Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
makes the WPC more like wood for cutting and fastening as well as for maintaining
cost competiveness. Although foaming increases the complexity of the process and
may reduce the output rate, savings in raw material will outweigh these issues. High-
performance additives transform WPC to a high-end product and continue to drive
the demand for these products for challenging applications.
6.4 General Applications for Wood Plastic Composites
Since their appearance ≈25 years ago, WPC materials have gained popularity and
momentum in outdoor applications and now in building construction (an important
application as replacement for lumber). Their aesthetic and low-maintenance
properties are continuing to drive growth as an alternative for wood applications. In
Asian and the Far Eastern countries, use of WPC is widespread and customers are
finding them more durable than natural lumber. Another big advantage the WPC
have over natural wood is that they can be easily produced in many profiles to suit
end applications, whereas, labour-intensive work is required to turn natural wood
into desired shapes and profiles.
Some of the general applications of WPC are:
• Outdoor decking
• Fencing
• Park benches
• Outdoor chairs
• Window frames
• Door frames
• Partitioning
• Railings
6.5 Long Fibre-reinforced Thermoplastics
Long fibre-reinforced thermoplastics (LFRT) are discussed here for the benefit of
the reader because LFRT are fast growing in importance for applications in the
automobile industry. The automobile industry is looking constantly for lighter
Search WWH ::
Custom Search