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History of WPC in India & role of HARDY SMITH.

When it comes to use for natural material floors till date 'Natural Wood' was the only option to consider. But use of Natural wood has been in the form of solid wood planks which was forcing virgin trees to be cut in volumes. Till date Billions of tonnes of Natural wood has been used by Construction conglomerates at the cost of Natural forests.

Today whole world is desperate for increasing the use of Sustainable Substitutes for Natural materials/resources. We know all the global movements for EVs, Solar, Wind, Hydrogen etc and its momentum today.

A spiritual thought in the same line was knocked to the mind of Mr Hardy Panchal during 2010 based on his versatile travels and assignments with Wood Industry. He was a Polymer technocrat and MBA from Gujarat University to be later known as the WPC Man of India. He decided to brought WPC (wood polymer composite) subject to India to make the country a 'Hub for WPC manufacturing'. With his vision he really could do this in 2011 with the first WPC making unit confirmed under HARDY SMITH technology consultants.

HARDY SMITH evolved as a WPC Technology and Business consulting firm dedicated for developments of WPC products and markets in India. Since then WPC and India are marching strongly ahead. Today Public and Private sector companies are using WPC materials for their largescale projects. Whole game was started with WPC mother board manufacturing and since then a huge range of different products kept being added.

HARDY SMITH and Mr Hardy has been the most instrumental in developing newer products and applications for India and other countries. HARDYPLAST has been a product brand from the group. With strong business co-operations for technology and products in Gujarat, HARDYPLAST WPC is being produced at more than 12 manufacturing units.

WPC CENTRE by HARDY SMITH is a sincere effort for establishing showcase based franchise network exclusively for WPC products in India and Globally. This is a franchise chain being developed for promoting, showcasing and supplying largest number of WPC products from single stations.

WPC NEWS is a global networking platform for technology and markets for wood polymer composites, being operated by HARDY SMITH. It helps encouraging manufacturing, new players, newer applications, education for WPC materials and technology.

WPC is becoming an absolute substitute of natural wood in different forms like WPC Boards, Doors, Frames, Windows, Partitions, Floors, Wall panels, Pergolas, Furniture, Fencing, decorative grills etc. India has been the most instrumental in developing largest applications in the world and credit goes to HARDY SMITH as a dedicated WPC mother brand.

With that vision for developing this subject and application markets, Mr Hardy could facilitate the Industry at his best that has lead the nation to produce WPC in a noticeable volume today.

India is saving more than One Million Virgin trees every year.

USE WPC.
Save trees. Save earth.

'#Reuse - #Reduce - #Recycle - #Recreate'
A green initiative by HARDY SMITH, India.

WPC & Density

D=m/V
where,
D=Density
m=mass means Weight
V=volume means Area (LxBXH) of the object

There are many discussions going over Density of WPC and it needs to be understood with the correct meaning.

Density calculation can be done as per the above formulae, in general. Now the point is 'Density of WPC material should be decided and supplied based on its final application/end use. WPC boards being used in furniture making with 0.55 or 0.60 density are quite good. Because PVC WPC boards are used in furniture making with Screw & Solvent method only where solvent welds PVC materials. Screws also can be used with PVC grips, which will be weld with solvent (Cyanoacrylate) material and creates good grip between screw and WPC board.

As time goes and screw gets loosen sometime, you can take a tiny piece of PVC WPC material, weld it with Cyanoacrylate material and screw again at the same place! Maintenance of WPC material like this is very easy and user himself also can do it.

In the above discussion most important point is 'Density', where people are getting confused. Now with Screw & Solvent method we can make panel furniture, but with use of Solvent Welding also you can make Panel furniture without a Screw. This is a very important practice for the carpentry market. You all have seen a plumber fixing one PVC pipe to another PVC pipe - just with that solvent cement. Yes, the same phenomenon happens here with PVC WPC also. Don't forget those pipes are hanging since many years from the terrace to the ground floor of an apartment. It means the worry of Density remains only with the panel furniture made with screw fixing.

Emphasizing clearly - if you want to make a small/medium size shoe rack then 0.45 Density board with solvent welding method is perfectly fine, no needs screw - so no worry of Density here. Wardrobe drawers, small storage units, bathroom vanity, small seating many furniture objects can be made with 0.45 Density & solvent welding only, as they don't need any structural strength in it's use.

Yes, in case of large size furniture e.g. Wardrobe, File rack, Kitchen cabinets need structural strength and here WPC material of 0.55-0.60 density should be used with screw & solvent method. Similarly WPC door frame is also best suitable beyond 0.80 density only.

More density means more technical strength, means more compression & tensile strength, means higher price also!

So now it is quite clear that the Density of WPC material should be decided based on the Application & Method of use. Customers and carpenter friends also should be informed/educated with this, so that 100% termite & water proof WPC material can be used more technically.

Published by HARDYPLAST in favour of WPC & markets.

- A green initiative by HARDY SMITH

Global warming

Every rapid interval we hear the news of natural calamities all around the world!

Floods, land slides, volcanoes, higher temperatures without season, forest fires, melting of glaciers all around are becoming regular and frequent phenomenons now.

We all know the reason behind it as 'Global Warming'. It means the overall Temperature of the earth is increasing because of reducing Green cover and heavy use of fuels & pollution thereof!

To sustain the human life on the earth we have to change our practices in using natural resources.

Trees, water and fuels need to be taken care while being in use. We have to massively control their use. We should start using substitute materials and practices.

We have to reduce cutting of trees and use wood alternatives. We have to control the use of water and not waste it at all. We have to reduce use of private vehicles and use public transports. We have to use solar energy and green materials at major.

We need to take it ethically and more responsibly. There is no technology available or to be available which can control natural calamities.

Children understand this. Let we elders do now!

Reduce. ReUse. Recycle. ReCreate.

A green initiative by HARDY SMITH.

WPC CENTRE

It is an Epi-centre of the WPC revolution in India. Started way back in 2013 at Ahmedabad in the early phase of WPC Industry, WPC CENTRE has been an application centre, demo centre and education centre for Wood polymer composite technologies and products. It was established for a noble cause of spreading awareness of WPC material within India and globally, to save trees & earth.

It has been a victim of massive development of the WPC sector in the country. It has been a 'Host' for WPC Guests from all around the world. Till date almost all WPC machinery companies, Resin supply companies, Glue makers, Additives suppliers and N number of Architects, Carpenters, Engineering students, Designers, Builders, construction companies and retail clients - have visited WPC CENTRE as an activity centre.

It is a WPC show-case demonstrating complete applications of the material. It is an operation office of HARDY SMITH as well. Be it a WPC modular kitchen coated with PU or a WPC Door with PVC Laminate jacketing or a Digitally printed WPC made Bathroom vanity or a Wardrobe of WPC panels made without a single screw! - you can find them all at WPC CENTRE, Ahmedabad.

India's biggest Project advisor firm HARDY SMITH is operating from here. Many Indian WPC projects are advised from here and are in successful operations today. HARDYPLAST - a well known Indian WPC product brand is supplied from WPC CENTRE, Ahmedabad. It has been a must visit place for WPC Industry leaders and followers.

WPC CENTRE welcomes you all over 'The WPC subject' and the material that replaces wood, plywood.

A green initiative by HARDY SMITH.

Premium WPC Door frames

A true product with less calcium contents

Door frame - popularly known as 'Chaukat' is an important product for the construction industry. Doors cannot be hung without it and it is becoming its place more stronger with its latest technology version made of 'Solid Wood polymer composite'. To give an absolute hanging strength to the Door and protect it from termite attack is the main application of a Door frame.

Premium WPC Door frame is a high density higher wood content product that gives best screw holding to the Door. Fine surface finish of the material gives best paintability and east for direct hanging as well.

As informed earlier, meaning of Premium WPC frame relates to the less calcium carbonate contents used in the formulation. Density of the material can not be decided on the base of Calcium added but should be based on PVC used. Use of limited Calcium allows 'Chaukat' not to be unnecessarily heavy. It can holds screw well. WPC Door frame made by addition of more calcium becomes heavy in weight and which is sold in the name of 'Heavy Density WPC Door frame'. Such a product is prone to be cracked and broken in a shorter life span, as we are giving the structure more stone properties.

Premium WPC Solid Door frame is available in 3*2, 4*2, 4*2.5, 5*2.5 & 6*2.5 (Double rebate) sizes. This quality is quite popular amongst Architects and Builder brands. We are committed to supply fastest deliveries with the uniform and best the quality of WPC Door frames to the market.

Educative campaign for technical information purpose by HARDYPLAST.

A Green initiative by HARDY SMITH.

Articles made out of WPC

WPC boards can be used for making various applications, apart from modular furniture and doors. This is the best material for quick fixing with cyanoacrylate binder. One can make small articles/gift articles/utility articles very fast with this material.

Taking from small containers, boxes, pads, storage utilities, pen stands to chairs and shoe racks can be made with WPVC in almost no time. Importantly all the products made are water proof, termite proof, borer proof and recyclable.

You can use it for restoration of old images, sculptures and historical things. Products made with WPC can be laser engraved and CNC carved. You can digitally print the surface as well as you can Varnish/Polish/lacquer it for surface decoration. Paints are also possible.

Austria developed a WPC Edge banding

Posted on November 23, 2011 by admin

Wood-plastic composites (WPC) profiles manufacturers Extruwood GmbH has developed a new PVC-based wood-plastic profiles. This product can be used to replace the wooden window frames on the aluminum edge, especially not solid wood supporting frame.

Headquartered in Austria Pasching of Extruwood company said that in addition to the protection of the bottom of the wooden frame to form outside, Extruwood-Cap profile in the insulation effect is better than ordinary aluminum sealed wooden frame. In addition to wood manufacturers can design more slim window frames and / or reduce the thickness of the glass.

Extruwood company’s owner and managing partner SvenWolf that the installation of an ordinary aluminum window frames sealed aluminum seal fits the thickness of the window frame. He said that this will generate the heat on hot spots and cold spots. To eliminate hot spots and cold spots, the usual practice is to increase the thickness of the wooden window frame or embedded in foam insulation.

Extruwood produced Extruwood-Cap profiles using a direct extrusion process, without the use of WPC composite particle materials. In addition to its product line with the common axis of rotation with a conical twin-screw extruder, but also with natural wood fiber drying function.

The company uses a standard downlink out of traction and cutting equipment, the production line with the general wood processing functions, such as drainage channel milling. Profile of its products can be developed using the color WPC, product offerings in the form of powder coating, paint or laminate

Championing the green cause - A straight talk with Hardik Panchal

Mr. Hardik Panchal, CEO, Hardy Smith, Ahmedabad

1. Tell us about yourself.
Mr. Hardik Panchal is the CEO and promoter of Hardy Smith. Hardy Smith is a turnkey project supplier organisation into Wood plastic composite sector, providing Plant & Machinery, Formulation techniques and marketing support to the WPC sector in India and other countries. Hardy Smith has business cooperation with Battenfeld-cincinnati, Austria for WPC technology.

Mr. Panchal is a polymer technocrat from L D College of Engineering, Ahmedabad and MBA from Ahmedabad University. He has been working for the wood and allied industry since more than a decade now. He has played a vital role in promoting subjects like Particle board technology, Medium density fibre board technology, HPL making technology and Modular furniture making technologies. Wood based panel technology has been a master domain for him. He has worked on Wood waste and agriculture waste based thermoset polymers. Techno commercial Projects and application development for wood panels has been a key area of his working.

WPC is the focused sector for Mr. Panchal since more than 5 years now. He has been instrumental in developing the WPC markets in India. Hardy Smith is the leadership and only company in India nurturing the WPC sector with their efforts for awareness, education, technology & equipments supply. Natural fibre polymer composites based on PVC and PP are the key areas for the company including Extrusion, Injection moulding and Compression moulding techniques. WPC CENTRE is an application centre established by HARDY SMITH at Ahmedabad. Here WPC panels are converted into doors and furniture, replacing plywood and wood.

