Table of Contents
Wood Plastics Composites in Europe
Glossary
Executive Summary
1. What this report is about
- Wood Plastics Composites (WPC)
- What is meant by "wood"?
- Structure of the Report
- Geographic scope
- Markets
- Fabrication processes
- Status of the information provided
2. Frequently asked questions
- What is WPC?
- What are the raw materials for WPC?
- Can money be made from WPC?
- What are the alternatives to ordinary wood fibres in WPC?
- Is WPC really a new technology?
- How different is one WPC brand or grade from another?
- Could any other materials be confused with WPC?
- Will Europe follow US trends?
- Is WPC environmentally-friendly?
- What can WPC be used for?
- Does WPC need a special approach to product design?
- So what is the difference between first and second generation WPC?
- Where does WPC fit in the market place?
- Is WPC competitive on price?
- To summarise, what advantages does WPC offer?
3. Technical performance of wood-plastics composites
- Quality of the data
- Density (specific gravity)
- Workability
- Dimensional stability in fluctuating temperatures
- Joining two WPC parts
- Appearance
- Outdoor durability
- Water absorption
- Flammability
- Mechanical properties of WPC
- Time dependent effects (viscoelasticity)
- Fatigue properties
- Rheological properties
- Friction and anti-skid properties
- Abrasion
- Special types of WPC
4. Environmental profile
- Introduction
- Materials
- Production
- Use
- End-of-life
- Quantitative Life Cycle Assessment
- Relevant eco-labels
- Conclusion
5. Raw materials: wood and other fillers
- Ordinary wood from trees
- Size and shape of wood particles
- Composition of wood
- Characteristics of wood
- Wood suppliers
- Newsprint and other waste paper
- MDF (medium density fibreboard) dust
- Mineral and other fillers, and nanofillers
- Natural fibres as competitors for wood in (mainly automotive) plastics
- Health and safety hazards of wood and related fillers
6. Raw materials: resins
- The role of resin in WPC compositions
- Compatibility between resin and fibres
- How much resin to use
- Why polyolefins are the first choice
- Density and melt flow index (MFI) of polyethylene
- Polypropylene
- Polystyrene and ABS
- PVC
- Engineering thermoplastics
- Thermosetting resins
- Effect of resins on fire performance
- Effect of thermoplastic resin type on mechanical properties
- What happens when crude oil becomes scarce?
- Recycled resins
7. Processing and fabrication
- Introduction
- Sheet
- Wood content of extruded mixes
- Stages of the extrusion process
- Extruding the mix
- Throughput rates
- Raw materials
- Wood preparation
- Avoidance of preliminary drying
- Blending and compounding
- Types of extruder
- Defects in WPC profiles
- Tooling, calibration, cooling and haul-off
- Surface finishing
- Inducing orientation in WPC
- Extrusion equipment manufacturers
- Injection moulding WPC
- Other fabrication processes
- Foaming WPC
8. Additives
- Introduction
- Reasons for using additives in WPC
- Types of additive available
- Colorants
- Special effect colorants
- Lubricants
- Coupling agents/compatibilisers
- Biocides (antimicrobials)
- Stabilisers and antioxidants
- Impact modifiers for PVC-based WPC
- Flame retardants
- Dispersing agents
- Other additives
- Environmental issues associated with additives
9. Production economics
- Licensing
- Capital expenditure
- Raw material handling
- Compounding
- Extruding the mix
- Tooling, calibration, cooling
- Surface finishing
- Raw material costs
10. Standards & legislation
- Introduction
- Tests
- Material Tests
- Product tests
- Regulations
11. Regional factors
- Introduction
- Similarities between European and North American markets
- Contrasting size of North American and European WPC companies
- Products
- Economic differences within Europe
- Marketing differences within Europe
12. Current and potential markets in Europe
- European economic background
- Overall WPC market in Europe
- Applications of WPC in building and construction
- The European automotive sector
- The furniture market in Europe
- Infrastructure
- Miscellaneous products
- Injection moulding
13. Suppliers of WPC
14. Barriers to entry
- Introduction
- Polymer and wood technologies differ
- Cost of WPC sector entrance
- Poor image of recycled materials
- Lack of standards and specifications for recycled materials
- Availability of post-consumer and post-industrial materials across Europe
- Lack of standards and specifications for end-products
- Cost advantage not immediately apparent
- Lack of a large volume market in Europe
- Conservative customers
- Poor marketing
- Applications restricted by lack of impact and bending strength
- Conclusions
15. Distribution
16. Conclusions and strategies for the future
- Market size and growth rate
- Recent progress
- Environmental impact
- Specific market areas
- Strategies
APPENDIX A. Some contacts in universities and technical institutes
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