers and a sieve.

The price of equipment for the production of chipboard is quite high, and the final cost of the devices will depend on their capacity, degree of automation and configuration. For example, a fully automated line, where all production steps are carried out without human intervention, and with a capacity of up to 150 sheets per shift, will cost at least 17,000,000 rubles. But even lines of lower productivity (up to 50 sheets per day) will be too expensive for many entrepreneurs - at least 8,000,000 rubles.

Given the considerable cost of equipment, it makes sense to think about some savings options:

  • Used equipment costs 2 or even 3 times cheaper than new.
  • By leasing the line, you can avoid the huge initial investment.
  • Chinese machines can cost significantly less than equipment from European brands.

Profitability of the chipboard production business

Many entrepreneurs have already proven in practice that a mini-plant for the production of chipboard, with well-established distribution channels, brings consistently high incomes to its owner.

The sooner you manage to establish sales to wholesale customers, the sooner all costs will pay off. At first, it will be difficult for a young enterprise to enlist the support of large wholesalers. But even here it is quite possible to achieve success, for example, by slightly lowering the prices for the supplied products.

Before starting to calculate the profitability of the enterprise in the business plan, it is necessary to present those capital expenditure items that will have to be incurred to open the enterprise. According to minimal estimates, the launch of a small workshop will require costs in the amount of ≈8,000,000 rubles.

This includes the following items of expenditure:

  • Purchase and installation of equipment on site.
  • Purchase of raw materials.
  • Preparation and rental of premises.
  • Company registration.

And these costs will increase significantly if you buy a machine for the production of chipboard of greater power. But for starters, a line of low productivity will suffice.

Speaking about the profitability of a mini-factory, it is hardly possible to give exact figures, because everything here is strictly individual, given the prices for finished products in each region and sales volumes. On average, chipboard is sold at a price of 6500-10000 rubles / m 3. The cost of the same material varies between 4000-6000 rubles.

In the absence of problems with sales, the company can go to zero after 2 years. And these are excellent indicators of profitability.