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Engineered Composites Facilities

Our engineered composites facilities have a proven track record of developing and applying technologies using highly-skilled personnel and specialized panel manufacturing equipment for great value and consistent results.

We offering a great degree of flexibility in project execution for our domestic and international clients. We test and validate technologies or processes that help them improve product performance, lower production costs, and take new products to markets.

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Panel Pilot Plant

Panel Pilot Plant

OSB Large Scale Pilot Line

OSB Large Scale Pilot Line

MDF Refiner Pilot Plant

MDF Refiner Pilot Plant

Product Evaluation Testing Laboratory

Product Evaluation Testing Laboratory

Panel Pilot Plant

The engineered composites panel pilot plant allows for the simulation and replication of the operating and production environments of the most modern mills. It is one of the most highly automated and sophisticated panel development laboratories in North America.

The panel pilot plant is harmonized with industry to advance innovation and serving as a valuable partner in the drive for quality and efficiency. Specialized equipment is operated by skilled and experienced personnel.

Panel Pilot Plant Product Capability

  • Strand-based
  • Oriented Strand Board (OSB)
  • Oriented Strand Lumber (OSL)
  • Laminated Strand Lumber (LSL)
  • Parallel Strand Lumber (PSL)
  • Container flooring
  • Fibre-based
  • Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF)
  • High Density Fibreboard (HDF)
  • Fibre insulation board
  • Laminated products
  • Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL)
  • Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT)
  • Plywood
  • Particleboard
  • Resin and wax evaluation
  • Fire retardants
  • Release agents
  • Preservatives
  • Overlays, embossing
  • Process improvements
  • New product development
  • Wood carbonization

Major Pilot Plant Equipment

  • Two 34” x 34” presses, oil and steam heated, up to 780 psi specific mat pressure
  • 5’ x 9’ press, oil heated, up to 1000 psi specific mat pressure
  • All presses have capability for low pressure mat steam preheating. High pressure is available for special steam injection projects.
  • The PressMANTM system developed in our facilities is used for control, data acquisition, and visual display. This system allows for press cycle programming control and monitoring of pressing variables in real time. The system uses specially designed temperature and pressure probes for measuring internal mat temperature and gas pressure during pressing.
  • 10’ programmable beam saw
  • Large cavity 915 MHz microwave can accept up to 5’ x 9’ mat or billet
  • Log debarker
  • Wood strander capacity to 6” long
  • Large capacity deck screener
  • Drum blenders, 4’ x 8’ and 5’ x 10’ with dual coil atomizers and spray systems
  • Paddle particleboard blender
  • Large volume drying capability
  • Automated spray systems with a 34” wide release spray line
  • 60” glue spreader used for plywood (such as LVL, CLT)
  • Hammermill
  • Various fibre size reduction equipment
  • MDF, 32” refining system

OSB Large Scale Pilot Line

The engineered composites panel pilot plant is equipped with a full range of machinery designed to handle the processing requirements of a variety of wood composite panel products.

The highly automated OSB forming line with 5’ × 9’ press is the only R&D facility of its kind in North America, offering unique scale-up capabilities. OSB and OSL mats are mechanically formed using a centralized control system. Mat depth can be made to the maximum 23” opening of the 5’ x 9’ press.

MDF Refiner Pilot Plant

Engineered composites has developed capability in MDF fibre production. The 32” pressurized refiner is capable of producing fibre from a range of wood, annual crops, and other plant feedstocks. Refining is coupled with a blow line that is equipped with resin and chemical injection to reproduce conditions in a full-scale plant.

Drying of the fibre is accomplished through a 90 m long flash tube. In addition to the blow line blending of resins and chemicals, the pilot plant has developed capability to apply resins and chemicals to refined dried fibre (dry fibre resin application system). The additional flexibility allows more test runs per day and the opportunity to use fibre produced from other sources.

Product Evaluation Testing Laboratory

The product evaluation testing laboratory is fully equipped to perform all common testing as well as some non-standard tests for wood and other composites, structural panels, and laminated products.

Capabilities & Equipment

  • CSA, ASTM, ANSI, JAS, JIS, EN, CCMC, Chinese standard
  • 4’ x 8’ panel density measurement using a unique X-ray scanning machine
  • QMS vertical density profiler for small specimens
  • Three Instron universal testing machines, 5kN up to 100kN
  • Demco concentrated static and impact loading (CSL & CIL)
  • Edgewise shear tester
  • Two environmental conditioning chambers
  • Walk-in oven and small sample ovens
  • Boil, steam, and soak tanks
  • Thermal conductivity testing instrument used for evaluating wood fibre insulation board and other composite insulating materials
  • Thickness sander
  • Thickness planer

For more information

Engineered Composites Facilities

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