What is a chipboard material? Where and how is the chipboard used. Advantages and disadvantages of chipboard

In the world there are innumerable words, and their number continues to grow every day. Some of the words we have known since childhood, the meaning of others we realized during the study or work, and the meaning of the third we do not understand and to this day. As a rule, these are specific names or terms that correspond to one or another activity profile. With some objects we come across almost every day, but do not have the slightest idea what they are called, and do not even think about it.

For example, not everyone knows what a chipboard is, although this material is the basis of 80% of cabinet furniture. What is hidden behind the mysterious combination of four consonant letters?

What is a chipboard: material characteristics and scope

The chipboard is a wood shavings of a large dispersion, which is given a sheet form by means of hot pressing. An auxiliary substance in the plate production mechanism is formaldehyde resins, which serve as a binding function for wood fibers.

The body of almost all cabinet furniture is made of laminated board, "rough" panels are used for interior decoration or for the creation of temporary partitions. The frame of upholstered furniture in most cases is also made of chipboard.

History of occurrence

For the first time, a chipboard saw the light in the postwar period. Many buildings were destroyed, and the restoration required much more resources than was available. The acute shortage of materials for interior decoration and their high cost led manufacturers to look for alternative solutions. So, after long experiments, a material was invented, which was 90% composed of waste components. Wood chips, which were previously burned as trash, acquired a new purpose. For more than half a century the technology and the end result of production have been improved, and today the material of the chipboard is an integral part of furniture designs. So if you look at your kitchen or bedroom, you will probably find that their body is made of decorated wood chipboard.

Classification of material

At first glance it may seem that all the material of the chipboard has the same composition and quality, but it is not so.

By the type of cladding slabs are divided into:

• Rough, without decorated coating;
• Laminated, coated with sulphite and finishing paper;
• Veneered, covered with a thin layer of natural wood veneer.

Particleboard for quality characteristics are divided into 3 varieties:

• 1 grade plate is made from selected sawdust, usually one tree species. Its surface is perfectly smooth, without chips. On both sides the cooker is decorated by applying a laminated film or veneer.
• 2 grade is characterized by minor defects on the surface in the form of chips and scratches. Maybe with or without cladding.
• 3 grade - a plate with significant defects on the surface. They do not require cladding and are used only for construction and auxiliary purposes.

According to the degree of resistance to external factors, the sheet of chipboard can be:

• Moisture resistant - is specially treated with a wax emulsion, and also has wood fibers with a special impregnation, preventing swelling of the composition under the influence of moisture;
• Fireproof - contains fire retardants, which serve as a barrier to fire.

Technology and production stages

Before reaching the construction sites, a sheet of chipboard passes a long production process, consisting of five mandatory stages.

1. Getting the material. As the main component, wood shavings obtained from waste from woodworking enterprises or ground especially for the production of chipboard are used. Illiquid trunks are cleared of the bark, after which they are sawn to lengths of 0.5-1 m. The prepared raw materials are placed in special mills, where the grinding stage passes.
2. Drying and selection. The chips are delivered to the drying chamber, where vortex drying is carried out by hot air flows. At the same time, the moisture content of raw materials is reduced by 6-7 percent. The dried chips are placed in a cyclic setting where normal particles pass to the next stage, and too much return to the grinding stage.
3. Mixing of components. The selected drying enters the mixer chamber, after which the formaldehyde resin also enters.
4. Creating forms. The shavings mixed with the glue come to the conveyor belt where, under the action of the cold press, a form is created, consisting of several layers. A hot press connects the layers, creating a workpiece chipboard. After that the plate is subjected to cooling and drying. At the same stage, the chipboard is cut into standard sheets.
5. The final stage of production is the application of a decorative coating. First, the surface of the chipboard is leveled and ground, after which the sheet is put on the forming press, on the back of the board, only sulphate paper is used, which serves as the basis, sheets of sulphite and finishing paper are added to it.

Manufacturers and sizes

To date, there are about two hundred domestic and foreign companies, the main area of which is the production and sawing of chipboard.

One of the leaders in the sales market is the holding company Kronospan, which produces more than 2.5 million square meters. Laminated panels a month. The products have gained worldwide fame due to strict compliance with the technological process, selection of the best raw materials and focus on consumer requests. Compliance with these rules allows you to produce high-quality products with unique decors. At the same time, prices are kept at a competitive level.

Kronospan, like most other manufacturers, produces sheets of chipboard, the dimensions of which are 2750 x 1830 mm, the thickness of the plate is 16 mm.

