Effect of dwell time and press speed on the forming quality of the press formed wood plastic composite product

摘要

Press forming of the Wood Plastic Composite (WPC) allows the use of recycled materials in the production of the sustainable consumer products. This paper evaluates key factors in the forming quality of a complex draft angled consumer product. The forming quality dependents to the pressing parameters, specifically the speed and dwell time of the press, which are investigated as variables in this paper. The investigated WPC material in this article includes 45% wood fiber, 50% high-density polyethylene (HDPE) thermoplastic and 5% of other additives. The pressed plates were assessed using a 3D profilometer to determine the shape accuracy and surface roughness of the final product. It was found that the forming quality is heavily dependent on the dwell time and partially affected by pressing speed of the forming unit. Based on the research findings, selecting an improper range of these parameters may lead to significant deformation in the final product. Determined ranges of pressing force and dwell time found in this article can help manufacturers to start the press forming of WPCs and let them have faster production rampage.