Wood Plastics Composites in Europe 2006: Analysis - Technology - Market Opportunities

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