2. What is wood polymer composite (WPC), and what makes it so popular nowadays?
Wood polymer composite is a product made with a composition of natural fiber and polymer. Here natural fibers can be any wood fiber (in powder form usually) or agriculture waste (rice husk, bagasse, wheat straw etc.). WPC is typically a polymer product made with Poly vinyl chloride, Poly propylene or Poly ethylene kind of plastics. Natural fibers are used as filler materials to the polymer cells. Globally WPC Decking is a very popular subject for exterior applications in developed countries like US, Europe, Japan, Australia and China. China and India has made a new subject famous as WPC board. India is becoming a focus point for WPC manufacturing globally with more than 40 lines installed for WPC boards and WPC decking, nationwide. As a city Ahmedabad from Gujarat state is taking a leadership, today. The entire development of the WPC market is being done on the agenda of giving a life time and quality product for Indian homes, offices, hotels, hospitals and schools. WPC in general can withstand spontaneously against moisture and termite because of its polymeric structure. Today major population of India-taking from slum area to posh villas- are suffering from termite attacks and moisture problems. Natural wood cannot be afforded by 88% of population today. Recent trend in building material and furniture industries is going quite positive with newer materials. Mindset of today's generation is open, exhaustive and well oriented towards qualitative, innovative, clean & green and value for money products. WPC fits best to their requirements. WPC boards are easy to manufacture in compare to other wood panels. It needs smaller investment with controlled size of project. It is enjoying the advantage of 'labor less production', almost. Carpenters are becoming handy with this product because of its easiest solvent joinery systems. It reduces individual labor and makes the furniture making very fast. It reduces the overall material consumption too. Thus, Indian local customer is rapidly accepting this material and it is in a good demand today. As a result Indian wood panel leader like CENTURY PLY also has jumped into WPC boards market, recently.

3. What is the utility of WPC in interior and exterior applications?
WPC in interiors is widely used for Doors, Modular kitchen carcasses, shutters, shelves, kitchen trays, bathroom vanities, wardrobes, office furniture, book shelves, toilet cubicles, counters, partitioning systems, gift articles, containers and utilities for home, hotels and hospitals.

In Exterior WPC is available for exterior wall cladding, exterior flooring (decking), Planks for fencing, Planks for outdoor furniture like restaurant tables, garden furniture, terrace furniture, swimming pool areas and many more.

4. What peculiarities of WPC make it a suitable material in the making of modular kitchens?
a. Water proof
b. Termite proof
c. Fungus proof
d. Germs proof
e. Mosquitoes and cockroaches remains away because of a smell of chlorine
f. Best fit for high water utility area
g. Best use in Water clogged areas
h. Best use with Wet floors
i. No seepage transfer from wall to furniture
j. Keeps the internal environment of closed carcass 'fresh' in compare to plywood
k. Faster installation
l. Use without HPL in carcasses (fittest application)
m. Easy to clean
n. Shutters can be applied with HPL, PU and Duco.
o. Moulded shutters also can be made.

5. What are the advantages of WPC over natural wood in today’s time?
Indian wood industry is suffering from following problems today:
a. Scarcity of wood
b. Licensing system by Indian government for wood based industry – to save forests
c. Tree plantations – not in social practice
d. Loosing tree covers day by day
e. Dependency on imports
f. No qualified manpower available for plant operations, formulations
g. Old edge consultants with limited knowledge bank
h. Very limited government institutes providing courses on 'wood technology'
i. No professional institutions and no quality engineers

WPC overcomes all above problems as follows:
a. Saves virgin wood/trees
b. No licensing for plastic processing
c. Uses agriculture wastes also
d. Protecting tree covers, as it is.
e. No dependency on imports. Players like Reliance, DCW, Finolex, Formosa, Sanmar are supplying raw material from their Indian projects only.
f. Professional engineers, ITI graduates and Diploma holders are available
g. New edge entrepreneurs and multinational technology companies are there
h. Many professional institutions including IITs has 'polymer engineering' as a main stream course.

6. Can WPC replace other materials like MDF and particle boards, plywood, etc.?
WPC can replace all the panel materials including natural wood, MDF, Particle boards, Plywood as well as regular flush doors and block boards. It can be stained, painted, PU coated, HPL laminated, Sandwich pressed, PVC foil laminated, Embossed, Moulded and joined similarly like wood panels and wood.

It doesn't have emission issues those happen in wood panels due to binders like Urea Formaldehyde/Melamine Formaldehyde/Phenol Formaldehyde.

WPC Reduces consumption of High pressure laminates, thus reduces paper consumption and by that trees!
i. 1 sqft wood panel = 2 sqft HPL,
ii. Per day 100,000 panels consumed, thus 3200,000 sqft of HPL consumed
iii. 10,000 CFT of wood per day for HPL can be saved by using WPC

7. There is a massive growth in the Indian modular kitchen market in recent decades. How do you look at this trend in terms of manufacturing industry?
India is becoming the fastest growing market for readymade modular kitchens now. We can observe the entry of prominent multinational players like Siemens, Hacker, Nolte etc. Indian lower middle class is being loaded with more responsibilities because of fluctuating economy. Thus old practices of working with local carpenters are becoming out of date and readymade kitchens and furniture are entering at a very fast pace. Lucrative surface options and material options are making Kitchen engineering very interesting.

8. Do you feel there is an equally big market for WPC in India already for making kitchens?
Definitely yes. As explained earlier about Kitchen Carcass, WPC is becoming widely popular in two ways. It is replacing conventional plywood and MDF panels (laminated with HPL or Deco paint) with direct WPC PVC panels. It also replaces the low cost/cheap market of PVC hollow section kitchens. WPC PVC is perfectly available for lower middle class and middle class markets and it is available for premium segments too.

9. How can the kitchen designs be made cost-effective in terms of material selection?
We recommend WPC for kitchen carcass application as most cost effective material. Any carcass either for kitchen or wardrobe or office – needs both side laminations with HPL in usual case. It consumes adhesive and labor too. Against WPC panels can be directly fitted without any lamination. Panels can be available in white, wood color and any other customized color too. Carpenter can directly fix the joints with Solvent system and it doesn’t required screws at times.

WPC is 100% recyclable material and it is always carrying its resell price, at any point of time in future. Companies are offering buy back also with WPC panel made furniture.

10. What plans do you have to generate awareness about WPC?
HARDY SMITH from WPC CENTRE is spreading awareness by practical presentation of furniture making to Architects, Interiors and Institutional buyers. Company has showcased full size demonstration of modular kitchens, wardrobes, bookshelves, bathroom vanities, office furniture, Doors, Door frames, Ceiling panels, Interior wall cladding etc at WPC CENTRE. Company is supplying finished products to its pan India network with reasonable price. This leads to a good market reach and reactive positive results about the subject. Company is providing free samples to the interested end users.

We are foraying into technology supply with some new global tie ups in WPC sector. Today we are representing Indian on international platform in a leadership role for promoting the WPC.

Cincinnati Milacron predicts good WPC performance

Posted 1 May 2012 By Anthony Clark
 
Machinery supplier Cincinnati Milacron is gearing up for an expected growth in the European wood plastic composite (WPC) market of around 20% during 2012.

"We are seeing more customers coming to us looking for higher-output machines after realising that their existing plant is just not up to the job," said Steve Jones, Cincinnati Milacron's European business manager and WPC processing specialist. "It's now becoming increasingly apparent that running a basic extruder is just not viable for successful and profitable production of WPCs.

"The company is seeing a significant rise in enquiries for replacement screws and barrels for competitive machines due to screw breakage and excessive barrel wear," he added. "It is frightening just how many competitors screws are breaking. As the need for more output increases producers are finding their standard extruders and barrel coating technology are not surviving."

Comprehensive Report on WPC

Published on August 9, 2011 at 3:05 AM
By Cameron Chai
 
companiesandmarkets.com has added a comprehensive report on the global wood-plastic composites market titled, 'Wood-Plastic Composites: Technologies and Global Markets' to its list of offerings.

According to the report, the value of wood-plastic composites market including cellulosic plastics and natural fiber composites reached 2.4 Mt in 2011 and it will reach 4.6 Mt in 2016 when it grows at a rate of 13.8% per year. The report not only covers all cellulosic-plastic combinations with each other but with other plastic materials that could be utilized as a replacement for wood materials in the building and construction industry. The report analyzes the plastic-wood composite marketplace in detail with both historic and forecast information for a period between 2008 and 2016.

The report includes the profiles of major companies in the market. It also discusses the technologies, strategies, manufacturing processes, product testing, distribution, additive utilization, production costs, pricing and regulations of the industry. Geographic segments of the report include Asia, Europe and North America.

The report predicts that automotive and building product segments will be the fastest growing end use segments. The automotive wood-plastic composites market is evidencing a vast growth and would reach a value of 0.8 Mt by 2016 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.1%. The building products market attained a value of 1.78 Mt in 2011 and would attain a value of 3.2 Mt in 2016 at a CAGR of 12.4%.

Digital printing on PVC WPC Sheets

Digital printing on PVC WPC boards is just a unique – easiest process for high resolution printing over any substrate. PVC sheet doesn't need any pre-treatment of surface while printing. You can just print it like a paper. Inkjet flatbed printers available in the market performs well for this value addition and prints really classic quality.

Be it a human image or a natural art piece, a modern art or an old memorable family image, a painter's master piece or a children's interest – you can print everything on this surface perfectly. MDF or Wood needs surface finishing and treatment, which PVC sheet doesn't need. You can use Digiprint PVC foam sheets for Doors, wardrobe shutters, kitchen shutters, bookshelf shutters, wall decoration, office places and lot more. Further, applying a coat of PU or melamine for high gloss or mat finish can make your shutter or door a high quality and long lasting product for several years.

Digital printing on PVC foam sheet gives several smart creations for architects. You can imagine your ceiling with an image of birds flying in sky or dense garden with flowers or sky shining with stars and moon…just with digital printed PVC sheets. Try it!

Evolution of WPC & current status in India

PLY REPORTER – September 2014, India.
Q. Evolution of WPC in India?

A. WPC as a product has evolved passionately within last 3 Years. WPC as a panel product is very well accepted by Indian market. Wpc is an official product segment today and there are good manufacturers in the country now.

Q. No. of plants (installed and coming) in India, and market size.

A. There are 35 WPC board lines and14 WPC profile lines, which is merely 2% of the total wood panel manufacturing of India.

Q. How do you see the future of this product in India? Pls give the reasons.

A. Very strong of course! This is a product as an investment, not an expense. India is a market where wood panels are in demand today and going to be in demand, untill we reach to a level of other developed countries of the world. Thus in panel category WPC panels would play as a major product in future.

We have moisture conditions all around the nation, as country is carrying longer sea coast. Apart from that the land types here supports termite development and spread rapidly and at any height. WPC has moisture resistance and termite resistance, thus the product is being spread pan nation, much positively.

The most important reason is its environment friendliness that no fresh trees are cut or used. All we use are sawmill dust or agricultural wastes.

Today, India has become a centre for WPC manufacturing with almost 50 lines and lot of foreign inquiries are being received by Indian companies.

Q. Why should a dealer sell this product?

If he is a dealer for wood panels and allied products than he has ready market for WPC products now.

Good quality WPC products have really better margins today. In compare to regular marine or other plywood or MDF panels WPC are becoming popular and real earning products.

There are best opportunities available for dealers to be associated with WPC producers.

Q. Application area and advantages of WPC.

WPC can be used in all modular furniture products e.g. Doors, kitchen carcass, wardrobe shutters, bathroom vanities, partitions and more.

For applications like modular kitchen carcass and wardrobe carcass WPC is the best substrate which can be used without any laminate or coating.

Refined surface of WPC gives ready to print/paint surface which doesn't need surfacer/putty filling.

It can be used with solvent joining which is the fastest ever system for furniture making and sandwich construction.

Q. There is lack of awareness in India as well as no govt authorized certification. What is your opinion?

Awareness is quite there now and manufacturers have started enjoying supply crisis because of consistently increasing demand. Still I strongly insist for professional marketing, advertising and branding practices from WPC players. There should be carpenter training programs by companies, educating them about product advantages and fast assemblies.

I urge for an establishment of WPC manufacturer's association of India, supported by leaders like Reliance, LG or Finolex. As PVC has got a drastic raise in sales volume in the country and have reached to an installed consumption capacity of 50, 000 Metric tones per annum. To support WPC sector for generating larger revenue out of domestic as well as foreign markets, there should be IS standard for these products. There should be a listing under Green category, as product doesn't use any natural/forest wood, doesn't generate process waste, it's 100% recyclable, uses sawmill/agro wastes and saves paper.

Q. Presently, who is driving this product in India? and what is your suggestion to specifiers and users?

Overall all the players are driving WPC potentially and I would term it as a cooperative effort!

