Jiangsu Huidian New Materials Co, Ltd. put its U-flaker into operation at its Shuyang site in China. This is the Siempelkamp Group’s third U-flaker that has been installed in China, two others are being operated at plants in Guangxi and Shandong.
The U-flaker from the portfolio of Siempelkamp’s subsidiary Pallmann sets new standards for this type of board both in terms of product quality and resource efficiency. Knife shafts using the one-step flaking process yield a superior flake quality with a good bending strength, which means that boards made from this type of flakes are also characterized by a good bending strength. The flakes are cut in parallel to the grain to produce longer average lengths and thinner flakes that are of a greater quality. The reduction in board weight of up to between 10 and 15% is also not to be ignored. Glue consumption along with the electrical installed power are significantly reduced when compared with the classic two-stage process – which also means lower investments and operating costs for plant operators.
This process allows the use of smaller log diameters of less than 80 millimeters and other wood assortments that would otherwise not be suitable for other direct flaking processes. Thanks to flaking by knife shafts, excellent wood furnish can be produced from almost any starting material. The U-flaker in Shuyang may therefore be used with almost any type of raw material, such as logs, slabs and cores from the veneer peeling process.