Another popular producer of wood chipboards is the Austrian holding company Egger. This production belongs to the category of elite and has in its collection both plates with ordinary paper laminate and veneered chipboard. The dimensions of the sheets here are slightly larger - 2800 x 2070 mm with a thickness of 18 mm.
If we consider the overall dimension grid of all manufacturers, the thickness of the chipboard can vary from 10 to 38 mm. In addition to the above sheet sizes, there are also 2440 x 1830 mm.

Variety of chipboard: colors and decors

To date, furniture manufacturers can create real masterpieces, using only wood chipboards as a material.

The assortment of colors of laminated panels is very extensive and includes whole collections of decors of chipboard. Colors are divided into several groups:

• Smooth monophonic (white, yellow, blue);
• Textured monophonic (white textured, aluminum);
• Standard woody colors (beech, alder, cherry);
• Imitation of rare species of wood (chipboard "oak Winchester", "merano", "cordoba");
• Glossy decors;
• Veneered decors;
• Fantasy tones with drawings and patterns.

The last three categories are used mainly for the production of the facade part because of the high cost.

Benefits

What is the chipboard is known to every furniture maker. This material is the basis of all furniture designs and brings the largest part of the income. Why are wood chipboards so popular?

First, the priority advantage is the relatively low cost of the material, which allows satisfying customer needs of different financial levels.

Secondly, it attracts simplicity of processing. Particleboard is a ready-made material, which you only need to cut in accordance with the cut-out map and apply an edge to the ends.
In addition, wood boards are quite strong and durable, they are not prone to shrinkage or twisting, like a natural tree.

The final point in the list of advantages can be noted a wide palette of decors of chipboard. The colors are so diverse that they fit perfectly into the reserved interior of the office, and into the bright children's room.

disadvantages

Like any other material, the chipboard has several drawbacks.
The main negative characteristic of chipboards is the presence of formaldehyde resins in the composition, which at a high concentration have a negative impact on human health. That is why it is necessary to ensure that there are no unchromed ends in the finished product.

Another significant drawback is the susceptibility of the chipboard to swelling (with the exception of moisture-resistant categories). This problem is eliminated in the same way as the previous one - melamine or PVC edges are applied to all visible ends protecting the internal composition from moisture penetration.

Difference between particleboard and MDF

Often people who do not have a connection with the furniture world do not see a fundamental difference between MDF, chipboard and fiberboard. The difference, in fact, is not so great, but it is.

MDF is also produced from wood chips, only it is ground to a finer fraction than the EAF, and as a binder component, not formaldehyde resins, but paraffin are used. This composition allows to give the material more ecological compatibility, density and flexibility. The surface of MDF is smoother than that of chipboard, easily deformable. This characteristic is very important, as it allows you to create not only smooth but also curved shapes with different milling. Due to the paraffin impregnation of MDF, the slab has water-repellent properties, which makes it possible to expand the sphere of its application. In most cases, the fine fraction is used in the production of the facade part.

Fibreboard is a composite material made from wood shavings, wood dust and chips, with the addition of synthetic resins, paraffin and rosin. Composition is pressed and covered with a laminate. The thickness of the boards, as a rule, does not exceed 4 mm. Used as the back side and the rear walls.

Compatibility with other materials

Among all furniture materials, the most universal is the chipboard. The photo shown below confirms that the wood chipboard is perfectly compatible with any solid substances.

A classic furniture set is a casing made of chipboard, the back wall is made of fiberboard and the facade part is made of MDF.

In addition to the above materials, furniture production uses natural wood, glass, aluminum, which also "get along well" with the main material.

Tips for choosing a chipboard

So we figured out what the chipboard is and in what areas it is used. It remains only to determine the criteria for assessing quality.

Not all manufacturers adhere to norms and standards, so it is possible that under the usual outer shell, a non-liquid may be disguised, which may be completely unfit for use in the furniture industry.
When choosing a chipboard, pay attention to the price. If the cost of the chosen model is much lower than the analogs, look for the reason. Perhaps the manufacturer decided to conduct an action campaign to attract consumer demand for the product. Or maybe you decided to sell the product with a defect. It is possible that you will accept defective material for a low price (for example, for construction work), but you must be notified of all the pros and cons.

Examine the material for integrity. On the surface of the plate there should be no cracks and chips, the decorative coating should be smooth, without scratches. Be sure to inspect the edges of the sheet. Their thickness should not be greater than the thickness of the main surface, otherwise this fact will indicate the swelling of the material. Expanded chipboard is completely unsuitable for furniture production, as its filling becomes loose, which makes it difficult to use fasteners.