Explore numerous applications and educate the market more and more. I will say, USE WPC. Save trees. Save earth.

Hardik Panchal
HARDY SMITH

Extrusion & T Die Technology

Plastics extrusion is high-volume longitudinal product manufacturing process in which raw plastic is melted and formed into a continuous profile extrusion produces items such as pipe/tubing, weather stripping, fencing, deck railing, window frames, plastic films and sheeting, thermoplastic coatings and wire insulation. This process starts by feeding plastic material (pellets, granules, flakes or powders) from a hopper into the barrel of the extruder. The materials is gradually melted by the mechanical energy generated by turning screws and by heaters arranged along the barrel. The molten polymer is then forced into a die, which shapes the polymer into a pipe/profile/sheet that hardens during cooling at lower temperature. At final end, longitudinal shapes are trimmed and cut-to-length as per requirement.

T Die technology is a sheet manufacturing device where molten plastic is taking shape as per the internal design and lips fixed on the mouth. T Die on the back is fixed on the extruder head. Sometimes it is fixed with the distributor device where co-extruder are attached for multi-layer sheet manufacturing.

T Die is heated with external heaters for supporting the flow of plastic melt inside. T Die is prolonged with calibration molds to form a sheet with certain thickness. Cooling and curing of melt takes place into calibration molds. Lips fixed on the Die held decides about the thickness range of the plastic sheet.

FAQs - WPC boards

FAQS – WPC BOARD PROCESSING, APPLICATIONS & MARKETS
Sr. No. Questions
1. Tell us regarding the raw material or inputs you use in producing your product ranges.
A We use WPC Sheets at major in all our product ranges.
2. What are your views on Import of raw material, inputs and technology in terms of machinery or software?
A When we are using only WPC as our core raw materials, for us importing of raw materials and technology remains essential. India is still a developing market for our products and we need to source technology from Europe or Chinese markets.
Indian technology is still under development phase and as of now, we have to rely on imports.We use PVC as our basic resin and in India it is available from captive large scale players. But still it does not fulfill the total demand and we need to keep import option open. Other raw material inputs also we procure from import options.
3. What are your personal views on GST & Demonetization reforms?
A Demonetization is surely a positive move to refurbish the economy of our country. There was a parallel economy developed because of cash transaction practices and it was hindering the growth of the country. We need fund to run a country and it can be raised from taxes only as an immediate resource. To strengthen any economy there should be minimal foreign debts and this action will lead to a positive state of debt-free country. This funds are very much needed for infrastructure developments which can shift us up in the list of developed countries. Demonetization is becoming a helping hand to the Indian government against terrorism. Banks and financing systems are expected to be revived with this move and a great level of economy growth is awaited. GST is a perfect move for restructuring the taxation system of the country. It will help entrepreneurs at first instance for smoothening their routine operations and lot of commercial headaches. GST implementation will bring high level of transparency within the system and it will make life easy for business community. Apart it will help the government to effectively control the flow of revenue. System will be cleaned after implementation of GST.
4. Tell us about your prediction for modular kitchen market in India?
A Modular kitchen is absolutely becoming a necessity now for Indian kitchens. Well designed, engineered and equipped kitchen makes life easy for family and especially of an Indian woman. Not like conventional kitchens where material was used to be only plywood and mica and was being made by a carpenter. Today’s kitchen are made with new generation materials like WPC that is completely water proof and termite proof. It gets installed more precisely, faster and qualitatively. There are best technics, tools and hardware fittings available now from Global and Indian players and those convert kitchen making into ‘Engineering’. Indian infrastructure industry is geared to the first shift only and there are many office, residence and industrial complexes yet to be built. Modular kitchen and furniture is becoming an industry itself.  
5. Please define your manufacturing cycle/processes and tell us something about your business model and cost benefits.
A As explained, we use wood polymer composite based on PVC as our panel material. We use this material for making modular furniture on panel processing machines. Using Italian Panel saw, Thrufeed Edgebander, Presses and hand tools WPC based furniture is made with PVC solvent mechanism. Material is 100% water proof, 100% termite proof, 100% borer proof and 100% recyclable. We use natural panels from our captive brand ‘HARDYPLAST’ for carcass applications. Shutters we make with PU and PVC marbles. PVC marbles are replacement product for natural veneer with PU and HPL. Modular furniture we make with WPC material has a long life and non-absorbent surfaces, thus furniture made remains clean and green for longer time. Cost wise our material remains cheaper against waterproof plywood/Marine plywood. For carcass there is no need of applying HPL or paint on the surfaces, thus it also saves lot of cost including material, labour and time. Being 100% recyclable material, we offer buy back guarantee with 25% money back after 3 years if sold back to the company. WPC is our core business and we do material and applications.  

Fourth German wood plastic composite conference

WOOD PLASTIC COMPOSITES
Source: Plasteurope.com

Optimism at recent "Fourth German WPC" congress / Double-digit growth rates / US still world's largest WPC producer / China set to dominate the global market by 2015

Almost 300 participants from 21 different countries attended last year’s “Fourth German Wood Plastic Composite” Congress, held on 13 and 14 December 2011 in Cologne / Germany. The mood among them was upbeat, according to organiser nova-Institut (Hürth / Germany; www.nova-institut.de) – a fact that is not surprising considering that the European WPC market has been growing at an average rate of 35% per year since 2005. What’s more, the industry does not expect this impressive track record to slow in the future, banking on ongoing two-figure growth.

All in all, about 220,000 t/y of WPC were produced in Europe in 2010, about 100,000 t/y of which were manufactured in Germany alone. Most of this output also went towards the European market, with about 50,000 t assigned to the automotive sector, where WPC is mostly used in compression moulding, while another 167,000 t – the vast majority – was earmarked for terrace flooring, fencing and cladding. According to nova-Institut, in Germany alone, WPC decking commands a market share of about 15%. WPC also increasingly is used for furniture, office and home utensils as well as smaller technical parts and casings, although this share remains rather small, estimated at less than 5,000 t in 2010.

Future growth will in part be driven by the rise in traditional plastics prices, nova Institut predicts, saying that "it is only a matter of a few years before WPC pellets are cheaper than pure plastic pellets". At present, WPC – made up of 20-80% bio-based material – is about 20-30% more expensive than traditional resin.

Future growth driven by US, China
The industry’s optimism is anything but surprising if one turns the gaze beyond Europe, specifically to the US and China. With a production volume of 1.5m t/y, the US remains the world’s largest WPC producer. However, nova Institut points out, this growth has slowed in recent years amid numerous quality complaints that have seen a number of American WPC producers taken to court. Partly as a result of such legal action, the number of North American WPC producers has dropped from 27 to 16. Yet, in parallel to this contraction, output quality has also once again improved, with North American WPC output now on a par with European standards, fixed by the Association of the German Wood-based Panel Industries (www.vhi.de).

Another promising growth market is China, where some 700,000 t/y of WPC were produced in 2010. That output is expected to rise to an impressive 5m t/y by 2015, which – according to nova Institut – would make China the world's largest WPC producer. Domestic wood plastic composite producers number about 300, who mostly use wood flour or lignocellulose-rich crop residues, including rice straw and husks, as raw materials.

HARDY SMITH talks to WOODNEWS

WOODNEWS Magazine, July, 2013, India.

Q1: Why are you promoting wood-polymer composite (WPC) when wood is nowadays so freely imported from professionally managed and certified suppliers abroad?
A1: Wood plastic composite manufacturing doesn't need logs or timbers, but this subject is a boon for wood wastes including sawmill dust, plywood sanding dust, bagasse dust, Rice husk, Jute husk and other forms of wood wastes. WPC product formation can use such natural fibre wastes ranging from 10% to 70% of formulation. Thus directly it has no relation with forests and bigger formats of wood and timbers. This way we are saving forests at the first sight and utilizing waste materials at a great instance.

India is being developed as a prominent manufacturing destination for WPC products, globally. Started reversely from international WPC trends India has picked up WPVC panels, rapidly due to all time favourite and upcoming infrastructure developments within the country. India has 'yet to see' situation for furniture industry.

The entire agenda of developing the WPC market is to give a life time and quality product for Indian homes, offices, hotels, hospitals and schools. WPC in general can withstand spontaneously against moisture and termite because of its polymeric structure. Today major population of India- taking from slum area to posh villas- are suffering from termite attacks and moisture problems. Natural wood cannot be afforded by 88% of population today. Recent trend in building material and furniture industries is going quite positive with newer materials. Mindset of today’s generation is open, exhaustive and well oriented towards qualitative, innovative, clean & green and value for money products. WPC fits best to their requirements.
Q2: How does WPC really compare with natural wood in terms of strength, durability, workability and sustainability?
A2: Please find the following properties of WPC boards made with PVC as the core polymer.

WPC boards are ideal for panel applications in modular furniture. They can withhold screw well. It has dimensional stability. Moisture and termite resistance gives long lasting durability. Surface is printable. You can apply HPL, Veneer and PVC foils. You can perform carpentry jobs just as like as the natural wood and wood panel. It has good machinability on any panel processing machine. Its polymeric structure with PVC makes WPC 100% recyclable and green material. WPC for India-in indoor applications-is the best material than any other wood panel.
Sr. No. Test Test Method Value
1 Density, Kg/m3 IS: 1734 500 – 700
2 Water Absorption, 2 hours, % IS: 2380 < 0.2
3 Water Absorption, 24 hours, % IS: 2380 < 1
4 Hardness, Shore D ASTM D 2240 > 55
5 Tensile Strength, N/mm2 IS: 1734 > 11
6 Elongation at Break, % IS: 1734 > 10
7 Screw Withdrawal Strength, N IS: 1734 > 1500
8 Nail Withdrawal Strength, N IS: 1734 > 150

Courtesy: Plamadera composites, Ahmedabad.

WPC decking or WPC lumber against softwood
Properties of comparison WPC - Smart wood Plantation timbers like eucalyptus/ poplar
Sturdier core
Recyclable material
Stronger impact resistance
Low water absorption
Mould resistance
Stain resistance
Rot and splinter free
Easy to cut, router and fasten
Easier installation
High insulation properties
Aesthetic value
Ready to use
Termite and borer resistance
Easier to clean
Easier lamination
Good printing

Courtesy: Libero world, Ahmedabad

Q3: Doesn’t the polymer content in WPC make it less “green” than natural wood?
A3: Green means the product that ‘saves nature – saves natural resources – reduces carbon foot prints – keeps environment clean – uses recycle – can be recycled – has no emission – has no process discharge’.
1. WPC saves trees by not using natural wood from forests – thus it is green.
2. WPC uses the waste wood, wood dust, plywood sanding dust, agriculture waste, and plastic waste – thus it is green as it recycles the natural resources.
3. WPC finished material itself is 100% recyclable and can be reused within the process. WPC products can be recycled anytime during its life cycle – thus is it green.
4. WPC doesn’t emit any gases as a finished product and it is E0 product – thus it is green.
5. Processing of WPC doesn’t create any process waste, waste water or chemical waste – thus it is green.
6. Natural wood, once it is caught up by termite cannot be used again in normal cases. WPC is free from borer and termite – Thus it is green.
7. WPVC like material which is self extinguishing in nature, safe, clean and hygienic-medical grade product – can give a safe and clean life to small children in schools to the employees working in close room conditions. Thus it is green.

All above parameters make WPC more “green” than natural wood.
Q4: How reliable is the formulation of WPC, given that polymers and wood and organic waste do not easily blend or adhere together?
A4: WPC is the better material which can use more agriculture waste with polymers. Conventional wood panels cannot use more agriculture waste those have less fibre value and thus bagasse has been the only successful but saturated option today for particle board and MDF board making. Against WPC can use rice husk, wheat straw, just straw, bagasse, coconut powder, bamboo powder etc with more or equal ratio with polymers.

