Wood laminating

Wood Laminating



Laminating - something thats built up in layers

Vaneer - Often used in laminating



Plywood is made from thin sheets of wood, called veneers which are glued together.



Plastic laminated - many layers of resinimpregnated kraft paper.



When wood is cut into thin veneers it can be bent into a mould to form complex shapes.





Laminating Methods

- Using male and femail mould

- Using a vacuum bag or vacuum frame



Using a Vacuum bag - Layers of veneer placed together on a mould and put inside a tough plastic bag. Vacuum pump is used to suck air from bag and produce shape.





Steam Bending

-Creates curvs in wood

Uses steam to eaken the wood so that after it is taken out the machine it is very easy to bend. This happens as the lignin is weekened so the fibres can move more easily. Lignin then sets again.

This process can be done more than once.





Static and Dynamic loads

- static, doesnt move

- dinamic, does move

Planes (dinamic); made out of alluminium which expand when in the air due to a lot of air pressure



Steam Bending

Cost
-low tooling cost
-moderate to high unit cost



Quality
-Good quality and high strength due to grain alignment

Typical Applications
-Boat building
-Furniture
-Musical instruments

Related Processes
-CNC machining
-Wood laminating

Suitabilty
-One-off to high volume production

Speed
-Slow cycle time (up to 3 days)