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Injection molded wood thermoplastic composites are finding new applications |
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Projected demand for injection molded wood plastic composites will experience 70% average annual growth - from almost nothing in 2004, to reach a market size of over US$350 million in 2008, as per a report by Principia. The injection molded wood plastic composites (WPC) market is at an embryonic stage. The market has started to grow in the last few years, primarily as an outcome of the excellent growth obtained in the WPC extrusion market. Building products will be a critical market to fuel growth; although packaging, lawn and garden, and houseware applications will also contribute significantly to the overall market demand. Growth will be attributed to two main replacement opportunities: natural materials and unfilled/filled plastics in traditional plastics markets. These products do not expect to replace the other plastic molded products. In fact, nearly two-thirds of the potential addressable market is based on targeting replacement of natural materials like wood, stone and others. In terms of manufacturing, extruded lineal products continue to drive the North American WPC industry. Injection molding and compression molding together account for less than 10% of the overall market. The picture, however, is slightly different in Europe where injection molding is being adopted in a host of applications. The estimated the wood-plastic composite market in Europe is growing by 20 % annually.
It is relatively easy for processors to move from traditional plastic injection molding to WPC injection molding. Limited capital investment is needed due to minor equipment and tooling modifications required. However, some key processing hurdles that molders must closely monitor include thermal sensitivity, moisture sensitivity and shear sensitivity of WPC formulations as compared to traditional filled plastics. In addition, while adopting these materials, the concerns to be addressed include tool design, product design limitations and consistency in fabricated parts.
Wood thermoplastic composite is already well established for decking and fencing materials. New developments allow the materials to be reliably injection molded. Wood can be used in loadings above 60% with plastics such as PE, PP, ABS, PS and TPO. The wood can be wood waste, rice hulls, palm fiber waste or flax. The wood waste can be pine, maple or oak.
From an engineering perspective, wood-plastic composites are said to produce an end-product with structural rigidity, a natural finish, a pleasing aroma and marketable performance capabilities. Good candidates are parts with thick walls and parts that could benefit from rigidity and dimensional stability. WPCs, however, are less shatter-resistant than many injection-molded plastics and cannot tolerate excessive impact. Higher loadings of plastic can improve impact performance. WPCs often cost and weigh less than unfilled or glass-filled plastics. They often compete with calcium carbonate-filled or talc-filled PP where the main advantage is that of appearance.
The new product features interchangeable figurine characters with LED-based headlamps and is injection molded with a product called Sprigwood, jointly developed by JER and Sprig Toys, a US manufacturer. The company plans to expand its line of toys with the new composite in 2009. Auto producers like GM offer wood interior trims for luxury models. A Belgian company called Beologic supplies compounds filled with 25-85% of conditioned wood fibers in a matrix of PVC, PP or PE. These compounds are now being sold by Arkema. |
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