For any polymer formulations there are additives and fillers required and being used globally. Such fillers and additives are used for property enhancement, property achievement and cost reduction purposes. Polymer is a subject where many new experiments can be carried out with use of such additives. Various properties like density, fire retardancy, UV resistance, colouring, bending, heat stability etc can be adjusted with such additives. Finally fillers including mineral and natural fibre can be used effectively within the cell structure to form a WPC polymer chain.
Q5: What happens when WPC products are rendered useless (breakage, damage in fire, etc.)? Can WPC be recycled? Or will it add to the plastic burden the Earth is already bearing?
A5: WPC is a 100% recyclable product. WPC has a dedicated approach towards wood and allied product replacement, thus it is being used in interior or exterior applications. Country like India has derived WPC as more into interior applications than exterior as of now. WPC is not the commodity plastic but this is a speciality composite known as ‘natural fibre polymer composite’, globally. It has the best uses in furniture industry taking from partitions to modular kitchens. Life of WPC as a product is - far far better than conventional MDF boards, particle boards and plywood – when it comes to moisture, termite and high water conditions in India. Next to its life, WPC can be recycled any time during its life period thus it saves the mother earth from ‘tension of de-forestation’ as well as ‘pressure of re-forestation’.
Q6: How well has WPC caught on globally and in India, in terms of production and business turnover?
WPC has got very well acceptance in recent years in India especially in western, northern and southern parts of India. As a reverse phenomenon WPC is derived more as a panel product – for interiors – with PVC as base material. World market has got more WPC for decking in exterior applications. This phenomenon has taken place naturally because of upraising activities in infrastructure and increasing demands of panel products for partitions, furniture, doors and windows.

Within a time span of 2 years, India has become a hub for WPC boards– next to china and becoming equal to china - globally. More than 30 odd players have installed WPC board lines with manufacturing capacity of 10 cubic meters per day, each. In compare to the size of Indian market it equals to the moderate capacity ‘3’ particle or MDF board line of 100 cubic meters per day. This is a massive acceptance of product and today India started receiving export inquiries from developed countries like USA, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Australia.
Q7: Why does India stand out in acceptance of WPC? Is it because of greater awareness of choice? Or is it a case of lower pricing?
A7: As mentioned above, acceptance of WPC is at par to the developed countries. Many new players are being added as manufacturer, dealer, distributor, furniture OEM. In terms of awareness WPC still needs more volume of production. Still product is not reached to each and every corner of India. Architects and interior designers are still not much aware with the product and its decency. Carpenters are still unknown to the product otherwise this is the best product to work with. Many players have started their demonstration centres and exclusive dealers. Education conferences and seminars are also initiated by players like Alstone and Ocean. Better event and media participations are also coming up by many players now.

WPC is a classic product when it comes to the case of pricing. It stands moderately with marine ply directly. It stands perfectly with MDF with HPL and even PB with HPL. UV coated WPVC leaves PU coated panels far behind in prices. Printed and Hot transfer laminated WPC boards are about to be launched soon which shall replace ‘Panel with HPL’ application at a high level in wardrobes, kitchens, offices, doors and other panel furniture.
Q8: Apart from consultancy, you also manufacture WPC-based products. With reference to doors and windows, what has been the turnover year-on-year, over the past 5 years?
A8: We are a technology player and we are not into finished product business. We provide plant, machinery, formulations, installation and manpower for WPC Industry in India and globally. We are establishing a workshop for machine assembling and spares. We are coming up with specialty raw material making facility for WPC industry, soon. We are also planning for operator’s training school at Ahmedabad to supply quality manpower to the industry. WPC industry, as I said has evolved within less than 2 years only so it is hard to provide any record for 5 years with reference to doors and windows. But against UPVC windows industry in last 10 years, WPVC industry’s turnover has reached to around 80 Million USD (500 crore INR) including WPC boards, profiles and WPC decking.
Q9: Who are your biggest (retail, corporate) clients? What/where does the big potential in India lie?
A9: All our clients are from wood and furniture background, except 2 clients from Plastic industry. During last two years we have installed lines for Duraplast (board line), Plamadera composites (board line & flooring line), Lirco composites (board line), Ecoste (board line), Pratham WPC (board line under installation) and I-green fibrex (board line). We are in talks with several corporate clients as of now.

In terms of rank in South India comes first considering the weather situation. Next to that Western part has enough potential followed by northern India. East India has equal potential like south because of its developmental scope.

HARDYPLAST @INDIAWOOD Show

PLY REPORTER Magazine, January 2016, India.

Q. What would be the new products at your stall?
A: We shall demonstrate wood polymer composite technology and products (both) during this exhibition. We are going to launch ‘A purchase guide for WPC’ during this exhibition.

Q. How do you establish that WPC is an alternate of Plywood?
A: WPC has following specialties to replace plywood:
1. Good screw holding for furniture making (holes can be refilled easily with same material & solvent for life long sustainability)
2. Good Dimensional stability for structural applications
3. Good machinability for wood working and panel processing,
4. Water resistant and termite/borer resistant
5. Outstanding surface finish for direct applications in furniture and partitioning

Q. Besides Water resistance and Anti Termite properties, what are other advantage of WPC/PVC boards?
A:
1. Adhesive friendly and works well with self-adhesive tapes for HPL, Stainless Steel plates, Acrylic
2. Printability on surface for Direct Digital printing & roller printing possible,
3. Direct use of WPC panels for carcass/storage building without HPL or Paint or coating,
4. Light weight construction possible & best for green buildings
5. 100% recyclable nature and can be reused the material at any future date
6. Value for money and assures 20% money back (as scrap even) at any future date
7. Fastest material ever for furniture making with solvent joinery
8. Can be 90 degree bent with ‘V’ grooving technique for door making
9. WPC Thicker sheets can be directly used as Solid Door that replaces solid wooden door & ply doors
10. Best product for CNC routing and serving to a huge interior and exterior Grill board market, replaces MDF & Wood
11. No headache for putting filling and painting for end use, it’s plug and play material

Q. Strength of Board is directly related to Density, but WPC/PVC boards carry very low density, hence how do you compare these boards with Plywood?
A: Only Density doesn’t play a role in this new era. Property of a material also carries a lot of importance. Usually density remains in discussion with its relation to screw holding capacity of a materials. But WPC PVC boards holds screws nicely with having moderate density (not low density). You can get this boards with even 900 Kg/cum also. Most importantly, No screw furniture is an upcoming trend with this materials. WPVC boards are capturing furniture markets with its most effective joinery technique with solvent cements/cyanoacrylate adhesives. Furniture units are being made without screw with WPVC board & such adhesives. This mechanism works so precisely that a 15 ft long wardrobe build up with Cyanoacrylate & WPVC boards becomes one unit with several joints. It keeps standing with superb dimensional stability and no warpage. Small units like storage boxes, side trolleys, book shelves, office table units etc can be built in couple of minutes, just without screw.

Q. Who are your target visitors (Dealers/Architects/Furniture makers) at Indiawood?
A: As a Project & machinery player we look forward for investors from wood, plywood & plastic industry as visitors. As WPC CENTRE we look forward for Dealers, Architects, Interiors & Furniture makers as our target visitors.

Q. What is your expectation from visitors of Indiawood?
A: We forecast this exhibition to be benchmark for WPC industry in terms of number of visitors. Visitors will surely gain more information and knowledge for WPC products and industry as a whole during this Indiawood show. We look forward for more projects and more channel partners.

Q. How do you expect India’s WPC/PVC demand growth this year?
A: This year will be a benchmark year for WPC industry and targeted growth is 25-30%. Being added with more potential players from the industry, WPC PVC will fetch more awareness, demand and consumption too. This year we forecast for a TV advertisement from WPC players. Lot of happenings are expected with increasing demand.

Q. Brief about your company?
A: We work for wood plastic composites only.

Technology division: We take up turnkey projects under HARDY SMITH firm, where we help entrepreneurs establish WPC manufacturing facilities from concept to commissioning. Our scope of business includes Machines, formulations, and production and application know-how.

Product division: As WPC CENTRE we manufacture and supply WPC boards, WPC Doors, WPC Door frames, WPC Decking & WPC wall cladding under HARDYPLAST brand. We take up turnkey projects with architects for supplying modular furniture for farm houses and village sites of Gujarat.

Q. Please also mention your stall number and Managing Director pics
A: Stall number “H2 UL E510”. Please find attached image fyi.

Researchers develop composite kitchen framework material

Researchers at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland have developed a kitchen furniture framework material from plastic polymers reinforced with natural fibre.
It is claimed that the new material, a possible alternative to chipboard, reduces raw material consumption by 25–30 per cent and the carbon footprint of production by 35–45 per cent.

In a statement, VTT's research professor, Ali Harlin, said: 'The frames are lighter by nearly a third because they contain more air. Wastage during production is also reduced. This is a generational shift that revolutionises both manufacturing techniques and design.' According to Harlin, the framework for the kitchen of the future will be compression moulded or extruded. The result is a component of exact dimensions, which does not need to be cut or drilled after production.

The natural fibre reinforcement in biocomposites can be sawdust, pulp, flax, hemp or peat. The new material is also claimed to be significantly stronger than chipboard and has excellent moisture resistance.

Future furniture
VTT has developed this new material in co-operation with Finnish kitchen fitments maker Puustelli.

Harlin believes that furniture companies will be attracted to the new production technique because it will enable them to save on production and transport costs. Furthermore, Harlin said that investments in new machinery will pay for themselves in a few years.

Industrial designer Juhani Salovaara, designer of the Puustelli composite kitchen, said that the starting point for the design was to achieve the smallest environmental impact and the largest degree of domestic origin possible.

The composites used in Puustelli kitchens are manufactured by Finnish forest industry enterprise UPM. According to Salovaara, the degree of domestic origin of biocomposite furniture frames is in the region of 90 per cent. The material’s breaking strength and moisture resistance are claimed to be excellent. It is also significant for the end user that the furniture’s formaldehyde discharge is diminished.

Harlin thinks it is likely that the innovation will also be of interest outside Finland as some European furniture makers have tried composites, but their production techniques are based on traditional cutting.

According to Harlin, VTT will continue developing biocomposites and charting new applications for them. 'One point of interest lies in whether biocomposites could be used in cars and other vehicles. In that field, weight is money even more than in furniture.'

Resins & Natural fibers for WPC

RESINS FOR WPC
Popular polymer resins for WPC are PVC (Polyvinyl chloride), PE (Polyethylene) and PP (Polypropylene). Globally PE and PP based wood polymer composites are widely used. Indian has started with PVC based WPC board manufacturing in last years. With main resins there are several additives and fillers get mixed to create a proper formulation according to the property requirement of the product. PVC is widely used for making WPC boards, WPC Indoor profiles as well outdoor profiles too.

PVC’s properties like lead the material for use into interior products like modular furniture, door frames, window frames, doors and other profiles. Products made with PVC can be printed and painted directly. It has a tendency to work with cyanoacrylate adhesive for faster joineries.

PE/PP are widely used for exterior grade products such as outdoor WPC Deck floors, Wall claddings, Pergolas, Gazebos, Benches, Deck tiles, Fencing and facades. It is heavy material by density as a final products and used for rough and tough outdoor applications. Globally PE/PP are known for their use with natural fibre polymer composites.

NATURAL FIBERS
WPC is known as NFPC (natural fiber polymer composite), globally. WPC is made with the use of natural fibers like wood and other agriculture residues/waste fibers. Saw mill dust is widely used after converting into fine mesh wood powder. This can be of different species of wood e.g. Pine, Teak etc.

Countries like India - where Agriculture is a major activity – has variety of agricultural waste fibers. Rice husk is one of them and can be collected easily compare to other fibers. Apart, jute fibers, wheat straws and bamboo are also termed as fiber resources.

Scupltures & Murals from WPC Boards

WPC sheets can be used for architectural sculptures and murals. Previously we understood about the application of sheets for heritage design preservations. Moving further towards sculptures and murals architects can create unique formations from WPC boards because of its precision for CNC cutting. WPC boards carry outstanding properties for use if outdoor weather applications as shown in the picture.

Here it is a ‘Whale sculpture’ created by CEPT students of Ahmedabad from Co-extruded white sheets. There is no paint or surface protections used and this structure is placed at the shown premise since almost 4 years now. It has suffered 4 monsoons and 4 winters now. Importantly it has faced 4 scorching summers of Ahmedabad also that goes upto 50 Degree Celsius.

At times you can paint this also for adding more life, not immediately like wood but may be after several years. I would say this as a very important material for architectural creations those need to be made faster, economic, smarter and for long life also. Similar sculptures if designed for interiors, then what to say about its life….may be endless!

Sonae enters Wood polymer composites

Published: 15 August, 2011

Panel producer Sonae is diversifying into the wood-plastic composites industry after signing a licensing deal to commercialise new technology in Europe.

Sonae has signed a licensing deal with New Zealand-based Crown Research Institute Scion to manufacture and sell the latter's technology, which enables production of wood-plastic composites with long wood fibre reinforcement.

"Our company has been interested in this technology for a few years, and our successful trials with plastic processing operations have given us the confidence to introduce this new material to Europe," said Christophe Chambonnet, Sonae’s chief marketing and sales officer.

Sonae has named the technology's product 'WoodForce' because of the strength the material combination gives to traditional polymers.

"As one of the world leaders in wood technology, with over 10 million tons of wood processed annually, Sonae Indústria needs to have an important role in the future of the wood sector," added Mr Chambonnet.

"I have no doubt that we are creating a new future by mixing wood fibres with thermoplastic polymers and a new perspective on the use of the wood fibre."

Wood plastic 'pellet' composites produced by the technology can be fed easily into conventional extruders and injection moulders and processed as bio-based fibre reinforced plastics."

Technology Partnering with battenfeld cincinnati, austria

Technology Partner


Battenfeld-cincinnati is a market leader in extrusion technology that develops, designs, manufactures and distributes innovative, high quality extruders and extrusion equipment. As a global player, battenfeld-cincinnati has 5 production sites in Austria, Germany, China and the USA and an extensive worldwide sales and service network. The company is organized in three divisions (Infrastructure, Construction and Packing). The Construction division provides solutions for window, construction and technical profiles, PVC sheet and wood plastic composites. Battenfeld-cincinnati has been serving the WPC industry for more than 15 years and placed more than 250 tailor-made WPC lines worldwide.

Hardy Smith, the only dedicated Indian organization into wood plastic composite sector provides turnkey project solutions including technology, manpower, infrastructure and brand.

As a technology player, we are built up by polymer technocrats having hands on experience in wood and polymer sectors. In association with BC extrusion we supports Indian industry for different raw material solutions for making WPC products.

Battenfeld-cincinnati Austria GmbH
Laxenburger Str.246, 1230 Vienna, Austria
Contact : Matthias Daniel (Director Technology-Construction Division)
Tel : +43(1)61006-467 Fax : +43(1)61006-55467
Email : Daniel.M@battenfeld-cincinnati.com
Website : www.battenfeld-cincinnati.com

Hardy Smith
G-1, Vikram Plaza, below HDFC bank,
Gota, Ahmedabad – 382481, India,
Contact : Hardik Panchal
Tel : +91(79)6545 2427, Mo.: +91-98790 894944
Email : info@hardysmith.org
Website : www.hardysmith.org

The research - Recycled polymer composites

The research has great relevance given that disposal of plastic waste by way of landfills induces environmental and space problems while incineration leads to air pollution and aggravation of global warming

By Bonnie James/Deputy News Editor/Gulf Times


In a development that could substantially improve the quality of recycled plastics, Qatar University’s Centre for Advanced Materials (CAM) has made progress in research to produce recycled polymer composites which are cheaper than pure synthetic fibre composites and have superior properties.

"Date palm wood flour and date palm leaf fibre, abundantly available as agro-waste material in Qatar, were added to produce recycled polymer composites which could be utilised for a wide range of applications in different fields," post doctoral researcher Dr Noorunnisa Khanam Patan told Gulf Times.

Glass fibre and mica were also used as reinforcements with recycled polymers in the research programme being conducted under the supervision of associate professor and CAM director Dr Mariam al-Ali al-Ma'adeed.

"The objective is to use recycled polymers as a matrix to reduce environmental pollution, considering that Qatar produces a large quantity of polyethylene plastics and substantial amounts of plastic wastes are available as municipal solid wastes," Dr Patan explained.

The research has great relevance given that disposal of plastic waste by way of landfills induces environmental and space problems while incineration leads to air pollution and aggravation of global warming.

"Over the past few decades, polymers, due to the ease of processing, better productivity and cost reduction have replaced many of the conventional materials such as metals, wood and ceramics in various applications," she pointed out.

Polymer is a macromolecule, made up of many small molecules which have combined to form a single long or large molecule. The individual small molecules from which a polymer is formed are known as monomers and the process by which they are linked to form a big polymer molecule is called polymerisation.

There are natural and synthetic polymers. Natural polymers are those isolated from materials such as cotton, wool, leather, silk, and cellulose rayon. Synthetic polymers are synthesised from low molecular weight compounds and examples include polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, and nylon.

Depending upon its ultimate form and use, a polymer can be classified as thermoplastic, thermosetting, plastic, elastomer, fibre and liquid resin. "The combination of conventional polymers with fibre or fillers is an important alternative to obtain new polymeric materials with designed properties to suit the high strength/high modulus requirements, and these are called polymer composites," Dr Patan said.

A composite is a mechanically separable combination of two or more component materials, different at molecular level, but mixed purposefully to obtain a new material with optimal properties.

Polymer composites are widely used in varied fields, including automotive, sports goods, construction, aerospace, marine, electrical, biomedical applications, and chemical equipment.

There are two types of constituent material: matrix and reinforcement. Thermoplastic, thermosetting matrices are used as the matrix in polymer composites with natural and synthetic fibres as reinforcing materials.

The most common include polyester, vinyl ester, epoxy, phenolic, polyimide, polyamide, polypropylene, and polyether ether ketone.
The most common natural fibres are sisal, jute, coir, and date palm fibre and synthetic fibres are glass, Kevlar and carbon.

"The objective of the current research at CAM is to produce recycled polymer composites that incorporate naturally available, environment-friendly plant-based fibre as an alternative reinforcement material, imparting high specific strength and stiffness," Dr Patan said.

Though recycling helps conserve materials, it is known to change the mechanical, physical and chemical properties of the recycled plastics to some extent, thereby lowering their economic value. This could be overcome by adding suitable plant-based fibres.

"Deforestation and growing environmental concerns were the main driving forces for the launch of wood-plastic composites as a natural wood substitute over two decades ago," the researcher recalled.

The research at CAM comprised four parts. In the first stage, glass fibre was added to date palm wood flour to improve its mechanical properties. In the second stage, recycled polymer composites were prepared by using date palm leaf fibre and in the third stage recycled polymer and mica were used. The fourth stage involved a study of the mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of the composites.

Wood Plastic Composites to grow well through 2011

Source – Plastemart.com

Wood Plastic Composites (WPCs) are defined as composite materials that contain thermoplastics and wood in various forms. Mostly, either the polymer or the fiber, or both, can come from recycled materials. Because of the limited thermal stability of wood, only plastics that can be processed at temperatures below 392 degrees Fahrenheit are used in WPCs. The average product carries about 50% wood, generally in particulate form, such as wood flour or very short fibers. WPCs represent one of the rapidly growing markets within the plastics industry. Double-digit growth is expected through 2011 for WPCs used as replacement for treated wood in building products and related applications. These composites find usage in a wide range of applications in a number of market sectors including:

- Building and construction
- Garden and outdoor products
- Interiors and internal finishes
- Industrial and infrastructure
- Automotive
- Other low-volume, niche applications

As per a report by Freedonia, demand for wood-plastic composite and plastic lumber is projected to advance about 10% pa through 2011 to US$5.4 bln. These alternative lumber materials are expected to continue to penetrate the building materials market at a rapid pace, particularly in decking applications. Composite and plastic lumber will continue to benefit from their performance characteristics, such as durability, weatherability, low maintenance requirements and low life cycle cost. Demand for composite and plastic lumber will also be driven by increasing consumer and contractor familiarity, a widening distribution network and product improvements that enhance appearance. Furthermore, ongoing interest in “green” building products will bolster use of composite and plastic lumber made with recycled content. Plastic lumber has found significant use in agricultural fencing, molding and trim applications. Solid growth in decking, fencing and other end uses such as site and leisure furniture will continue to support demand going forward. However, WPC lumber will see much faster growth through 2011, posting gains of 14.3% pa to reach US$2.6 bln. Composite lumber demand will be fueled by strong demand in decking applications. In addition, rapid growth in windows and door applications, as well as smaller niche end uses (porches, site and leisure furniture) will support demand going forward. Among the major product categories window and door applications for WPCs are anticipated to post the most rapid gains through 2011 (albeit from a small base). As with other applications, WPC window and door components are making inroads because of their lower maintenance requirements, durability in exterior applications and similarities to wood. Decking applications are projected to see strong gains through 2011, continuing to increase its relative share of the composite and plastic lumber industry. By 2011, decking will be the largest end use for these alternative building materials, accounting for 44% of demand. Molding and trim will remain a key market for composite and plastic lumber, but will exhibit below-average growth through 2011. Increasing market maturity in the plastic lumber segment will limit growth, as will a weak new housing environment going forward. Fencing applications will see below-average gains through 2011, due to increasing market maturity in the plastic lumber segment. All other applications are projected to see rapid growth over the forecast period from small bases. Playground equipment and site and leisure furniture applications are expected to register strong gains through 2011, driven by the environmentally friendly profile of composite and plastic lumber, as well as their performance and maintenance characteristics. The US wood-plastic composite and plastic lumber industry is highly fragmented, consisting of hundreds of companies ranging from small, regional producers to large, national concerns. Manufacturers typically specialize in one type of material, although some companies offer both composite and plastic lumber. In 2006, the leading composite and plastic lumber firms were Louisiana- Pacific, Royal Group Technologies, Tapco International and Trex. US Wood-Plastic Composite & Plastic Lumber Demand (US$3.4 bln, 2006)

Molding & Trim 39%
Windows & Doors 4%
Decking 38%
Fencing 13%
Other Applications 6%

Polyethylene (PE) is most commonly used in exterior applications and Polypropylene (PP) for automotive and consumer applications. The total market for WPC products in the two key market sectors in USA was estimated to exceed US$350 mln in 2001 with predictions to grow. WPC is already an established material in the USA particularly for garden decking and non-structural building applications, such as exterior window and door profiles. The combined value of the North American and Western European WPC markets was US$775 mln in 2002, with demand reaching 1.5 bln lbs. WPCs are projected to grow by 14% pa in North America and by 18% pa in Western Europe through 2010, according to a study by Principia Partners LLC. The North American market for WPCs accounted for over 85% of the combined North American and Western European demand in 2002. Building products represent the largest segment in the North America WPC market, accounting for more than 80% of consumption. In these applications, WPCs are used in decking and railing systems, window and door profiles and shingles. Infrastructure application was the second largest segment, at over 125 mln lbs. Primary applications in this segment are for boardwalks, docks and related structures.

As per another report by Freedonia, although demand for wood decking in the US is projected to advance less than 1% pa through 2013, demand for alternative decking will grow nearly 10% pa. Demand for wood-plastic composite decking is forecast to rise 9.5% pa to 700 million lineal feet, while demand for plastic and other decking is projected to advance 9.7% pa to 135 million lineal feet in 2013. Overall, demand for decking will reach 3.6 billion lineal feet, valued at US$5.2 bln. Consumers will be attracted to alternative decking materials because of their long lifespans, minimal maintenance requirements, and imperviousness to degradation caused by general wear and tear and long-term exposure to moisture. In addition to its performance characteristics, gains in demand for composite decking will be encouraged by its close resemblance to natural wood, its ability to be cut like wood decking, and the perception that it is an environmentally friendly material, due to the use of reclaimed plastics in its production. Advances in demand for plastic decking will be driven by the high durability of this product, making it ideal for use in public parks, commercial spaces, and such facilities as dockyards and marinas. Wood decking will continue to account for the majority of decking demand in volume and value terms. Demand for wood decking is forecast to rise less than 1% pa to 2.8 bln lineal feet in 2013. Advances will be restrained by heavy competition from other materials, although increasing consumer interest in tropical hardwoods will offer some bright spots. The residential market, which accounted for 61% of total decking demand in 2008, will continue to account for the majority of decking demand through 2013, posting 2.6% annual growth rates. Advances will be boosted by consumers adding amenities to their existing decks, such as outdoor kitchens, spas and hot tubs, and areas for other activities. Not only do these larger decks require deck boards, but many homeowners will install additional railings and other accessories to separate areas of the deck, in order to enhance the safety of their decks by preventing falls by small children or older adults. Further gains will be derived from an expected recovery in new housing construction from the low level in 2008.

Wood-plastic composite used for new spirit level

David Vink, European Plastics News

Germany-based Bayerische Maßindustrie (BMI) is using profiles made by NaturinForm, a wood-plastic composite (WPC) profile producer also based in Germany, for its Polywood spirit level – the first housed in WPC.

BMI said it looked for a material that provide the consistent and smooth surface necessary for the strict measurements for spirit levels - 0.5mm/m for flat positions and 0.75mm/m for rotated positions.

According to NaturinForm design and development manager Bernd Motschenbacher, the company achieved the smooth surface by using a finer wood fibre and a symmetrical profile contour, as well as an enhanced extrusion calibration process. And the cooling of the extruded WPC profile ensures that it does not warp in storage, says Motschenbacher.

The Polywood spirit level is made from an insulating, non-conductive WPC material so can withstand exposure to voltages of up to 1,000 volts. It is suitable for use in Zone 1/21 and Zone 2/22 explosion-protection environments, such as in coal mines.

BMI says its Polywood spirit level is warm to touch and resistant to soiling. The company produces the cutouts for the spirit bubbles and says there is unrestricted visibility of the horizontal spirit bubble, as there is no separate edge around the recess, as there is in conventional spirit levels.

The Polywood spirit levels are available in lengths of 40cm, 60cm and 80cm. They join a range of spirit levels made by BMI that also include models housed in ABS for smaller mini and pocket models and glass fibre reinforced ABS for a torpedo-shaped spirit level, as well as standard aluminium versions up to 100cm.

NaturinForm was founded by its managing partner Horst Walther, who invested €1m in the former Poly-Pro-Tec (PPT) company’s WPC production facilities and product diversification in 2009, bringing PPT out of insolvency.

Aside from spirit levels, BMI products also include ABS, glass fibre reinforced ABS or PA, PVC, metal and wooden extending rulers, as well as retracting tape measures enclosed in ABS and two-component ABS/elastomer soft-touch housings.

WPC - A fastest running product

Lakda Udyog Darshan, October 2011, India.

'WPC boards' – a fastest running product for Indian, Arab and African Infrastructure markets
- By Hardik Panchal, Hardy Smith, India (info@hardysmith.org)


Changing product trend as per the cyclic process of product life cycle, WPC boards are replacing shuttering ply boards with its enduring and highly competitive properties. WPC stands for wood plastic composite and this is a unique and evolutionary product derived from a non conventional extrusion process for wood panel industry which has been using pressing technology. As a fortune product for Indian interior and infrastructure industry which is just enjoying its childhood yet in compare to the other developed countries.

WPC boards are available with various names like 'Construction boards', 'Crust foam boards', 'Calcium boards', 'WPC shuttering boards' 'WPC MDF boards' in global markets. WPC boards can be produced with flexible density range varies from 400 kg/cum to 900 kg/cum. Another important characteristic is the surface density of this product and which also can be adjusted between a range of 55 shore D to 85 shore D surface hardness.

Formulations play a major role in making WPC boards and that is the master key which allows it to be known by different names as above. Wood wastes, Virgin and recycled plastics are key components for making these composite boards. These boards are covering a large application area starting from interior grade boards being used for making furniture, kitchen cabinets, kitchen shutters. Taking further, these boards are being used for making temporary shelters for government housing projects, construction site pavilions/shelters, low cost housing projects and other road and building projects.

The high end application of these boards are fall under the category name of 'Construction boards', those are effectively being used as a master replacement of 'Shuttering ply' and 'metal templates'. This board can be used more than 20 times in compare to the conventional shuttering ply used for 4-5 times only. Handling, storage and life are key competitive factors above its all other advantages including moisture repellence, non-deformity in shapes and layers, easy to cut, light in weight.

For further information about technology and projects for WPC boards you can write to info@hardysmith.org or visit www.hardysmith.org.

WPC - A Future product

India's WPC Capacity today

WPC market has actually evolved with really a good pace. In these four years, India has witnessed establishment of more than 50 odd manufacturing facilities for making different WPC products including WPC Sheets and WPC Decking. More players are in pipe line and we are projecting a volume of more than 300 manufacturers in coming 5 years. This subject will go nuclear way. Today, Gujarat is leading the subject with more than 22 players. Ahmedabad is the leader city with more than 7 Lines. We are ahead of Japan as a country manufacturing WPC.

Weather & Cultural issues
We are genuinely facing problems of moisture and termite. Our furniture – be kitchen or bedroom – can be affected anytime due to these two issues. We are carrying culture of cleaning floors with wet clothes or free water. Any culture cannot be changed over the night. This has created a problem of reduced life of furniture – be it with wood or modular with particle board or MDF board.

WPC sheets play a strong and positive role here and it is becoming more and more popular amongst Indian users. Carpenters and Architects have got good understanding about the product and they are using WPC now more effectively in their creations.

Customers' anxiety
We have always got curious, interesting and positive responses, while we promote or talk about WPC. At initial stage some threw it off just without understanding it. But such cases are very low. More we have got positive and solid interest only. Once one understands the product he/she will say "This is a future product!"

Basic question was coming with two techno commercial challenges - price and screw holding and those answers are also well understood by the market.

Price comparison
Reiterating the same here "Any plywood/MDF/Particle board cannot be used without surface protection. This surface protection is must and required expense for HPL on both the side, glue for that and labour. With WPC you can directly apply the sheets while making furniture. For elevation/shutters only you have to use HPL or Paint or any other substrate which is normally being used with wood panels also. An average cost of WPC sheet match the cost of a wood panel that is ready for application. Importantly, it is 100% recyclable and its user can get at least 15% cost back at any point of time in future.

Screw Holding
Screw holding is moderately perfect and better than MDF and Particle boards. Apart, you can refill the screw gap with PVC grips available in the regular market with use of PVC Solvent Cement.

Mass level awareness
Amongst Other challenges one is the mass level awareness of this product. Still product is not reached to each and every corner of the country. Larger players like Century Ply has started marketing this product and we are waiting for more such players’ entry those can brand this product on TV Media.

Global interest in India
India is becoming popular destination for WPC products. With more than 50 odd manufacturing lines our country is fetching attraction from all over the world. We are targeting equal percentage (50%) turnover from foreign markets. This will include WPC sheets and WPC decking, respectively.

WPC actually is well accepted in Global markets. I would say, we are late for understanding and taking interest in this product. Those countries are well developed and they are using WPC as a part of their consciousness about greenness. For us WPC is becoming necessity. We don’t have effective plantation practices, rules and initiatives. We are importing lot of timber and today only Gandhidham has become the largest timber import zone of Asia.

Logically, WPC has started being accepted as WPC Sheet first and now we are accepting WPC decking too. This is reverse in case of global markets. Today India has overtaken Japan in WPC production with total installed capacity more than 60,000 Tones/year. It has happened in last 4 year only and it goes more aggressively now. This is happening because of a comfort for accepting a product that is already running in Europe, USA, Japan & Australia like countries.

WPC PANELS for furniture
India is using WPC panels most effectively than the entire world. You may get amazed but this is the fact that we are using WPC sheets in variety of applications taking from Doors, Frames, Carcass, and Shutters and so on. You make Grill boards, wave boards, digital panels, molding panels etc.

Mandatory material for Carcass
It's a forecasting that for carcass making PVC WPC panels will become 'mandatory material'. You can directly use WPC panels for kitchen, wardrobes, shoe racks, book cases or any other box making. You don't need to apply any HPL while using in this application. Further, Carcass occupies more material than shutters so in terms of volume also it covers a larger market. Direct use of WPC Sheets can give advantage of ‘buy back' to the manufacturer and this system is already into implementation. This way same material can be used and flow of material & revenue will be maintained. This cycle will encourage bringing the overall price level of the material down in the future.

About HARDY SMITH
We have been serving wood panel industry more than a decade now. Derived from the alma maters like Rushil Décor & Hallmark, wood panel technology has been a domain of interest always for us. We have entered into 5th year now as a company dedicated to WPC sector. We are working as a pioneer for WPC subject in India and our march is still on will remain continue, as it is a passion for us now. We take up turnkey advisory projects for WPC product. We have got business cooperation with battenfeld-cincinnati, Austria for larger projects. At the same time we are cooperating with Jelu, Germany for WPC compounds for different mouldings.

We have established WPC CENTRE at Ahmedabad to develop, promote, educate and supply of WPC products and vivid applications. This is the state of the art centre supplying WPC sheets, WPC Doors, WPC Door frames, WPC modular furniture, WPC Wall claddings, WPC Flooring and WPC planks. This is all under one roof.

WPC - A promising Green material

WPC - Wood Plastic Composite – a promising and sustainable green material

Hardik Panchal for Wood News, India.

WPC - Wood Plastic Composite – a promising and sustainable green material is being evolved as a fundamental product for India, after being well adopted by the world.


India, a country is having vivid climate conditions, vivid culture, vivid growth patterns and booming infrastructure industry today. Increasing industrial growth is empowering entire India by covering four of its extreme corners, geographically. Increasing human potential is being supported by fascinating employment and business opportunities pan India.

Demand is rapidly increasing for interior and exterior grade materials in building material industry. Modular kitchen are in high demand today, parallel to modular office and home furniture. Timber import is increasing day by day and lot of waste is also being generated in volumes. This waste is coming out of saw mills, plywood mills, veneer units, Particleboard units, MDF units as well as from good quality agriculture residues like Cotton stalks, Sugarcane bagasse, Coir fibers and even Rice husk.

Wood panels are tested and tried to be made out of agriculture residues other than bagasse. At certain level success is achieved but not really promising, thus, question for ‘effective utilization pattern’ of good quality agro residues is still remain. At the same time demand for environmentally appropriate technology is increasing which can really reduce consumption of natural wood. Wood panel technology demands for efficient fiber conversion techniques that can drastically reduce fiber wastage.

WPC, Wood plastic composite, a product with a class, can help meeting global demand of wood products and wood panels. It is a new kind of synthetic material made from waste plastic & wood discharged from mills & factories as well as agriculture residues. It is a natural fit with primary and secondary forest product industries. By construction this product is formulated from - plant fibers as fillers and reinforcements - for polymers. This is one of the fastest growing types of polymer additive.

WPC can replace many direct materials like Solid/Natural wood, Plywood, MDF boards, Particle boards, Steel in various applications. Finished Products can be made out with Wood plastic Composite is classified as follows:

- WPC MDF boards - WPC flooring - WPC pallets
- WPC readymade Doors - WPC wall cladding - WPC moldings
- WPC readymade Door Frames - WPC Decking lumber - WPC planks

WPC product characteristics
WPC does not decay internally, rot or propagate mold. It can be cut, drilled, nailed and sanded like normal wood. All these processing can be done with standard tools. WPC flooring, lumber, cladding can be directly used untreated. WPC production is a 100% safe manufacturing practice having no process waste of materials, as production waste can be easily ground up and processed into top quality product again.

This is highly water resistant and resistant to bacteria & insects such as Termite & fungus. Importantly, it can be easily shaped using heat and can be shaped through molds & extrusion technology. Extruded WPC is a highly eco-friendly product & versatile building material to be used for interior and exterior applications.

WPC MDF boards can be processed with all panel processing machines like CNC router, Panel saw, Beam saw, Vacuum press, Edge benders, Multi boring and other machines. Absolute moisture resistant property gives biggest advantage of using this product into Modular Kitchen making. A versatile application of Thin MDF for back supports and closures of Modular furniture is very well served with WPC MDF.

WPC Doors is fine quality product with uniform polymer structure and can be used for CNC routing for precise and accurate surface engraving. WPC doors cover total application area of one home taking from Main door to bathroom doors.

WPC Flooring is a sturdy product and can be used on high water usage areas like swimming pools, gardens, walkways. Same product can be used for bungalows, apartments and offices for exterior and interior surface coverings.

WPC planks can be used as a perfect replacement of natural wood for making customized product with carpentry skills.

This is a green product and can be made out of wood waste and agriculture waste mixed with Virgin grade and recycled grade thermoplastic materials.

WPC & HARDY SMITH

Lakda Udyog Darshan, July 2013, India.

Q1: Why wood polymer composite (WPC) is becoming more and more important for India, even though import of wood is increasing day by day?

A1: Wood plastic composite manufacturing doesn’t need logs or timbers, but this subject is a boon for wood wastes including sawmill dust, plywood sanding dust, bagasse dust, Rice husk, Jute husk and other forms of wood wastes. WPC product formation can use such natural fibre wastes ranging from 10% to 70% of formulation. Thus directly it has no relation with forests and bigger formats of wood and timbers. This way we are saving forests at the first sight and utilizing waste materials at a great instance.

India is being developed as a prominent manufacturing destination for WPC products, globally. Started reversely from international WPC trends India has picked up WPVC panels, rapidly due to all time favourite and upcoming infrastructure developments within the country. India has 'yet to see' situation for furniture industry.

Q2: How WPC can be compared with Wood panels and Softwood in terms of quality aspects?
A2: Please find the following properties of WPC boards made with PVC as the core polymer.

WPC boards are ideal for panel applications in modular furniture. They can withhold screw well. It has dimensional stability. Moisture and termite resistance gives long lasting durability. Surface is printable. You can apply HPL, Veneer and PVC foils. You can perform carpentry jobs just as like as the natural wood and wood panel. It has good machinability on any panel processing machine. Its polymeric structure with PVC makes WPC 100% recyclable and green material. WPC for India-in indoor applications-is the best material than any other wood panel.

Sr. No. Test Test Method Value
1 Density, Kg/m3 IS: 1734 500 – 700
2 Water Absorption, 2 hours, % IS: 2380 < 0.2
3 Water Absorption, 24 hours, % IS: 2380 < 1
4 Hardness, Shore D ASTM D 2240 > 55
5 Tensile Strength, N/mm2 IS: 1734 > 11
6 Elongation at Break, % IS: 1734 > 10
7 Screw Withdrawal Strength, N IS: 1734 > 1500
8 Nail Withdrawal Strength, N IS: 1734 > 150

Courtesy: Plamadera composites, Ahmedabad.

WPC decking or WPC lumber against softwood
Properties of comparison WPC - Smart wood Plantation timbers like eucalyptus/ poplar
Sturdier core
Recyclable material
Stronger impact resistance
Low water absorption
Mould resistance
Stain resistance
Rot and splinter free
Easy to cut, router and fasten
Easier installation
High insulation properties
Aesthetic value
Ready to use
Termite and borer resistance
Easier to clean
Easier lamination
Good printing

Courtesy: Libero world, Ahmedabad

Q3: How WPC is termed as "Green" in compare to plywood, MDF and timber?
A3: Green means the product that 'saves nature – saves natural resources – reduces carbon foot prints – keeps environment clean – uses recycle – can be recycled – has no emission – has no process discharge'.

1. WPC saves trees by not using natural wood from forests – thus it is green.
2. WPC uses the waste wood, wood dust, plywood sanding dust, agriculture waste, and plastic waste – thus it is green as it recycles the natural resources.
3. WPC finished material itself is 100% recyclable and can be reused within the process. WPC products can be recycled anytime during its life cycle – thus is it green.
4. WPC doesn’t emit any gases as a finished product and it is E0 product – thus it is green.
5. Processing of WPC doesn’t create any process waste, waste water or chemical waste – thus it is green.
6. Natural wood, once it is caught up by termite cannot be used again in normal cases. WPC is free from borer and termite – Thus it is green.
7. WPVC like material which is self extinguishing in nature, safe, clean and hygienic-medical grade product – can give a safe and clean life to small children in schools to the employees working in close room conditions. Thus it is green.

All above parameters make WPC more "green" than natural wood.

Q4: How important is the formulation techniques for WPC where agriculture wastes also are used?
A4: WPC is the better material which can use more agriculture waste with polymers. Conventional wood panels cannot use more agriculture waste those have less fibre value and thus bagasse has been the only successful but saturated option today for particle board and MDF board making. Against WPC can use rice husk, wheat straw, just straw, bagasse, coconut powder, bamboo powder etc with more or equal ratio with polymers.

For any polymer formulations there are additives and fillers required and being used globally. Such fillers and additives are used for property enhancement, property achievement and cost reduction purposes. Polymer is a subject where many new experiments can be carried out with use of such additives. Various properties like density, fire retardancy, UV resistance, colouring, bending, heat stability etc can be adjusted with such additives. Finally fillers including mineral and natural fibre can be used effectively within the cell structure to form a WPC polymer chain.

Q5: Can WPC be recycled or it will add more plastic waste to the earth?
A5: WPC is a 100% recyclable product. WPC has a dedicated approach towards wood and allied product replacement, thus it is being used in interior or exterior applications. Country like India has derived WPC as more into interior applications than exterior as of now. WPC is not the commodity plastic but this is a speciality composite known as 'natural fibre polymer composite', globally. It has the best uses in furniture industry taking from partitions to modular kitchens. Life of WPC as a product is - far better than conventional MDF boards, particle boards and plywood – when it comes to moisture, termite and high water conditions in India. Next to its life, WPC can be recycled any time during its life period thus it saves the mother earth from 'tension of de-forestation' as well as 'pressure of re-forestation'.

Q6: How WPC is performing in India in compare to Global markets, in terms of product acceptance?
A6: WPC has got very well acceptance in recent years in India especially in western, northern and southern parts of India. As a reverse phenomenon WPC is derived more as a panel product – for interiors – with PVC as base material. World market has got more WPC for decking in exterior applications. This phenomenon has taken place naturally because of upraising activities in infrastructure and increasing demands of panel products for partitions, furniture, doors and windows.

Within a time span of 2 years, India has become a hub for WPC boards– next to china and becoming equal to china - globally. More than 30 odd players have installed WPC board lines with manufacturing capacity of 10 cubic meters per day, each. In compare to the size of Indian market it equals to the moderate capacity ‘3’ particle or MDF board line of 100 cubic meters per day. This is a massive acceptance of product and today India started receiving export inquiries from developed countries like USA, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Australia.



Q7: How much successfully WPC is gaining the acceptance in India? What is the status of awareness?
A7: As mentioned above, acceptance of WPC is at par to the developed countries. Many new players are being added as manufacturer, dealer, distributor, furniture OEM. In terms of awareness WPC still needs more volume of production. Still product is not reached to each and every corner of India. Architects and interior designers are still not much aware with the product and its decency. Carpenters are still unknown to the product otherwise this is the best product to work with. Many players have started their demonstration centres and exclusive dealers. Education conferences and seminars are also initiated by players like Alstone and Ocean. Better event and media participations are also coming up by many players now.

WPC is a classic product when it comes to the case of pricing. It stands moderately with marine ply directly. It stands perfectly with MDF with HPL and even PB with HPL. UV coated WPVC leaves PU coated panels far behind in prices. Printed and Hot transfer laminated WPC boards are about to be launched soon which shall replace ‘Panel with HPL’ application at a high level in wardrobes, kitchens, offices, doors and other panel furniture.
Q8: What services Hardy Smith is providing for WPC technology in Indian market?
A8: We are a technology player and we are not into finished product business. We provide plant, machinery, formulations, installation and manpower for WPC Industry in India and globally. We are establishing a workshop for machine assembling and spares. We are coming up with specialty raw material making facility for WPC industry, soon. We are also planning for operator’s training school at Ahmedabad to supply quality manpower to the industry. We have a business cooperation with Battenfeld-cincinnati, Austria who the largest global player into WPC industry with 250 lines.

WPC industry, as I said has evolved within less than 2 years only so it is hard to provide any record for 5 years with reference to doors and windows. But against UPVC windows industry in last 10 years, WPVC industry’s turnover has reached to around 80 Million USD (500 crore INR) including WPC boards, profiles and WPC decking.

Q9: Who are your clients in India? Nationwide, how do you see WPC markets?
A9: All our clients are from wood and furniture background, except 2 clients from Plastic industry. During last two years we have installed lines for Duraplast (board line), Plamadera composites (board line & flooring line), Lirco composites (board line), Ecoste (board line), Pratham WPC (board line under installation) and I-green fibrex (board line). We are in talks with several corporate clients as of now.

In terms of rank in South India comes first considering the weather situation. Next to that Western part has enough potential followed by northern India. East India has equal potential like south because of its developmental scope.

WPC becoming popular amongst Resellers

WPC – Becoming popular amongst Re-sellers and End users

Wood polymer composite and India both are becoming popular for each other nowadays. India, as a country is becoming popular destination for PVC based WPC board’s supply. Country is set with more than 35 odd manufacturing lines for WPVC sheet lines and more than 10 lines for profile production.

PVC (Poly vinyl chloride) is a major raw material for making WPVC products and Reliance has been Instrumental as a major supplier from within the country. Apart from Reliance local manufacturers are importing PVC from abroad. Companies have well understood the subject and gained enough knowledge about raw materials. PVC additives also are being imported directly by the existing players and major supplier is China, again. Recently, Reliance prices are reduced and companies are offering price discount benefit to the Indian market, positively.

At the other end, Gurjan scarcity and increased resin prices are making plywood more and more costly, day by day. WPVC is being controlled by PVC prices and effectively capturing the market, replacing plywood. WPVC decking, exterior cladding, lumbers and fencing are really becoming popular within end users including architects, interiors, builders and retailers. Good demand is being generated and manufacturers are really less!! WPVC is becoming stronger with new experiments in the quality by Indian players. PVC processing needs lot of patience, as it is the subject of formulations. You can make customized WPVC boards, as per your technical need. WPVC sheet can be made 100% Fire retardant by adding Fire retardant additives. E.g. Finolex PVC cables. Mosquito repellents also are being added, based on the application requirement. Most importantly, WPVC boards can be custom made in any colors and you can directly apply it for the end use, without HPL or paint.

There are exclusive WPC displays are coming into action across the country. Recently, WPC CENTRE is launched by HARDY SMITH and there are numerous WPVC applications showcased including Boards, Doors, Door frames, Kitchen carcass, Wardrobes, Shutters, Wall cladding, Flooring, Modular kitchens, Bathroom vanities, Shoe racks, office partitions, Ceiling panels etc.

There is specific demand being generated directly from the end users for PVC WPC solid sheets. WPVC is enjoying replacements for both the ends, where at one end it replaces Marine grade plywood and at second end it replaces hollow PVC profile market. Hollow PVC profile based doors and furniture market is evolved very fast within a few years. It has also captured a considerable market share of wood panel furniture. That market is nowadays started being replaced with solid WPVC boards, as it looks and works similar like a wood panel. Awareness is still a problem and we forecast presence of big ticket players in WPC market very soon.

HARDY SMITH, India.

WPC Boards - Replacing Plywood in furniture applications

WPC PVC foam sheets –Replacing Plywood, MDF & Natural wood in furniture applications

Interestingly, WPVC foam sheets are started being used in several new applications in the market. Since its inception in the Indian market PVC foam sheets have been the product of curiosity and questions. It has happened because of the manufacturing technology which was unfamiliar to the wood industry in India. All wood panels – from particle board, MDF, Plywood, Block boards or Door skin- are manufactured with pressing technology. WPC is being produced majorly from the Extrusion technology where polymer processing, formulations, chemical know how and technology understanding are the major areas to be learned and accepted.

WPC as a Polymer with thermoplastic nature gives advantage of ‘Re-cycling’. Thus, we can save lot of natural resources. It gives other natural advantages of Moisture resistance and Termite resistance. Thus, it is being accepted as the ‘Life time Investment product’ by the Indian lower middle class.

Surface of WPVC is quite polished, even, grain less, non porous, clean, calibration free which can be printed, painted and coated directly. It is a ‘ready to use product’ for total carcase applications. WPVC is the best product for ‘Joinery systems’ and it can be joined or sandwiched very fast and solid with ‘PVC Solvent Cements’. This is the fastest technique –played with WPVC boards for making of various product compositions. Whether it’s a 35 to 100 mm thick solid structure or curvilinear chair/tripod or a master piece in children furniture, you can make it quickly possible with WPVC sheet and solvent cement.

With all above advantages WPVC boards are replacing plywood in Kitchen carcases, wardrobes, office cubicles, overhead units as well in bathroom furniture. Density from 550 kg/cum to 650 kg/cum is the perfect fit for screwing and screw holding applications. The regular method of carpentry with PVC foam sheet works well with ‘screw and solvent’ mechanism. Actually it is similar to the plywood and water based adhesive system only but making time will be minutes instead of long hours. And final structure will be moisture proof, termite proof and may be with even ‘Buy back warrantee’ too!

WPVC sheets are being used for Door frame and Children furniture making also because of its easy to cut, easy to mould nature. The structure doesn’t carry in long fibres, thus it is safe for little kids during use. Applications shown in the images can give enough idea about the end use of the material with solvent joinery, curvature shapes and painted surfaces……but with NO WOOD.

Hardik Panchal,
CEO (MBA, BEng Polymer Technology)
HARDY SMITH WPC CENTRE

WPC Boards for Modular Kitchens

Best practices witnessed in last years for modular kitchen manufacturing is with MDF or Plywood panels because of its engineered structure and dimensions. These panels are in practice to be used with mandatory laminations of HPL/Paint on front and back surfaces. This is not only for decoration but also to protect the wooden material from moisture and termite. For high end applications PU laminations are in practice. But the basic structure of the panel is still wood and cannot be considered 100% water proof or termite proof. WPC BOARDS a new generation panels derived technically from Polyvinyl chloride polymer and natural fibre (saw mill dust or agriculture fibre e.g. rice husk) composite. Globally it is termed as natural fibre polymer composite or wood polymer composite.

These panels are made with a vast thickness range from 5 mm to 40 mm. Furniture makers can ask for any odd or even thickness to us for the same. WPC BOARDS are available in different density range e.g. 500 kg/cum, 600 kg/cum, 700 kg/cum and 800 kg/cum. 700 kg/cum and 800 kg/cum is the best product from HARDYPLAST known as HYPER WPC boards. It carries higher wood contents for best screw holding and dimensional stability.

Apart WPC BOARDS are available in 3 layer variant for ready to fix applications in furniture like ‘WPC Prelam boards’. Made with co-extrusion technology 3 layer WPC Boards are having surface density of 1400 kg/cum and shore D hardness more than 85. Plain colour furniture requirements e.g. Hospital furniture can be completely made with 3 layer WPC boards in any colour. These panels are available in any colours based on MOQ.

Most upcoming application and markets for WPC boards are into Digital printing Panels for designer kitchen segment. Same format will become popular for office & home furniture, cabins, toilet cubicles, partitioning systems etc. for designer furniture. Complete interior can be conceptualised with WPC boards with digital printing technology. WPC boards can be directly printed with flat-bed printing technology with high resolution and long lasting UV ink based.

Thus a versatile water proof and termite proof WPC BOARD is ready to fit to your kitchen furniture requirement.

WPC Carcass - becoming mandatory

WPC CARCASS – An application becoming ‘mandatory’…

CARCASS becomes a very critical application, while it is placed adjacent to a wall. Depending on the atmosphere and weather pattern of surroundings, seepage/moisture gets accumulated in the walls.

This also happens due to Transpiration. The major mechanism for long-distance water transport is described by the cohesion-tension theory, whereby the driving force of transport is transpiration. The evaporation of water from the exposed surfaces of a furniture in room side. Water molecules cohere (stick together), and are pulled up the wood body by the tension, or pulling force, exerted by evaporation at the exposed surface of a furniture. This is unavoidable and uncontrollable phenomenon.

Apart, Indian system for floor cleaning uses ‘mopping with water’ and it leaves water particles on the furniture panels. This also incurs into well-known problems of decay, fungus, delamination of HPL, bubbling, bending, de-layering etc.

It becomes dangerous when termite comes into picture. Termite in major cases attacks from within the furniture body and we have heard many cases where wardrobes, cupboards falls down leaving the back walls. Wardrobe carcasses, kitchen carcasses, overhead units, storage units, shoe racks etc… are sensitive to termite attacks when placed adjacent to walls.

In coming days, majority of Indian homes will start using WPC PVC boards for this application, as mandatory.

WPC CNC Grills - A moderan material for preserving Heritage

WPC CNC GRILLS - A modern material for preserving heritage…

WPC can be routed with CNC and hand routing machines, just like conventional MDF and wood. Importantly it can be used without surface protection, paints or coatings. WPVC can be available in custom colors and it can help in making versatile creations for designers.

WPC can be grilled for the best artistic creations like following image. Here in image is a world famous heritage site of 'Sidi Saiyad's Mosque and popularly known as 'Sidi Saiyad’s Jali' from Ahmedabad. It is carved on WPC sheet without paint and applied with LED backlighting. Such many architectural and heritage derivations can be developed for interiors. Surely this will long last than wood or MDF as its moisture and termite proof.

You can work with 5 mm WPC single layer sheet for minor and major carvings, without any stability issue. 3 layer WPC sheets can be a better option for such a work. As WPC sheets can be made with lower and higher density architects can choose the right substrate based on the requirement on Grill work. 3D routing also can be efficiently done on higher thickness – higher density sheets. This can be done well on 28/30/35/40 mm sheets. There are unique applications of WPC Grill works in luxurious look outs of home, hotels, hospitals, temples, apartments, villas and farm houses.

WPC Doors & Door frames

WPC DOORS | WPC SOLID DOOR FRAMES

Wood polymer composites is evolving as a great material for India. Popularly known as 'WPC' – fetches attention and becoming material of attraction for architects, interiors, project engineers and contractors. Because of its core technical properties of 100% water proof, 100% termite proof, 100% borer proof and 100% recyclable. HARDY SMITH with its known product brand of ‘HARDYPLAST’ is the single largest supplier of WPC products in the country.

WPC Doors and WPC Door frames are becoming essential part of new projects and government departments are also including WPC products into tenders. HARDYPLAST Doors are supplied in different thicknesses from 24 mm to 35 mm. WPC Doors are available in Plain solid door format, 3 layer Flush door format and Profile Door format also. WPC Solid door frames are made in different dimensions to fit to the main door, internal doors and bathroom doors. WPC Door frame is a unique product that is becoming favourable amongst carpenters and installer because of its 'ready to fix' design.

One can paint, polish or coat to the WPC Door and Door frame surfaces. WPC products are maintenance free, while being used in its natural form itself. Hotels, hospitals, hostels, temples, farm houses, village sites, clubs, restaurants, villas are the best suitable places for all WPC materials. HARDY SMITH has rendered the WPC arena in India and as a techno-commercial advisor serve to foreign territories also. 'WPC CENTRE' - a retail chain is coming soon across India for a complete WPC product solution. For more details kindly check www.wpc-centre.com.

WPC is brown always

WPVC board – it was brown actually. Now it is white as well as colorful too!

HARDY SMITH, India.

Poly vinyl chloride – is an instrumental material behind the making and formulating of wood polymer composites, in case of India. India is becoming popular destination for PVC based WPC. Country is witnessing a continuous growth with addition of new players regularly since last 4 years now. Indian exhibitions are adding stalls for WPC products now for new brands. A lot of activities are going on for this product and its promotion, carpenter meets, and architect meets etc at different levels are on. Product showcasing also is in action and you can find exclusive ‘WPC CENTRE’s in action.

WPVC board as a popular product is set for quality, supply and varieties. At inception wood PVC board was woody brown. Now it is available as WHITE PVC foam sheet. Recently it is being available in all the colors with beautiful surface luster. WPVC sheets can be available in different colors and can be applied to the end use without HPL or Paint. A few standard colors are Brown, Grey and Ivory. These boards are replacing MDF and Corian type materials in CNC designer panel applications. Apart from this Ivory and grey colored sheets are becoming fit for kitchen carcass and wardrobe carcass. For office furniture and partitions such colored sheets are replacing compact HPL. Toilet cubicles are also being made with this.

PVC is resistant to ignition. The temperature required to ignite rigid PVC is more than 150oC higher than that required to ignite wood. The high chlorine content of PVC polymer reduces its ignitability and also the heat it contributes to a fire. High concentrations of organic materials will increase flammability; high concentrations of inorganic materials will reduce it.

Ignition Temperatures for Various Materials (ASTM 1929)

  Flash-Ignition (oC) Self-Ignition (oC)
Rigid PVC 390 450
Pine wood 240 260
Paper 230 230

PVC is the subject of formulation and you can customize your product to differentiate your entity. Having best insulation properties WPVC boards can reduce consumption of electricity almost 25%, as it doesn’t permit heating or cooling to pass through. WPVC ceiling panels are available now. WPC due to its fire properties as above catches attention of the government departments and many new projects are being done with WPC doors, door frames and partitions in customized colors. WPVC door frames and Doors can be made in any natural wood shade e.g. Pine yellow, Teak red, Wenge brown and many more. WPC Floors also can be made colorful in solid colors.

WPC Modular Kitchen - A Hygenic setup for Homes

WPC MODULAR KITCHEN – A waterproof, termite proof, clean & hygienic set up for homes

Modular Kitchen – a necessity in today's world for each and every homes. Well designed, engineered, customized and user friendly kitchens are made in modular format with conventional wood panels like MDF and Plywood. Most favoured panel for kitchen was water proof ply before WPC panels. Now WPC PVC panels are becoming the most favourable panel material, replacing wood, plywood and MDF.

Be it a carcass or shutter, WPC panels are used for both the applications vigorously. Indian system for 'mopping with water' leaves moisture in the atmosphere as well as on the furniture panels. This incurs into well-known problems of decay, fungus, delamination of HPL, bubbling, bending, de-layering etc in case of plywood.

WPC panels have a homogeneous structure throughout made with PVC polymer. Being a polymerised product, it doesn't have tendency for moisture absorption, de-layering, termite attraction, fungus attraction, borer growth platform. These all are the prominent and promising characteristics for modular kitchen application.

WPC Sheets in Vertical Garden

VERTICAL GARDEN ON WPC SHEETS

HARDY SMITH recently supplied 'GREEN WPC SHEETS' for 'VERTICAL GARDEN' at a known project brand 'SAHITI' in Hyderabad. This is a fresh application introduced with WPC Sheets in outdoor application for creating artificial garden on vertical façade of a building.

Vertical gardens are becoming very much popular in the country and as a part of 'Green Buildings' it is becoming almost mandatory for professional builders. Many companies are introducing Vertical Gardening in their 'Indoor' office walls also. Antilia is a private home in South Mumbai, India. It is owned by Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Industries and that is also cladded with vertical gardens on outer walls. Because of space issue and increasing cost of land, people those are sincere/fond about environment keeping vertical gardens in/out side of their buildings.

Recently applied vertical garden at Sahiti, Hyderabad was a unique creation, where metal fabrication structure was mounted on the facade areas of the building first. WPC sheets with Green pigments were fixed randomly over the façade. WPC Sheets were mounted as a base for fixing the garden templates over it. Artificial Grass is used here to create the 'Vertical Garden' and fixed on the pre-mounted WPC Green sheets. The final look created as vertical garden that is completely maintenance free with 100% water proof and 100% termite proof properties. Becoming rapidly popular WPC (wood polymer composites) are finding many new application spaces and replacing conventional wood and plywood. WPC acts efficiently where plywood and wood gets restriction because of its 'limitations with water, moisture, weather and termite'.

Overall ambience of the building became eye-soothing and cool as 'Garden and Greenery' is the most attracting layout for the human being. At this application we eye for more and more Eco-friendly/Enviro-friendly Green applications with WPC.

Wood polymer composite - A best alternative to natural resource 'Wood'

Wood Polymer Composite

A best alternative to natural resource 'Wood'
A smart material for the next generation

It has been 7 years recently to the inception of WPC sector in the country. Started with WPC sheets manufacturing, the sector today is making WPC Doors, WPC Door frames, PVC Laminates and Marbles, WPC flooring, WPC Decking, WPC Pergolas and so on. India has witnessed a new industry parallel to the conventional wood sector. A new whole Industry with more than 150 odd manufacturing lines making different kind of WPC products today. An Industry producing and promoting new generation material those save lot of trees in its daily operation.

Every 25 Door frames save one fully grown virgin tree and if considered the recycling of the same, it can save 3 fully grown virgin trees. Same is there with WPC Sheets and other products. This is a benchmark phenomenon for the country like India, where still no huge plantation drives are in action. Country is loosing it's green cover and water levels are depleting day by day. Summers are becoming more and more scorching and weathers are changing their patterns.

USE of WPC is a responsible approach towards the mother earth, towards the next generation and towards the nation. It is a material which is simply replacing the use of Virgin trees/wood for furniture and allied products making. This material with several other technical properties can replace even Aluminium/other metals/Marble/Stone as well.

Manpower crisis in labour jobs is becoming a very much sensitive issue and in this case whole nation needs to be switched over to the alternative raw material. We have to use materials and products those are user friendly, takes less time in assembling and project completion. It is a time to use Smart materials like WPC.

An education and awareness drive is responsibly managed since last 8 years by HARDY SMITH. It is a green initiative of HARDY SMITH for promoting the sustainable material WPC, which can save lot of trees. We are trying to promote the maximum possible applications of WPC that can minimize the use of WOOD in all the aspects. We urge the entire nation to give their hands in promoting and using WPC as a next generation material.

USE WPC. Save trees. Save earth.